89—CLEAN, BOILED HOSPITAL BLANKETS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The chief practical problem in the high-temperuture laundering of wool blankets in untreated soft water is discoloration due to adsorption of iron. Even 0·5 p.p.m. of iron in the water rapidly gives rise to an unacceptable colour. Published methods for high-temperature laundering do not prevent this colour deterioration and so are applicable only where iron-free water, for example from a base-exchange softener, is used. The degree of discoloration depends not only on the iron content of the water but also on the method used for making the blankets shrink-resistant. Two detergent blends are suggested for overcoming the problem. One is a simple mixture that can be prepared by the laundry. The other is more effective, but its production lies essentially in the province of a specialist detergent manufacturer. Both have been extensively tested in full-scale laundry trials. Although adsorption of iron is prevented by these detergents, some discoloration takes place probably owing to the normal thermal yellowing, but this is not serious. Large-scale boiling of shrink-resistant all-wool blankets using the described detergent mixtures has now been carried out in Melbourne for over a year and it has proved to be a trouble-free, practical method of producing clean, boiled wool blankets for hospital use. Individual blankets have withstood a hundred high-temperature washing cycles and are still in excellent condition.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: