Abstract
The washability, redeposition, fill power, and fabric damage of wet cleaning and dry cleaning solvents were measured to identify the optimal type of washing that would increase washability while maintaining dimensional stability. The soiled fabric is a polyester cotton blend and the types of soil were wine, blood, make-up and sebum with carbon black. Petroleum and silicone solvents were used in dry cleaning. Results from this study are as follows. First, detergency is significantly influenced by the type of washing and type of soil. Wet cleaning is superior to dry cleaning. Wet cleaning shows a strong washing performance against hydrophilic soils, whereas, dry cleaning is stronger against hydrophobic soils. Second, redeposition is significantly affected by the type of washing, fabrics, and soils. Redeposition occurred little on cotton during wet cleaning, but showed a high rate for nylon. However, when the two types of fabric were dry cleaned, redeposition occurred on both types. Third, the fill power of duck-down is very affected by the type of washing. Resilience is the best in wet cleaning; and in dry cleaning, petroleum solvents showed a higher resilience when as compared to silicone solvents. Last, the level of fabric damage to cotton fabrics is highly influenced by the type of washing. Wet cleaning damages cotton fabrics significantly more than dry cleaning. For dry cleaning, petroleum solvents damage these fabrics slightly more than silicone solvents. In conclusion, the type of soil must initially be identified to determine the optimal type of washing. Special caution is required when textiles with particulate soil and nylon are washed. When considering the resilience of duck-down clothing, wet cleaning is more appropriate than dry cleaning. Dry cleaning, especially when using silicone-based solvents, is more suitable than wet cleaning for maintaining the shape of clothing.
