ASTM D5237-92e1

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn. Contact ASTM
International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
e1
Designation:D5237–92
Standard Guide for
Evaluating Fabric Softeners
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5237; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
e NOTE—The gallon amount was corrected in 11.2.1 and the AATCC information updated in February 1997.
1. Scope 3.1.2 home laundering—the cleaning and restoring of tex-
tile materials to a serviceable condition using the washing and
1.1 This guide evaluates the performance characteristics of
drying equipment commonly found in the home.
fabric softener products. It provides guidance for treating
fabric in the wash, rinse, or dryer cycle in a home laundry and
4. Summary of Guide
for evaluating the efficacy of the treatment chemicals. This
4.1 Fabrics are stripped for the removal of mill textile
guide can be used for simple screening of fabric softener
conditioners or previously applied fabric softeners following
products, or to evaluate the products through multiple accu-
whichtheyaretreatedwithfabricsoftenerproductsinthewash
mulative cycles.
or rinse, dried and evaluated for softness, whiteness retention,
1.2 The relative ranking of products assessed by these
rewet or water absorbency, and static control using test panels
procedures may be affected by such factors as fabric load
or instrumental methods.
composition and the kind and level of soils, as well as by the
washing and drying procedures used.
5. Significance and Use
1.3 Thevaluesstatedininch-poundunitsaretoberegarded
5.1 The methods in this guide can be used for simple
as the standard. The values given in parentheses are provided
screening of fabric softener products or to evaluate the perfor-
for information only.
mance, through multiple accumulative cycles, relative to a
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the
designated reference product.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
5.2 A single assessment of each of the product characteris-
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
tics tested by these methods will not predict overall perfor-
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
manceofthesoftenerproduct.Asingletestrununderspecified
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
fixed conditions cannot be expected to reflect the comparative
2. Referenced Documents performance under many other possible conditions of use.
2.1 ASTM Standards:
6. Fabric Pretreatment
E313 Test Method for Indexes of Whiteness and Yellow-
2 6.1 Scope:
ness of Near-White Opaque Materials
6.1.1 Thissectionprovidesaprocedureforpreparingnewor
2.2 Other Standard:
3 previously used textile specimens for further treatment and
AATCC Test Method110-1994 Whiteness of Textiles
evaluation.
3. Terminology 6.1.2 All new fabrics received directly from the mill or
purchased from vendors must be stripped of mill conditioners
3.1 Definitions:
andprocessingauxiliaries.Testtowelsmaybereusedforupto
3.1.1 fabric softener—a laundry auxiliary product or laun-
five evaluations and sheets used for load bulk may be reused
dry detergent ingredient that gives fabrics a soft feel, smooth
indefinitely, if stripping is done between each evaluation.
surface, or reduces static electricity, or a combination thereof.
6.2 Apparatus and Materials:
6.2.1 Household Automatic Washing Machine, top load.
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-12 on Soaps and 6.2.2 Household Automatic Laundry Dryer, gas or electric.
Other Detergents and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D12.25 on
6.2.3 HandTowels,approximately16by24in.,whitecotton
Consumer Standards.
loop terry cloth. Care should be taken to use towels of similar
Current edition approved May 15, 1992. Published July 1992.
construction, and weight fiber mix.
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.01.
Available from American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, P.O.
Box 12215, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn. Contact ASTM
International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
e1
D5237–92
6.2.4 Flat Bed Sheets, full size (approximately 104 by 81 7.4.1 Weigh three sheets and four towels previously pre-
in.), 65% polyester/35% cotton or 50/50 blend. pared as in 6.3. Load weight should be 2.3 to 2.7 kg.
6.2.5 AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists
7.4.2 Set wash controls for regular or normal cycle with a
and Colorists) 1993 Standard Reference Detergent WOB, washperiodof12 62minandawaterfilllevelof16to19gal.
(without brighteners), or a commercially built anionic deter-
7.4.3 Start wash cycle. As the washer fills, add wash
gent, as desired. detergent dose to washing machine.
6.3 Stripping Procedure:
7.4.4 Put fabric bundle in washer and allow washer to run
6.3.1 Load washer with up to 8 lb of dry fabrics. Do not
until it reaches the deep rinse cycle. (If untreated control
overload.
fabricsarebeingprepared,allowwashertogotofinalspinand
6.3.2 Add 50 to 80 g of built anionic detergent.
skip to 7.4.8).
6.3.3 Set machine for normal cycle, high or large water fill
7.4.5 Stop washer and remove towels and sheets.
level, and hot wash/warm rinse temperature setting. Allow
7.4.6 Start deep rinse cycle until tub is approximately one
washertofillwithwaterandcontinueonthroughthecomplete
third filled with cold water. If a rinse cycle product is being
wash and rinse cycle.
evaluated, add the required amount of fabric softener and
6.3.4 Repeat 6.3.2 and 6.3.3 four more times.
agitatetoensureuniformdispersion.Recordwatertemperature
6.3.5 Wash this load of fabric through the complete cycle
and time. Specify water temperature.
three times with no detergent. If there appears to be residual
7.4.7 Adddampfabricbundle.Startmachineandallowitto
detergent (as evidenced by sudsing during the previous cycle)
complete the rinse and spin cycles.
repeat the water only cycles one or two more times to ensure
7.4.8 Place fabric bundle in dryer.Add dryer cycle softener,
removal of all anionic detergent.
if appropriate. Use the regular or normal dryer setting.
6.3.6 Dryfabricsintheautomaticdryeratthe normalor hot
7.4.9 Dry towels for 45 min or until dry. Store the towels
setting until the load is dry.
overnight so they equilibrate (see 8.2.1).
6.3.7 Store the fabrics. If closed storage is not available,
7.4.10 Treated towels can now be evaluated for softness
store in plastic bags.
(Section 8) or absorbency (Section 9), or both.
7. Fabric Treatment with Fabric Softener
8. Fabric Softness Evaluation by Test Panel Scoring
7.1 Scope:
8.1 Scope—This section covers a subjective testing proce-
7.1.1 This section provides the procedure for application of
dureforrankingtherelativesoftnessoftreatedfabrics.Treated
the test products to the textile substrates.
towels are ranked by panelists on a five point scale (least
7.2 Apparatus and Materials—Same as 6.2.
soft=1, most soft=5). The comparisons include an untreated
7.3 Conditions of Treatment:
towelandatoweltreatedwithacontrolproductforbenchmark
7.3.1 Washing Machine Water Level—Use the water fill
rankings.
setting that will give a 16 to 19-gal water level. Record actual
8.2 Procedure:
water fill to the nearest gallon.
8.2.1 Condition the fabrics in a constant temperature-
7.3.2 Water Hardness—Tap water or conditioned water
humidity room (if available) for 24 h prior to evaluation.
containing 150 6 20 ppm calcium carbonate hardness.
Suggested controlled environments are between 65 to 75°F
7.3.3 Water Temperature—Record temperature actually
(18.3 to 23.9°C) and 40 to 50% relative humidity.
used. If only one treatment temperature is tested, use a warm
8.2.2 It has been observed that different scores result when
wash/cold rinse setting. The range of suggested test tempera-
one-day old towels are compared to four-day old towels. This
tures is as follows:
may be due to a loss fluff over time, resulting in a leveling
Hot water 130°F (54.4°C)
effect. Fabrics being tested should all be treated with softener
Warm water 90 to 110°F (32.2 to 43.3°C)
Cold water 80°F (26.7°C)
the day prior to the evaluation.
8.2.3 To effectively evaluate a set of towels, at least four
7.3.4 Dryer Setting—Use the regular or normal dryer set-
panel members are needed. Eight are preferred. The panelists
ting.
should wash their hands before handling the test fabrics.
7.3.5 Fabric Load Weight—Dry load should weigh 2.3 to
During the evaluation the panelists may need to rewash their
2.7 kg.Aload consisting of three sheets and four hand towels
hands to remove any softener or oily build up that might
will generally be in this range.
interfere with the test.
7.3.6 Wash Detergent Dosage—Use 50 g of AATCC 1993
8.2.4 Each panelist is given a group of test fabrics for
StandardReferenceDetergentWOB(withoutbrighteners).Ifa
commercial detergent is used, follow manufacturer’s recom- scoring.
8.2.4.1 Each group of test fabrics shall consist of up to five
mendation. If the wash detergent is also the softening product
being evaluated, determine dosage in accordance with 7.3.7. pieces. The test group should contain one untreated control,
one softness reference fabric, and no more than three test
7.3.7 Softener Product Dosage—Theamountofthesoftener
dispersion to be used in each test is determined by the level of fabrics. The softness reference fabric has been treated with
dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride at 0.1%
activesofteneringredientdesiredperunitweightofdryfabric.
Ifcommercialproductsarebeingtested,followmanufacturer’s single use level, based on dry fabric weight.
dosage recommendations. 8.2.4.2 Panelist should use the same handling technique for
7.4 Procedure: scoring each towel in the test set.
NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn. Contact ASTM
International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
e1
D5237–92
8.2.4.3 The panelist first picks out the harshest towel and 10. Evaluation of Fabrics for Whiteness Retention
scoresitone.Thenthesoftesttowelisselectedandscoredfive.
10.1 Apparatus:
The other towels are scored intermediate between the high and
10.1.1 Same as fabric treatment.
lowselectionsandgivenscoressuchastwo,three,orfour.The
10.1.2 Towel Swatches, 8 by 8 in. Cut 8 by 8-in. swatches
towels are then rearranged and the evaluation repeated. (To
fromoneofthestrippedhandtowels.Fourtotenswatcheswill
eliminate bias, towels are blind coded and panel members are
be needed for this whiteness retention test.
not told their rating results before repeat evaluations.)
10.1.3 Light Source, to approximate northern daylight.
8.2.4.4 Additional comments by the panel member on the
10.2 Conditioning—Same as fabric treatment procedure.
feel of the fabric should be recorded, for example, oily, waxy,
10.3 Procedure:
greasy, etc.
10.3.1 Using indelible ink, mark the terry hand towels I, II,
8.2.4.5 Aftereachtestthescoresaretotaledandaveragedto
III, and IV.
give a single rating number for each treatment product.
10.3.2 At one of the borders of each swatch, mark the 8 by
8-in. towel swatches I, II, III, and IV.
9. Evaluation of Fabrics for Rewet (Water Absorbency)
10.3.3 Staple swatch I to towel I, swatch II to towel II, etc.
10.3.4 Follow fabric treatment procedure in accordance
9.1 Scope—This section covers the evaluation of treated
with 4.3.1 to 4.3.9, excluding 4.3.3.
fabrics for water absorbency. Test strips of treated fabrics are
10.3.5 Remove swatch I from towel I and retain in a clean,
positionedinadyedwatersolution.Theheightofmigrationof
polyethylene bag, or other suitable container, for the scoring
the water in a specified time is measured.
evaluation.
9.2 Apparatus:
10.3.6 Stapleafresh8by8-in.swatchmarkedIatotowelI.
9.2.1 Swatches, two 2 by 5 in., cut from towels treated in
10.3.7 Repeat 4.3.2 to 4.3.9 of the fabric treatment method
accordance with 7.4.
using the same towel and sheet bundle.
9.2.2 Aqueous Solution, 0.010% of Rhodamine BX or any
10.3.8 RemoveswatchIIfromtowelIIandretaininaclean,
water-soluble dye which is not substantive to cellulose.
polyethylene bag, or other suitable container, for the scoring
9.2.3 Ring Stands, two.
evaluation. (Steps 10.3.5 through 10.3.7 should be repeated
9.2.4 Bar, one from stand.
removingswatchIIIandreplacingitwithaswatchmarkedIIIa
9.2.5 Clamp Holders and Binder Clamps, two.
and,likewise,forswatchIB.Atthispointswatchesareonhand
9.2.6 Laboratory Jacks, two large.
whichhavebeenwashedandsoftenedone,two,three,andfour
9.2.7 Beakers, two 600 mL.
times and the scoring should be done at this point.)
9.2.8 Timers, two.
10.4 Interpretation of Results (Visual Method):
9.3 Procedure:
10.4.1 Fold the borders of each swatch and fasten with
9.3.1 Attach the bar horizontally to the ring stands with two
paper clips so that the identification number of the swatch is
clamp holders.
not visible to the scorer.
9.3.2 Cutthe2by5-in.swatchesfromthetowels,treatedin
10.4.2 Foldtheborderofastripped8by8-in.swatchwhich
accordance with Section 7.
has not been treated with softener but has been washed with
9.3.3 Mark a line 1 cm from the narrow edge of each
detergent and fasten with paper clips so that it looks identical
swatch. to the marker swatches.
9.3.4 Attach the 2 by 5-in. swatches onto the bar with the 10.4.3 Place the five swatches on a black background under
binder clamps. fluorescent light. The swatches should be placed randomly on
9.3.5 Fill the beakers three-fourths full with the dye solu- the black background and not in the order in which they were
washed and softened.
tion.
10.4.4 Fourtoeightpanelistsshouldbeselectedforthetest.
9.3.6 Raisethebeakerswiththejacksuntilthesolutionlevel
Each panelist, individually, should be asked to rank the
is at the 1-cm mark on the swatches. Start the timer.
swatches according to whiteness.The panelist should be asked
9.3.7 After 6 min, remove the swatches from the bar and
to score the swatches one through five with the whitest being
measure the distance of migration. Because the migration line
givenascoreoffive,thenexttothewhitestascoreoffour,etc.
is often uneven, three readings are taken across each swatch
Record the scores given by each panelist.
andthereadingsareaveraged.Recordthisvalueasmm/6min.
10.4.5 Evaluate data to determine if there is a break or
9.3.8 Two swatches, containing no softener, are used for a
number of washings and softening at which discoloration
refe
...