Evaluation of detergency using artificially soiled multifiber fabrics

The evaluation of textile detergency was carried out using artificially soiled multifiber adjacent fabric (MFF) composed of six different warp regions. The MFF soiled with model water-soluble, oily or particulate contaminant was cleaned in water, water/ethanol (1/1 in volume ratio), ethanol and n-decane with the stirring as a mechanical action. The detergency of the each fiber region was determined from the change in surface reflectance of the corresponding region due to cleaning. The soil removal was strongly dependent on contaminant, fiber and liquid species, indicating that the detergency was dominated by the dissolution of the contaminant into the washing liquid and the affinity between the contaminant and the fiber surface. The addition of alkali and surfactant to water or the solubilization of water into n-decane considerably increased the soil removal. The experimental results were not in contradiction with common and well-known knowledge about textile washing. Therefore, the artificially soiled MFF can be utilized for the detergency evaluation for textiles.