In the laundry process relatively high wash temperatures have traditionally been used for optimum soil removal. The use of lower wash temperatures could result in a substantial reduction in the amount of energy used in laundering. One of the purposes of this study was to determine soil removal at a range of wash temperatures with detergents of different formulations from cotton, polyester, and cotton/polyester fabrics. A second purpose was to evaluate the use of x-ray fluorescence analysis as a quantitative measure for determining particulate soil removal from fabrics. The samples were soiled by application of clay and either unlabeled or doubly-labeled synthetic sebum. Removal of oily soil was determined by measuring the radioactivity of the samples. Clay removal was measured by x-tay fluorescence analyses of iron and silicon, and overall soil removal was measured by changes in reflectance. Both clay and oily soil appeared to be best removed from cotton fabrics by higher wash temperatures. Low wash temperatures were best in removing the nonpolar fraction (triolein) of oily soil from polyester. Use of phosphate-built anionic detergents generally resulted in better soil removal than other types, regardless of wash temperature. Wash temperatures as low as 10°C gave acceptable soil-removal levels. Iron content varied with clay-particle size, thus silicon was the preferred indicator of clay content of fabrics.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of fiber content and fabric properties to the subjective evaluation of comfort of socks and to determine the subjective evaluations and laboratory measurements that best predict comfort. Socks made from all synthetic or predominantly cotton fibers were worn during exercise. Laboratory measurements were made on samples of sock fabrics which had been washed but not worn. Subjective evaluations obtained from the participants during the wear study indicated that the socks made from synthetic fibers were slightly more comfortable than the predominantly cotton socks. Prior to the wear study the majority of participants had indicated that they would select cotton socks for maximum comfort. The subjective evaluations of sock softness and foot dryness were found to be the significant determinants of comfort. Neither fiber content nor any of the laboratory measurements (weight, thickness, moisture absorption, air permeability, compressibility, and compressional resiliency) were found to be good predictors of comfort.

Fabric placed over human skin may change the stratum corneum (SC) hydration level, an important phenomenon because increases in normal levels of SC hydration pose potential health problems. The skin becomes more susceptible to abrasive damage, increases in permeability, and is more prone to microbial growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fiber type and fabric moisture content on SC hydration. Using three similarly constructed knit fabrics, six fabric type/moisture content combinations were selected for the tests. Using an occluded plastic dome, fabric samples were placed on both “normal” and “hydrated” volar forearm skin of subjects for a specified time period, then removed. Two minutes after removal, evaporative water loss and skin temperature were measured. The design of the study was a randomized complete block with all possible treatment combinations applied to each subject. Data were analyzed using analyses of variance on the linear and quadratic coefficients of best fit lines and Bonferroni t tests. For “normal” skin, SC hydration generally increased as fabric moisture content increased. The SC was significantly drier after being in contact with cotton fabric at regain than at the two moisture content levels above regain, and also under polyester fabric. For hydrated skin, the hydration state was significantly lower under the cotton fabric at regain than at 38.6% moisture content and at saturation, but was not significantly different under the polyester fabric at regain and at saturation.

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Samples of cotton, polyester and nylon fabrics were soiled by application of synthetic sebum and clay and then laundered at various combinations of hot, warm and cold wash and rinse water temperatures. The temperature of the rinse water did not affect the amount of soil removed from the fabrics. More soil was generally removed with hot wash water than with warm or cold water. The soil was more readily removed from the nylon than from the cotton or polyester fabrics. All wash/rinse treatments removed soil to a level that would probably be acceptable to most consumers.