Abstract
AbstractThe development of laundry stain removal test methods is currently receiving attention in task groups of 3 major standards developing organizations in the U.S. The need for such test methods is reflected in the proliferation of products for presoaking or pretreatment of stained laundry items prior to washing or for addition to the main wash solution to help insure complete removal of stains. Proposed test methods involve: (a) a standardized staining procedure, (b) pretreatment or presoaking of the stains, and/or (c) a wash in a detergent solution which may include an additive, (d) visual or instrumental evaluation of the degree of stain removal, and (e) calculation of percentage stain removal when instrumental evalua‐tion is used. Calculation of percentage stain removal involves the use of the reflectance value of the applied stain. This can lead to anom‐alies in results due to the failure of reflectance readings to be directly proportional to the amount of stain applied. This paper describes the stain removal methodology developed by the authors including an instrumental method for reading and a procedure for calculating the stain removal effectiveness of any pretreatment, presoaking, and/or wash procedure. This instrumental method and the calculation described as the “Stain Removal Index” (SRI) overcomes many of the anomalies found with percentage stain removal calculations and presents results which parallel visual appearance. The “Stain Removal Index” defines the relationship of the appearance of the treated and washed stain fabric to the appear‐ance of an unstained fabric of the same material.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call