Domestic Laundry and Microfiber Shedding of Synthetic Textiles
133
2.1 Effect of Detergent/Detergent Concentration
on Microfiber Shedding
Detergents are commercially used in the laundry process to remove soils, dirt, and
other stains from the textile surface. The main ingredient in the laundry detergent
is surfactants. The surfactant is the substance that has two different ends one easily
attaches with water and another end easily binds with dirt in the textiles. The surfactant reduces the surface tension and other ingredients in the detergents increase the
wettability of the textile. Due to the higher wetting and forced mechanical agitation,
the dirt gets broken down into smaller molecules and leaves the fabric with surfactants. However, due to various reasons like reduction in surface tension, and reduction
in surface friction, the role of detergent usage is noted as one of the important aspects
which stimulate the microfiber shedding from the synthetic textiles.
The researcher assessed the influence of the washing parameters on the microfiber
shedding behavior of the commercial fabrics. The researcher purchased fleece jackets
made of 100% polyester, 100% acrylic, and 65/35% polyester cotton blend apparels
and analyzed the impact of the laundry. They evaluated the roles of detergent, temperature, and fabric conditioner, and they had kept the washing duration and spinning
speed constant for all the garments. The study measured the microfiber shedding
with a bio detergent, non-bio detergent, and without detergent. The results revealed
that irrespective of the fiber usage, the use of non-bio detergent sheds more number
of microfibers than the fabrics laundered with a bio detergent and without detergent.
The significant difference is noted in the case of cotton/polyester blended fabric with
non-bio detergent and the other two treatments [25]. In a similar study, to measure
the fiber shedding, the researcher used fleece blankets for laundry in the presence of
detergent, detergent with softener, and without any additives. The microfiber shedding was noted high in the initial wash and subsequently reduced till the fifteenth
wash. Hence, researchers used the average of fiber shedding value from wash number
8, 9, and 10 followed by drying, to represent the long-term emission. The results
reported that a weight-loss percentage of 0.00108 wt% noted for the laundry with
no additives, 0.00140 wt% for the laundry with detergent, and 0.00124 wt% for
detergent + softener treatment. Based on the results, the researchers noted a very
minimal effect of detergent usage on the microfiber shedding. These results were in
contradiction with the previous researcher [25]. However, the study further enlightened the effect of the drying process. The experiment results indicated that compared
to the laundering process, the spin-drying process imparts lots of physical stress on
the materials and this makes the fabric shed 3.5 times more microfibers than the
washing process [26]. The previous textile literature reported that the addition of
detergent/surfactant into the laundry process significantly reduces the mechanical
action of the laundry process. The development of foam, due to the use of detergent
along with the absorption of the surfactant on the surface of the fiber reduces the
mechanical stress applied to the fabric. Thus, the use of detergent reduces the interfiber friction inside the structure and restricts the fiber damage [27]. This might be
the possible other reasons for the reduced microfiber shedding in the presence of the
detergent.
133
2.1 Effect of Detergent/Detergent Concentration
on Microfiber Shedding
Detergents are commercially used in the laundry process to remove soils, dirt, and
other stains from the textile surface. The main ingredient in the laundry detergent
is surfactants. The surfactant is the substance that has two different ends one easily
attaches with water and another end easily binds with dirt in the textiles. The surfactant reduces the surface tension and other ingredients in the detergents increase the
wettability of the textile. Due to the higher wetting and forced mechanical agitation,
the dirt gets broken down into smaller molecules and leaves the fabric with surfactants. However, due to various reasons like reduction in surface tension, and reduction
in surface friction, the role of detergent usage is noted as one of the important aspects
which stimulate the microfiber shedding from the synthetic textiles.
The researcher assessed the influence of the washing parameters on the microfiber
shedding behavior of the commercial fabrics. The researcher purchased fleece jackets
made of 100% polyester, 100% acrylic, and 65/35% polyester cotton blend apparels
and analyzed the impact of the laundry. They evaluated the roles of detergent, temperature, and fabric conditioner, and they had kept the washing duration and spinning
speed constant for all the garments. The study measured the microfiber shedding
with a bio detergent, non-bio detergent, and without detergent. The results revealed
that irrespective of the fiber usage, the use of non-bio detergent sheds more number
of microfibers than the fabrics laundered with a bio detergent and without detergent.
The significant difference is noted in the case of cotton/polyester blended fabric with
non-bio detergent and the other two treatments [25]. In a similar study, to measure
the fiber shedding, the researcher used fleece blankets for laundry in the presence of
detergent, detergent with softener, and without any additives. The microfiber shedding was noted high in the initial wash and subsequently reduced till the fifteenth
wash. Hence, researchers used the average of fiber shedding value from wash number
8, 9, and 10 followed by drying, to represent the long-term emission. The results
reported that a weight-loss percentage of 0.00108 wt% noted for the laundry with
no additives, 0.00140 wt% for the laundry with detergent, and 0.00124 wt% for
detergent + softener treatment. Based on the results, the researchers noted a very
minimal effect of detergent usage on the microfiber shedding. These results were in
contradiction with the previous researcher [25]. However, the study further enlightened the effect of the drying process. The experiment results indicated that compared
to the laundering process, the spin-drying process imparts lots of physical stress on
the materials and this makes the fabric shed 3.5 times more microfibers than the
washing process [26]. The previous textile literature reported that the addition of
detergent/surfactant into the laundry process significantly reduces the mechanical
action of the laundry process. The development of foam, due to the use of detergent
along with the absorption of the surfactant on the surface of the fiber reduces the
mechanical stress applied to the fabric. Thus, the use of detergent reduces the interfiber friction inside the structure and restricts the fiber damage [27]. This might be
the possible other reasons for the reduced microfiber shedding in the presence of the
detergent.