1、Designation: D 5237 05Standard Guide forEvaluating Fabric Softeners1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 5237; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indi
2、cates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This guide evaluates the performance characteristics offabric softener products. It provides guidance for treatingfabric in the wash, rinse, or dryer cycle in a
3、 home laundry andfor evaluating the efficacy of the treatment chemicals. Thisguide can be used for simple screening of fabric softenerproducts, or to evaluate the products through multiple accu-mulative cycles.1.2 The relative ranking of products assessed by theseprocedures may be affected by such f
4、actors as fabric loadcomposition and the kind and level of soils, as well as by thewashing and drying procedures used.1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas the standard. The values given in parentheses are providedfor information only.1.4 This standard does not purport to ad
5、dress all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:E 313 Test Me
6、thod for Indexes of Whiteness and Yellow-ness of Near-White Opaque Materials22.2 Other Standard:AATCC Test Method 110-1994 Whiteness of Textiles33. Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 fabric softenera laundry auxiliary product or laun-dry detergent ingredient that gives fabrics a soft feel, smoothsurfa
7、ce, or reduces static electricity, or a combination thereof.3.1.2 home launderingthe cleaning and restoring of tex-tile materials to a serviceable condition using the washing anddrying equipment commonly found in the home.4. Summary of Guide4.1 Fabrics are stripped for the removal of mill textilecon
8、ditioners or previously applied fabric softeners followingwhich they are treated with fabric softener products in the washor rinse, dried and evaluated for softness, whiteness retention,rewet or water absorbency, and static control using test panelsor instrumental methods.5. Significance and Use5.1
9、The methods in this guide can be used for simplescreening of fabric softener products or to evaluate the perfor-mance, through multiple accumulative cycles, relative to adesignated reference product.5.2 A single assessment of each of the product characteris-tics tested by these methods will not pred
10、ict overall perfor-mance of the softener product.Asingle test run under specifiedfixed conditions cannot be expected to reflect the comparativeperformance under many other possible conditions of use.6. Fabric Pretreatment6.1 Scope:6.1.1 This section provides a procedure for preparing new orpreviousl
11、y used textile specimens for further treatment andevaluation.6.1.2 All new fabrics received directly from the mill orpurchased from vendors must be stripped of mill conditionersand processing auxiliaries. Test towels may be reused for up tofive evaluations and sheets used for load bulk may be reused
12、indefinitely, if stripping is done between each evaluation.6.2 Apparatus and Materials:6.2.1 Household Automatic Washing Machine, top load.6.2.2 Household Automatic Laundry Dryer, gas or electric.6.2.3 Hand Towels, approximately 16 by 24 in., white cottonloop terry cloth. Care should be taken to use
13、 towels of similarconstruction, and weight fiber mix.6.2.4 Flat Bed Sheets, full size (approximately 104 by 81in.), 65 % polyester/35 % cotton or 50/50 blend.1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D12 on Soaps andOther Detergents and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D12.
14、25 onConsumer Standards.Current edition approved May 1, 2005. Published June 2005. Originallyapproved in 1992. Discontinued January 2002 and reinstated as D 5237-05.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Bo
15、ok of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, P.O.Box 12215, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Cons
16、hohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.6.2.5 AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemistsand Colorists) 1993 Standard Reference Detergent WOB,(without brighteners), or a commercially built anionic deter-gent, as desired.6.3 Stripping Procedure:6.3.1 Load washer with up to 8 lb of dry fabrics. Do
17、notoverload.6.3.2 Add 50 to 80 g of built anionic detergent.6.3.3 Set machine for normal cycle, high or large water filllevel, and hot wash/warm rinse temperature setting. Allowwasher to fill with water and continue on through the completewash and rinse cycle.6.3.4 Repeat 6.3.2 and 6.3.3 four more t
18、imes.6.3.5 Wash this load of fabric through the complete cyclethree times with no detergent. If there appears to be residualdetergent (as evidenced by sudsing during the previous cycle)repeat the water only cycles one or two more times to ensureremoval of all anionic detergent.6.3.6 Dry fabrics in t
19、he automatic dryer at the normal or hotsetting until the load is dry.6.3.7 Store the fabrics. If closed storage is not available,store in plastic bags.7. Fabric Treatment with Fabric Softener7.1 Scope:7.1.1 This section provides the procedure for application ofthe test products to the textile substr
20、ates.7.2 Apparatus and MaterialsSame as 6.2.7.3 Conditions of Treatment:7.3.1 Washing Machine Water LevelUse the water fillsetting that will give a 16 to 19-gal water level. Record actualwater fill to the nearest gallon.7.3.2 Water HardnessTap water or conditioned watercontaining 150 6 20 ppm calciu
21、m carbonate hardness.7.3.3 Water TemperatureRecord temperature actuallyused. If only one treatment temperature is tested, use a warmwash/cold rinse setting. The suggested test temperatures are asfollows:Hot water 130F (54.4C)Warm water 90F (32.2C)Cold water 80F (26.7C)7.3.4 Dryer SettingUse the regu
22、lar or normal dryer set-ting.7.3.5 Fabric Load WeightDry load should weigh 2.3 to2.7 kg. A load consisting of three sheets and four hand towelswill generally be in this range.7.3.6 Wash Detergent DosageUse 50 g of AATCC 1993Standard Reference Detergent WOB (without brighteners). If acommercial deter
23、gent is used, follow manufacturers recom-mendation. If the wash detergent is also the softening productbeing evaluated, determine dosage in accordance with 7.3.7.7.3.7 Softener Product DosageThe amount of the softenerdispersion to be used in each test is determined by the level ofactive softener ing
24、redient desired per unit weight of dry fabric.If commercial products are being tested, follow manufacturersdosage recommendations.7.4 Procedure:7.4.1 Weigh three sheets and four towels previously pre-pared as in 6.3. Load weight should be 2.3 to 2.7 kg.7.4.2 Set wash controls for regular or normal c
25、ycle with awash period of 12 6 2 min and a water fill level of 16 to 19 gal.7.4.3 Start wash cycle. As the washer fills, add washdetergent dose to washing machine.7.4.4 Put fabric bundle in washer and allow washer to rununtil it reaches the deep rinse cycle. (If untreated controlfabrics are being pr
26、epared, allow washer to go to final spin andskip to 7.4.8).7.4.5 Stop washer and remove towels and sheets.7.4.6 Start deep rinse cycle until tub is approximately onethird filled with cold water. If a rinse cycle product is beingevaluated, add the required amount of fabric softener andagitate to ensu
27、re uniform dispersion. Record water temperatureand time. Specify water temperature.7.4.7 Add damp fabric bundle. Start machine and allow it tocomplete the rinse and spin cycles.7.4.8 Place fabric bundle in dryer. Add dryer cycle softener,if appropriate. Use the regular or normal dryer setting.7.4.9
28、Dry towels for 45 min or until dry. Store the towelsovernight so they equilibrate (see 8.2.1).7.4.10 Treated towels can now be evaluated for softness(Section 8) or absorbency (Section 9), or both.8. Fabric Softness Evaluation by Test Panel Scoring8.1 ScopeThis section covers a subjective testing pro
29、ce-dure for ranking the relative softness of treated fabrics. Treatedtowels are ranked by panelists on a five point scale (leastsoft = 1, most soft = 5). The comparisons include an untreatedtowel and a towel treated with a control product for benchmarkrankings.8.2 Procedure:8.2.1 Condition the fabri
30、cs in a constant temperature-humidity room (if available) for 24 h prior to evaluation.Suggested controlled environments are between 65 to 75F(18.3 to 23.9C) and 40 to 50 % relative humidity.8.2.2 It has been observed that different scores result whenone-day old towels are compared to four-day old t
31、owels. Thismay be due to a loss fluff over time, resulting in a levelingeffect. Fabrics being tested should all be treated with softenerthe day prior to the evaluation.8.2.3 To effectively evaluate a set of towels, at least fourpanel members are needed. Eight are preferred. The panelistsshould wash
32、their hands before handling the test fabrics.During the evaluation the panelists may need to rewash theirhands to remove any softener or oily build up that mightinterfere with the test.8.2.4 Each panelist is given a group of test fabrics forscoring.8.2.4.1 Each group of test fabrics shall consist of
33、 up to fivepieces. The test group should contain one untreated control,one softness reference fabric, and no more than three testfabrics. The softness reference fabric has been treated withdihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride at 0.1 %single use level, based on dry fabric weight.8.2.4.2 P
34、anelist should use the same handling technique forscoring each towel in the test set.8.2.4.3 The panelist first picks out the harshest towel andscores it one. Then the softest towel is selected and scored five.The other towels are scored intermediate between the high andD5237052low selections and gi
35、ven scores such as two, three, or four. Thetowels are then rearranged and the evaluation repeated. (Toeliminate bias, towels are blind coded and panel members arenot told their rating results before repeat evaluations.)8.2.4.4 Additional comments by the panel member on thefeel of the fabric should b
36、e recorded, for example, oily, waxy,greasy, etc.8.2.4.5 After each test the scores are totaled and averaged togive a single rating number for each treatment product.8.3 Paired Comparison Method:8.3.1 Towels should be conditioned as in 8.2.1.8.3.2 Fabrics (towels) being tested should all be treated w
37、ithsoftener the day before testing.8.3.3 For effective evaluation, at least 10 and preferably15-20 panelists are required.8.3.4 Arrange the towels in pairs so that towels treated witha product are paired at least once and preferably twice withtowels treated with all the other treatments. Untreated t
38、owelsmay be included as an additional treatment.8.3.5 A panelist feels each pair of towels and records theirpreference as to which towel of the pair is softer. The panelistmust choose one of the towels in each pair, even if both appearequally soft.8.3.6 When all the panelists have evaluated all the
39、pairs, theresults are tabulated and treated as described in SensoryEvaluation Techniques.48.3.6.1 For each pair of towels, total number of times eachtowel was judged softer.8.3.6.2 Create a table with the number of columns and thenumber of rows both equal to the number of treatments. Labelone column
40、 and one row with each treatment.8.3.6.3 In the row for treatment “A” and the column fortreatment “B” enter the number of times the towel treated withA were judged softer than the towel treated with B. In the rowfor treatment B, and the column for treatment A, enter thenumber of times treatment B wa
41、s judged softer than treatmentA. Do this for all the pairings.9. Evaluation of Fabrics for Rewet (Water Absorbency)9.1 ScopeThis section covers the evaluation of treatedfabrics for water absorbency. Test strips of treated fabrics arepositioned in a dyed water solution. The height of migration ofthe
42、water in a specified time is measured.9.2 Apparatus:9.2.1 Swatches, two 2 by 5 in., cut from towels treated inaccordance with 7.4.9.2.2 Aqueous Solution, 0.010 % of Rhodamine BX or anywater-soluble dye which is not substantive to cellulose.9.2.3 Ring Stands, two.9.2.4 Bar, one from stand.9.2.5 Clamp
43、 Holders and Binder Clamps, two.9.2.6 Laboratory Jacks, two large.9.2.7 Beakers, two 600 mL.9.2.8 Timers, two.9.3 Procedure:9.3.1 Attach the bar horizontally to the ring stands with twoclamp holders.9.3.2 Cut the 2 by 5-in. swatches from the towels, treated inaccordance with Section 7.9.3.3 Mark a l
44、ine 1 cm from the narrow edge of eachswatch.9.3.4 Attach the 2 by 5-in. swatches onto the bar with thebinder clamps.9.3.5 Fill the beakers three-fourths full with the dye solu-tion.9.3.6 Raise the beakers with the jacks until the solution levelis at the 1-cm mark on the swatches. Start the timer.9.3
45、.7 After 6 min, remove the swatches from the bar andmeasure the distance of migration. Because the migration lineis often uneven, three readings are taken across each swatchand the readings are averaged. Record this value as mm/6 min.9.3.8 Two swatches, containing no softener, are used for areferenc
46、e control against which the treated swatches arecompared.9.4 Interpretation of ResultsThe greater the migration ofthe dye solution up the fabric, the better the rewet (absorbency)properties.10. Evaluation of Fabrics for Whiteness Retention10.1 Apparatus:10.1.1 Same as fabric treatment.10.1.2 Towel S
47、watches, 8 by 8 in. Cut 8 by 8-in. swatchesfrom one of the stripped hand towels. Four to ten swatches willbe needed for this whiteness retention test.10.1.3 Light Source, to approximate northern daylight.10.2 ConditioningSame as fabric treatment procedure.10.3 Procedure:10.3.1 Using indelible ink, m
48、ark the terry hand towels I, II,III, and IV.10.3.2 At one of the borders of each swatch, mark the 8 by8-in. towel swatches I, II, III, and IV.10.3.3 Staple swatch I to towel I, swatch II to towel II, etc.10.3.4 Follow fabric treatment procedure in accordancewith 4.3.1 to 4.3.9, excluding 4.3.3.10.3.
49、5 Remove swatch I from towel I and retain in a clean,polyethylene bag, or other suitable container, for the scoringevaluation.10.3.6 Staple a fresh 8 by 8-in. swatch marked Ia to towel I.10.3.7 Repeat 4.3.2 to 4.3.9 of the fabric treatment methodusing the same towel and sheet bundle.10.3.8 Remove swatch II from towel II and retain in a clean,polyethylene bag, or other suitable container, for the scoringevaluation. (Steps 10.3.5 through 10.3.7 should be repeatedremoving swatch III and replacing it with a swatch marked IIIaand, likewise, for swatch IB.At this point
