Abstract
It is well known that the discoloration is observed on the worn cotton cloth after repetition of many wear and wash cycles. This phenomenon is called as yellowing of cotton.
The present study was attempted to make clear the relationship between the degree of yellowing of soil components and the detergency efficiency. The color change and the detergency efficiency were measured by the reflectometer for the cotton cloths which were artificially soiled by various organic materials corresponding to the soil components in natural organic soils.
It was found that the cloth soiled by squalene was most markedly colored and the cloths soiled by oleic acid and triolein followed in the coloration.
The cloths soiled by unsaturated organic materials were significantly colored and hardly removed by washing. Further examinations in detail for squalene soiled cloth were performed. It was concluded that one of the most important reasons for yellowing of soiled cotton was the denaturation of squalene and other unsaturated organic compounds.
