Care of Fabrics
Developments in the textile industry have led to an increase in the choice of fabrics and colours available in everything from shirts to duvet covers.
New materials are constantly produced to keep pace with the public’s demand for a wide variety of easy-care versatile fabrics. This gives the consumer a great deal of choice, but it can also be confusing.
The care of these different fabrics varies quite considerably and the way in which they are washed can play a large part in maintaining their condition. Mistakes in machine loading, wrong temperatures and agitation, mixing colours with whites, or simply ignoring the care label, can all result in spoiled fabrics.
The typical wash load today contains many more coloured items and these should be washed separately from whites to keep the whites from becoming discoloured.
Loss of colour in fabrics is a complaint often voiced by parents of young children whose clothing is more likely to be washed after every wear.
There are now products produced specifically for coloured washes. These “colour” products are powder or liquid detergents which do not contain bleach or optical brighteners, ingredients which can cause shade change in certain fabrics. They may also contain special ingredients to help reduce dye transfer.
Most of today’s washing is done at lower temperatures with detergents making clothes clean even at low temperatures.
Ingredients that aid washing at lower temperatures include enzymes, which are designed to work best at temperatures between 40°C and 60°C.
Detergents that contain enzymes are usually described as biological.
An enzyme is a protein which occurs naturally in all living matter, whether plant or animal. For example, the enzyme pepsin, found in the human stomach, breaks down protein so we can digest food.
Proteins, fats and starches are common components of the dirt and stains on our clothing.
Enzymes that deal with these specific stains are added to detergents to break the ‘foods’ down in the same way as they break them down in our bodies. Once they are broken down, it is much easier for the other ingredients in the washing detergent to lift the dirt away from clothing.
We live in a consumer society that demands good clothes at good prices, and we expect top quality and lasting wear from all our garments, whatever their fabric or purpose.
As a result of these demands, whether it is for clothes, curtains or towels, we have a wider choice of colour and type of fabric than ever before. Different fibres, fabrics and colours all require different treatment during washing, which is why the majority of garments now carry fabric care labels with washing code symbols on them.
Care labels, the symbols that are included on many textile articles, give recommendations about washing, ironing, cleaning and other specific advice on the care of goods. Care labelling is not compulsory, but has been adopted by most clothing manufacturers.
Fibre content labels became a legal requirement for all textile goods sold in the UK from 1976. These labels tell the consumer the generic name of the fibres that make up the fabric.
Such information is intended mainly to help the customer at the point of sale, and so it is enough, as far as the law is concerned, for this information to be given on a swing ticket although manufacturers may attach their labels permanently into goods if they wish.
An accompanying page carries a list of the care labels found in most clothing today. Unusual or specially finished articles may not carry any of these standard labels, but washing or dry cleaning care instructions should always be made clear at the point of sale.
The relatively harsh conditions found in most washing machines, hot water, high alkalinity, friction through mechanical agitation, all contribute to the process of harshening clothes.
Synthetic fabrics sometimes generate static electricity and can then ‘cling’ or crackle. Drying in a tumble dryer can also create static electricity, particularly at high temperatures, causing the fabrics to stick together.
Fabric conditioners were introduced more than twenty years ago to alleviate these problems. Basically there are three types: the all-in-one washing product and conditioner; the concentrated or regular liquid added separately to the final rinse water; and the sheet conditioners developed especially for use in tumble dryers.
In the UK just over 60% of households use fabric conditioner and, in those households that use it, it is used in around 80% of their washes.
It works by lightly lubricating the fibres of the fabric, preventing them becoming tangled and making it easier for the fibres to retain their original positions in the structure of the cloth. This gives extra bulk to textured fabrics, such as towels, and a smooth feel to flat surfaces.
Fabric conditioners, like other detergents, contain surface-active agents or ‘surfactants’, which reduce the surface tension. In the case of conditioners the surfactants are selected for their conditioning benefits on fibres, and not their cleaning ability.
These “cationic surfactants” are drawn from the water to the negatively-charged surface of the fabric. The particles are small enough to penetrate the fabric structure, but not the fibres, and are therefore left to coat or lubricate the surfaces of the fibres.
Under normal atmospheric conditions, fibres such as cotton and wool have a high natural moisture content that allows static electricity to be conducted away.
Synthetic materials, however, have a high surface electrical resistance acting as insulating materials which, when rubbed together, create high charges of static electricity and produce a ‘clinging’ effect. A layer of fabric conditioner reduces this resistance allowing the electricity to leak away.
In the same way, the use of fabric conditioner prevents particulate soil such as dust from being attracted to the fabric surface. This is particularly noticeable on the hems of skirts and the bottoms of trousers.
Washed clothes rinsed in fabric conditioner have also been found to contain 10% less water, which reduces drying time and tumble dryer energy.
Fabric conditioned clothes are also less prone to creasing. The lubricating effect reduces the frictional resistance between the iron and the fabric, reducing the average ironing time by 10%.
For further information please write to:
The Textile Services Association Limited
7 Churchill Court
58 Station Road
North Harrow
Middlesex
HA2 7SA
The Home Laundry Consultative Council
5 Portland Place
London
W1N 3AA