The interaction between the nonionic polymer poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) of molecular weight 20 000 and surfactants of various types [sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, octyl beta-D-glucoside, and potassium laurate] has been investigated in an aqueous solution at 25 degreesC by H-1 NMR pulsed-gradient spin-echo self-diffusion techniques. The SDS/PEO study was further complemented by component-resolved H-1 NMR-based studies of the electrophoretic mobility of PEO and the alkyl part of SDS under the same measurement conditions. Through such combined studies, a much more complete picture of the binding and aggregation processes becomes accessible.