In recent years, the design of nursing uniforms, employing a variety of colors and patterns, has placed emphasis on their impression of being the least intimidating and forbidding to patients as well as their functionality and hygiene. The present study, including a survey of 469 hospitals nationwide, aimed to identify the optimal design of nursing uniforms for both patients and nurses, focusing on nursing uniforms as a medium of expression. A total of 87.8% of the surveyed hospitals had nursing uniforms, and 89.5% viewed them as one of the elements that add to the appeal of a hospital. “Combination of a white tunic and pants” and “white one-piece type” were the most common uniforms. When adopting new uniforms, 90.3% of the hospitals incorporated the opinions of nurses, selecting opaque, stretch material with a soft texture and a combination of tunic tops of appropriate length and pants so that they could move freely. Whereas some hospitals favored white, which conveys an image of cleanliness and reliability, others chose subtle, warm, and soft non-white colors; opinions were divided over the color of white. A total of 65.7% of the hospitals were planning to introduce new nursing uniforms. Based on the results of the current study it is important to select designs and colors that help reduce patients' anxiety and strain while presenting an image of trust and cleanliness.

A survey was conducted to examine the images of nursing uniforms, involving patients (patient group), nurses and dental hygienists (hospital group). The present study focused on differences in their impressions of six types of uniform worn by nurses and dental hygienists.

(1) The combination of a flower-patterned tunic and white pants was favored by both patient and hospital groups. However the combination of dark-redpurple scrub and white pants was considered inappropriate by both groups, especially patients concerned over their disorders and treatment.

(2) Factor analyses were conducted on the two groups' impressions of the six types of uniform. The results were as follows: “compassion”, “trust/responsibility”, “aggressiveness”, and “activeness” were extracted in the patient group, and “compassion”, “trust/responsibility”, “activeness”, and “sophistication” in the hospital group. The factor score for “compassion” was high in “flower-patterned tunics and scrubs”, and the score for “trust/responsibility” was high in “the white one-piece type and the combination of a white tunic and white pants”.

As people have different impressions of nursing uniforms depending on their style and color, it is important to pay attention to the designs when a selection is made.

The stain adhered on clothing with India ink could damage the appearance performance of clothing. Since the removal of soil is very difficult, a user gives up the use of clothing in many cases. In order to recover the function of clothes, removal of the India ink stain was considered from the viewpoint of the resources and environment that are the subject of a present-day clothes life. The soiled fabrics were made using white polyester, cotton, and polyester/cotton blended fabrics. The reflectance of the whole staining fabrics with solid India ink was lower. In the case of spot stained fabrics, no difference among the kinds of India ink was found. The soiled fabrics were washed out using bleach, dispersing agent and detergent. The significant difference was found between detergency and the kind of India ink, fiber, and the staining method (ANOVA, p<0.05). All of detergency was low and removal of India ink was difficult. When the kind of India ink compared the detergency, the detergency of the soiled fabrics with solid India ink was significantly higher (p< 0.05). The detergency of whole or spot staining fabric changed with the kind of a fiber or India ink. NaClO reduces function of protection colloid of a soot particle. It is thought that dispersing agent and surfactant are removing the soot particle from fabric.