ISO/TC 38/SC 2/WG 9 - Industrial laundering

This document — establishes a system of graphical symbols, intended for use in the marking of workwear articles and protective clothing providing information on the suitability for professional industrial laundering using ISO 15797, and — specifies the use of these symbols in qualifying garments as potentially suitable for industrial laundering. The following professional industrial laundering treatments are covered: washing, bleaching, tunnel finishing and tumble drying after washing. Textile-care treatments in dry and wet cleaning are covered in ISO 3175 (all parts). This document applies to articles of workwear and protective clothing in the form in which they are supplied to the professional launderer.

ISO 15797:2017 specifies test procedures and equipment which can be used in the evaluation of workwear (including, where appropriate, for some PPE garments) intended to be industrially laundered. They serve as a basis for testing relevant properties such as dimensional stability, colour characteristics, creasing, seam puckering, pilling and visual aspects in general. ISO 15797:2017 does not provide instructions and specifications for the procedures and equipment to be used by industrial launderers. As it is often not practical to reproduce industrial laundry processes (washing and drying/finishing) in a laboratory setting, this document provides an approach using defined intermediate scale equipment and exacting test procedures which can be used for the evaluation of workwear intended to be laundered industrially. As ISO 15797:2017 reflects a simulation of real-life industrial laundry conditions, in some cases, testing of the workwear in the actual industrial laundering equipment and processes intended to be used is advisable when finally determining product and process compatibility. It is not necessary to test using all eight washing procedures nor both drying procedures. A selection is made of the washing and drying procedure(s) that are best suited to the characteristics of the fabric or fabric composition and the intended use.

ISO 30023:2010 establishes a system of graphical symbols, intended for use in the marking of workwear articles and protective clothing providing information on the suitability for professional industrial laundering using ISO 15797, and specifies the use of these symbols in qualifying garments as potentially suitable for industrial laundering . The following professional industrial laundering treatments are covered: washing, bleaching, tunnel finishing and tumble drying after washing. Textile-care treatments in dry and wet cleaning are covered in ISO 3175. ISO 30023:2010 applies to articles of workwear and protective clothing in the form in which they are supplied to the professional launderer.

ISO 15797 specifies test procedures and equipment which can be used in the evaluation of cotton, polyester/cotton and reverse blend workwear intended to be industrially laundered. They serve as a basis for testing relevant properties such as dimensional stability, colour fastness, creasing and seam puckering. This International Standard does not provide instructions and specifications for the procedures and equipment to be used by industrial launderers. Since it is not possible, in practice, to reproduce industrial laundry processes (washing and finishing) in a laboratory setting, ISO 15797 provides an approach using defined intermediate scale equipment and exacting test procedures which may be used for the evaluation of workwear intended to be laundered industrially. The methods described in this International Standard simulate the effect of industrial laundering on workwear. Provision is made for eight different washing procedures based on the use of a front- or side-loading horizontal rotating drum type washer/extractor. Each washing procedure is considered to represent a single industrial wash. ISO 15797 also specifies two drying/finishing test procedures, namely tumble drying and tunnel/cabinet finishing.