HOME LAUNDERING SANITATION: THE EFFECT OF DISINFECTANT CONCENTRATIONS OF CHLORINE BLEACH ON TENSILE STRENGTH AND WHITENESS RETENTION OF CHLORINE SENSITIVE FABRICS

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of disinfectant concentrations of liquid chlorine bleach on tensile strength and whiteness retention properties of selected fibers. The effect of chlorine bleach on the dimensional stability of these fabrics was also investigated.;It was found that disinfectant concentrations of 20 ppm liquid chlorine bleach should not be used for wool/nylon blends, spandex/nylon blends, and durable press cotton fabrics. Rayon, modacrylic, acetate and triacetate fabrics could be safely disinfected with 20 ppm liquid chlorine bleach.;The fabrics evaluated were selected based on their adverse reaction to chlorine bleach. Fabrics specimens were subjected to procedures feasible for home laundering practices. Each fabric was laundered 20 times in AATCC Standard Detergent 124 which produced a pH of 9.4. Three different water temperatures were utilized: warm (100(DEGREES)F), cold (80(DEGREES)F), and extra cold (60(DEGREES)F). For each of the three water temperatures, chlorine bleach was added to produce a washing solution containing 20 parts per million liquid chlorine bleach. There was a control group that did not contain chlorine bleach for each of the three temperatures. Fabrics were tested initially and after every five launderings for whiteness retention, tensile strength, and dimensional stability. The data were analyzed using factorial analysis of variance and a factorial analysis of variance with repeated measures.