Care of Textile Products

Factors Related to Cleaning

• Soil and soil removal– Mechanically held soil: gum, mud, or wax;

removed by agitation or scraping– Electrostatic soil: lint and dust; removed by

neutralizing attraction– Water-soluble soil: beverages, etc.; removed with

water– Organic soil: oil, grease, fatty soil; removed with

chemical action and heat

Factors Related to Cleaning

• Detergency– Lower surface tension with detergent or soap– Soap or detergent molecule: Organic tail and

water-soluble head dislodge soil.– Keep soil suspended in water and prevents

redeposition.

Soil Removal

Factors Related to Cleaning

• Solvents: Liquid that dissolves another material.–Water: Solvent used in laundering.• Water hardness: amount and type of mineral

contaminants present– Calcium, iron, and others– Interfere with action of detergent or soap– Removed or sequestered

Factors Related to Cleaning

• Water Temperature: Determines effectiveness of laundry aids.– Related to removal of certain soils– Affects colorfastness of some dyes

• Water Volume– Allows for agitation– Keeps soil suspended– Minimizes wrinkling

Factors Related to Cleaning

• Other solvents: Used in dry cleaning and spot/stain removal.– Perchloroethylene (perc): widely used; removes

oily soils; possible carcinogen and environmental hazard

– Trichloro-trifluoroethane (CFC 113): removes oily soils; environmentally hazardous; being phased out

– Replacement solvents used by some dry cleaners: cyclic siloxane, liquid carbon dioxide

Synthetic Detergents and Soap

• Surfactants– Nonionics: liquid form; temperature sensitive– Anionics: best in hot and warm water; good for oily soils;

powder and liquid form– Cationics: seldom used

• Builder: Not present in some formations– Assists in cleaning; sequesters hardness ions– Phosphate, carbonate, citrate, Zeolites: phosphates

replaced in U.S. market.

Synthetic Detergents and Soap • Enzymes: Minimize worn appearance of textiles• Anti-fading agents and color transfer inhibitors.• Other ingredients: Antiredeposition agents,

perfumes, dyes, fluorescent whitening agents.• Soap: Salt of long chain fatty acid; reacts with hard

water to form insoluble curd; less effective than synthetic detergents at cleaning.

Synthetic Detergents and Soap

• Additives– Bleach: powder or liquid– Fabric softener: washer or dryer; potential problems with

synthetic & lightweight fabrics– Water softener– Presoak: assist in soil and stain removal– Other additives: disinfectant (check for EPA registration

number to certify that these are strong enough to disinfect), presoak, pretreatment for soil removal, starch/sizing, bluing

Special Products

• Compound to clean down and feathers.• Soaps and detergents for hand washing of wool and

delicates.• Detergent formulated for textiles used with babies.• Stain removal agents for use with carpets and

upholstery or outdoor textiles.• Stain removal agents for rust and grease stains.• Soaps and detergents with all natural ingredients or

with no perfume or color added.

Laundering

• Sort: By color, soil, linting ability, abrasion resistance.

• Washing: User-friendly machines; built-in cycles for easy use; horizontal & vertical axis.

• Drying: Regular and vent-free dryers.

Dry Cleaning • Solvents: perchloroethylene (perc), fluorocarbon, petroleum, or

others• International Fabricare Institute• Process

– Check item in: identification number assigned– Pretreated at spotting board– Tumbled in dry cleaning unit with charged solvent– Solvent reclaimed– Pressed or finished on specialized equipment

Dry Cleaning

• Services: repair, water repellency, wedding dresses, antique items, drapery, pillows

• Leather and fur cleaning • Home solvent cleaning kits

Professional Wet cleaning• Commercial alternative to traditional dry cleaning.• Uses water, steam, heat, natural soaps, and pressing to

restore item.• Options: Steam cleaning, spot removing, hand washing,

gentle machine washing, tumble drying, vacuuming.• Effects: Less odor, good cleanliness, more labor intensive,

some stains hard to remove, minimal stretching or shrinking, some wrinkling and color loss.

• Advantages: Less expensive to establish & run, energy intensive, environmental concern.

Storage

• Important for producers and consumers.• Storage next to plastic may cause problems with

color migration.• Storage next to raw wood may cause acid

degradation.• Storage in dry cleaner bags may cause textiles to

discolor or mildew.• Protect from insects and mildew.• Store clean and dry.

Carpet Cleaning Methods

• Vacuuming: Removes particulate soil and dust.• Wet cleaning or shampooing: Dilute water-

detergent solution; applied to textile, wet vacuumed; potential problems with over-saturation.

• Dry foam or aerosol cleaning: Spray foam on textile; work in with brush, soil and foam removed with vacuum.

Carpet Cleaning Methods• Hot water extraction or steam

cleaning: Hot water-detergent solution injected into textile; wet vacuumed.

• Powder cleaner or dry extraction cleaning: Dry powder sprinkled on textile; worked into pile; removed by vacuum.

• Ultrasonic cleaning: Requires special facility; high frequency sound removes soil.

Conservation

• For historic and collectable textiles• Special techniques for cleaning, storing, and

handling textiles to minimize damage.

Environmental Impact • Dry-cleaning solvents: Carcinogenic; environmentally

hazardous to air and water quality.• Phosphate builders: replaced in U.S.• Detergents

– Biodegradable (voluntary by detergent manufacturers)– New formulations: less builder and filler; multi-functional

ingredients– Recycled, recyclable packaging, and refillable containers

• Energy and water use– Changes in equipment: vertical vs. horizontal washers– Microwave dryers