Explain the mechanism of the cleansing action of soaps

Explanation

Soap or detergent molecules are made up of two. One end is long hydrocarbon chain which is water (hydrophobic). The other end is anion of carboxylic sulphonic acid group which is water attracting hydrophilic). So, when soap is dissolved in water, it forms up of many molecules known as micelles as shown below. stick inwards and the heads outwards. In the case, negative end is `-COO^(-)` and in the case of detergent `-SO_(3)^(-)`

These micelles dissolve oily droplets or dirt by the hydrophobic ends.
When water is agitated, the oily dirt tends to lift from the dirty surface and dissociates into fragments. The gives an opportunity to other tails to stick to oil. The solution now contains small globules of oil surrounded by soap and detergent molecules. The negatively charged heads in water prevent the small globules from coming together and form clusters. Thus, the oily dirt is removed from the object.