THE DEVELOPMENT OF WASH-AND-WEAR WOOL FABRICS FOR MODERN HOME LAUNDERING.

Wash-and-wear performance is defined as the ability of garments to emerge from machine laundering and tumble-drying, as practised in American homes, without change in dimensions and surface fuzziness, and with only very minor mussiness or wrinkling. Earlier work in these laboratories indicated that wool fabrics with such performance are indeed possible. The present paper analyses the effect of yarn and fabric construction variables on the wash-and-wear performance of worsted fabrics; the effect of fibre parameters had previously been shown to be minor. Of the 123 fabrics studied, 34 did not shrink at all, and an additional 43 shrank between 0 and 2°0 in area after 10 machine-washing and drying cycles. Use of finer rather than coarser yarns, and compact construction were most important for shrinkage control. Most of the fabrics were muss-resistant, and they were superior in this respect to many textiles presently considered as wash-and-wear. Mussiness increased with decreasing fabric weight. Secondary effects were due to the arrangement of a given fibre weight in finer two-ply rather than coarser single yarns, which increased mussiness, and low twist, which caused rolling of the fabric edges. Fuzz formation in laundering was considered excessive from a consumer's point of view in only a few of the fabrics. It was reduced by the same factors that reduced shrinkage, especially compactness and the use of fine yarns. It was also decreased by any measure which might reduce the raising of fibres due to rubbing between yarns and between fabrics, such as the use of two-ply instead of single yarns, opposite twist in adjoining and crosswise yarns, and similar diameters in warp and weft yarns. Analysis of all the results indicates that many untreated wool fabrics can be used in wash-and-wear garments. Further broadening of the fabric range can undoubtedly be accomplished by proper application of chemical stabilization treatments as well as proper fabric construction based on the above principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]