Abstract
Five kinds of raincoat cloths for ladies on the market were used to investigate the change fo waterproof properties by drycleaning and laundry.
The results obtained were summarized as follows:
1. Generally speaking, the raincoat cloths remarkably diminished their waterproof properties by the first cleaning and thereafter decreased exponentially with repeated cleaning cycles.
2. The water repellency and absorptivity are influenced by the quality of finishing agents. Especially, the labelling of the water repellency should be expressed clearly for consumers, because there are sometimes insufficient waterproof finished cloths on the market.
3. The waterproofness and permeability to air of cloths are influenced by their construction, especially the cover factor of them.
4. The laundry is rather desirable for the properties change of cloths than drycleaning except the degradation of cloths handle.
5. The labelling of waterproof finishing should certainly be expressed not only on the raincoat but also on their original cloths.
