Azul e branco soap
Azul e branco (Blue and White), also known as sabão Offenbach (Offenbach soap) is a type of soap used in Portugal.[1] It is comparable to household soap, but it has a rugged texture, bulky shape, and lack of odour and can generally be purchased in many convenience stores. In Portuguese "azul e branco" literally means "blue and white", which are the distinctive colours of the soap. It can also be found in red and white.
Given the size of a bar of soap (a long 4-sided prism which weighs approximately 1.5 kg), it must be cut to the desired size before use.
Formerly, azul e branco soap was popularly used to wash linen, carpets, and floors, and also for personal hygiene.
Uses
Being more effective than normal soap[citation needed], it was formerly used in to disinfect operating theatres. On the advent of Influenza A virus, the Portuguese health minister advised the population to use it as a substitute for the alcoholic hand cleaners that emerged at that time.[1]
Its usage has greatly declined in recent years as more attractive soaps and detergents become more common, but even now around 6k metric tons are produced every year.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "O sabão azul e branco já tem 150 anos e continua a vender 6 mil toneladas". Jornal de Negócios. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2011.