Transcript Slide 1

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
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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 waterdetergent 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