Azul e branco soap
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Azul e branco (blue and white), also known as sabão Offenbach (Offenbach soap) or sabão macaco (monkey soap), is a type of soap used in Portugal.[1] It is comparable to household soap, but has a rugged texture, bulky shape, lack of odor, and can generally be purchased in many convenience stores and supermarkets. 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 loaf of soap (a long six-sided prism weighing approximately 1.5 kg, 3.3 lb), it must be cut to the desired size before use.
Formerly, azul e branco soap was popularly used to wash linens, carpets, and floors, as well as for personal hygiene.
Popular brands include Clarim, Confiança and Solavar.
Uses[edit]
Being more effective than normal soap,[citation needed] it was formerly used to disinfect operating theatres. With the advent of the 2009 Influenza A virus pandemic, the Portuguese health minister advised the population to use it as a substitute for the alcohol-based 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 around 6,000 metric tons are still produced every year.[1]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), azul e branco soap is again being put into use by public institutions, namely in bathrooms.[2] Commercial demand is also increasing as stocks decline and prices rise, with schools and home consumers being the main customers.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "O sabão azul e branco já tem 150 anos e continua a vender 6 mil toneladas". Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). 23 September 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "O que vai mudar na Justiça por causa do coronavírus". Rádio Renascença (in Portuguese). 2020-03-09. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
- ^ "Novos clientes nas velhas drogarias: a culpa é do sabão azul e branco". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2020-03-12. Archived from the original on 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-03-12.