Effect of Soaps & Detergents on Blended Textile Used in School Uniform

The present study was undertaken to explore the usage of soaps/detergents and their effect on various physical properties of blended school uniform fabrics i.e. p/c & p/v. For household survey 80 samples of housewives (mother of children) were randomly selected followed by selection of two commonly used soaps and detergents for laboratory research work based on the maximum usage by respondents for laundering school uniform. To assess the effect of selected soaps/detergents on various physical properties in warp and weft direction, the blended fabric samples were laundered 30 & 50 times. Frequency, percentage and‘t’ test for independent sample were used for analysis of data. The major findings of the study reveal that majority of the respondents used different kinds of soaps/detergents to launder all kind of household clothes without knowing the composition and effect on fabric properties. Half of the respondents were not satisfied with the soaps/detergents they used and wanted to change because it detoriates the properties of fabric and weaken them. Laundering of p/c and p/v fabric with selected soaps/detergents caused increased in weight, thickness, fabric count, bulk & elongation