Development of Save Antibacterial Finish for Socks and Kitchen Fabrics

Abstract

In the present study, commercial socks and dishcloth made up of cotton was treated with a safe natural antibacterial agent, Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf essential oil to overcome the growth of bacteria on these fabrics, which would in turn prevent the diseases caused by them. Nutrient agar (consisting of peptone, yeast extract, sodium chloride and agar) as a food media for bacterial growth was used to expose the fabrics to bacterial growth. The socks and dishcloth exposed to the above environments support the growth of bacteria/genus, namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescents, Enterococcus species and Streptococcus species. Antibacterial finish is imparted using two different concentrations, 3% owm and 5% owm of Azadirachta indica, both in the absence and presence of citric acid, following pad-dry-cure technique. Antibacterial tests carried out following disc diffusion method on these treated (unwashed) cloths proved that the Azadirachta indica acts as a good antibacterial agent. The durability test carried out on the treated samples reveal that the antibacterial treatment carried out in presence of citric acid could withstand 3 washing cycles whereas, the samples treated in the absence of the acid could not withstand even a single wash.