Color Fastness to Wash Test

Determine the resistance of the colors of fabrics to domestic or commercial laundering procedures using a non-phosphate reference detergent incorporating a low temperature bleach activator. Test to be done for all fabrics indicates as “washable” following ISO 105-C08.

• Washing temperature for all fabrics is 40 °C.
• Motorsport fabrics used for team wear pants and shirts have to be tested at 60 °C.

Apparatus and materials required:

• Suitable mechanical laundering device with thermostatically controlled water bath
• Stainless steel containers (75 mm diameter x 125 mm high) and capacity of 550 ml
• 25 stainless steel balls with 6 mm diameter
• Multifibre adjacent fabrics (DW) (AC - CO - PA 6.6 - PES - PAN - WO)
• Grey scale ISO 105-A02 for assessing change in colour
• Grey scale ISO 105-A03 for assessing color staining
• Standard illuminant D65

Reagents (wash solution):

1 litre solution using distilled water at 25°C

• 4 g/l Standard wash detergent ECE 98 (non phosphate detergent)
• 1 g/l sodium perborate tetrahydrate
• 0.16 g/l TAED (tetra-acetylethylene diamine) 92% active or 0.15 g/l (TAED), 100% active>

Standard washing detergent has to be mixed together with TAED and perborate into distilled water at 25 °C ± 5 °C. The solution must be mixed constant with high speed. During preparation, the temperature of the wash liquor may not be heated up more than 25 °C.

Procedure:

1. Cut a specimen in size 100 mm x 40 mm out of the test fabric and attach a piece of multi-fibre in the same size by sewing along one of the shorter edges.
2. Add to each container the volume of wash liquor required to give liquor: fabric composite volume of 20:1 ratio. (approx. 40 ml washing solution)
3. Place in the container the composite specimen together with 25 steel balls.
4. Note the initial temperature (25 ± 5 °C), close the container and place in the laundering device and commence rotation.
5. Raise the temperature at the rate of (1, 5 ± 0, 5) °C per min. to the requested temperature and continue to run the test for a further (30 ± 1) min. at temperature.
6. Remove the composite specimen at the end of the wash and place them into a 1 l beaker half filled with grade 3 water at ambient temperature. Rinse for 1 minute and place the beaker under a cold running tap for 10 min.
7. Dry the specimen in air at a temperature not exceeding 60 °C, with the parts in contact only at the line of stitching.

Evaluation:

Assess the colour change of the specimen and staining to the multifibre fabric with reference to the original specimen under illuminant D65, by using the grey scales. In case a multifibre fabric is used, the fibre part which is most stained must be evaluated and the fibre symbol shall be reported.