Laboratory studies were conducted to determine adsorption and movement of carbofuran in aqueous surfactant-free and surfactant [(cationic, cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC),
and anionic, sodium dodecyl benezene sulphonate (SDBS)] solutions of different critical micellar concentrations (1/2 × CMC, 1.0 × CMC, and 2 × CMC) in four different Indian soils using batch shake and soil thin layer chromatography (soil TLC) techniques. The measured equilibrium adsorption isotherms were in agreement with the Freundlich equation. Higher adsorption of carbofuran in both systems was observed on FRI silt loam (FSL) soil followed by Alampur silt loam (ASL), Kalai loam (KL), and Bhoran sandy loam (BSL) soils, as anticipated from Freundlich constant K F and distribution coefficient K D , in surfactant-free systems and K F* and K D * in surfactant-soil-water systems. The adsorption of carbofuran in surfactant-soil-water systems followed the order cationic > anionic > non-ionic at all CMCs studied. The R f values obtained from soil TLC studies confirmed the above order of adsorption. The K D and K D * values were used to evaluate remediation efficiency (K D * /K D ) of surfactants. Non-ionic surfactant, Brij-35, and anionic surfactant, SDBS, are favorable for remediating soil contaminated with carbofuran as K D * /K D ratio is less than 1.