Mechanistic Studies of Particulate Soil Detergency: I. Hydrophobic Soil Removal

The mechanism of particulate soil detergency using aqueous surfactant systems is not well understood. In this research, carbon black (model hydrophobic soil) removal from a hydrophilic (cotton) and hydrophobic (polyester) fabric is studied using anionic, nonionic, and cationic surfactants. The zeta potential, solid/liquid spreading pressure, contact angle and surfactant adsorption of both soil and fabric are correlated to detergency over a range of surfactant concentrations and pH levels. Electrostatic repulsion between fabric and soil is generally found to be the dominant mechanism responsible for soil removal for all surfactants and fabrics. Steric effects due to surfactant adsorption are also important for nonionic surfactants for soil detachment and antiredeposition. Solid/liquid interfacial tension reduction due to surfactant adsorption also aids in detergency in cationic surfactant systems. Wettability is not seen as being an important factor and SEM photos show that entrapment of soil in the fabric weave is not significant; the particles are only attached to the fabric surface. Anionic surfactants perform best, then nonionic surfactants. Cationic surfactants exhibit poor detergency which is attributed to low surfactant rinseability.     

Laundry Detergency of Solid Nonparticulate Soil or Waxy Solids: Part II. Effect of the Surfactant Type

In this work, methyl palmitate with a melting point around 30°C was used as a model of waxy soil. Its detergency was evaluated with a hydrophilic surface (cotton) or a hydrophobic surface (polyester) using different surfactants: alcohol ethoxylate (EO9), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), methyl ester sulfonate (MES), methyl ester ethoxylate (MEE), and two extended surfactants (C_12,14-10PO-2EO-SO₄Na and C_12,14-16PO-2EO-SO₄Na). The detergency efficiency at a 0.2 wt.% surfactant and 5 wt.% NaCl gradually increased while redeposition gradually decreased with increasing washing temperature in most studied surfactant solutions; this was observed both above and below the melting point of methyl palmitate on both studied fabrics. If the methyl palmitate was heated above the melting point when deposited on the fabric, it was better able to penetrate into the fabric matrix as compared to deposition below the melting point, resulting in poorer detergency for heated deposition, particularly for washing temperatures lower than the melting point. Among the surfactants studied, the nonionic surfactant (EO9) showed the highest detergency efficiency (73–94%) at any washing temperature especially on the polyester fabric. For washing temperatures below the melting point, detergency performance correlated well with the contact angle of surfactant solution on the solid methyl palmitate surface for all studied surfactants when salinity was varied. In this work, conditions resulting in the highest detergency below the melting point corresponded to the highest detergency above the melting point, suggesting this as a systematic approach to formulating below the melting point of the soil. Charge of particles or fabric was not observed to be important to the detergency mechanism, but steric factors resulting from surfactant adsorption were observed to be important mechanistic factors in waxy solid detergency.     

Microemulsion Formation and Detergency with Oily Soil: IV. Effect of Rinse Cycle Design

The objective of this work was to apply a microemulsion-based formulation for the removal of motor oil in laundry detergency at low salinity. To produce the desired phase behavior, three surfactants were used: alkyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate (ADPODS), sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) and sorbitan monooleate (Span 80). The mixed surfactant system of 1.5% ADPODS, 5% AOT and 5% Span 80 (13 parts ADPODS, 43.5 parts AOT, and 43.5 parts Span 80 of the total actives) was found to form a middle phase microemulsion (Type III) at a relatively low salinity of 2.83% NaCl. When this formulation was diluted, detergency performance increased with increasing total surfactant concentration and leveled off above about 0.1% total actives on the three types of fabrics studied (pure cotton, 65/35 polyester/cotton blend, and pure polyester). Detergency was found to improve with increasing hydrophilicity of the fabric with cotton being cleanest after washing and polyester the most difficult to clean. To achieve a specified oil removal, less rinse water can be used if a higher number of lower-volume rinses are employed. An interesting characteristic of microemulsion-based formulations is that a substantial fraction of oil removal occurs during the rinse cycle. In this work, this removal is shown to be due to the low oil/water interfacial tension during initial rinsing and is therefore strongly correlated to residual surfactant concentration in the rinse steps. As a result, the number of rinses and the volume of water per rinse can profoundly affect detergency in these systems.

Laundry Detergency of Solid Non-particulate Soil or Waxy Solids: Part I. Relation to Oily Soil Removal Above the Melting Point

In this work, methyl palmitate or palmitic acid methyl ester, a monoglyceride, was used as both a model solid fat below the melting point and as an oily soil above the melting point. An anionic extended surfactant [branched alcohol propoxylate sulfate sodium salt (C₁₂₃‐(PO)₄‐SO₄Na)] was used to remove methyl palmitate from cotton and from polyester. Above the melting point (~30 °C) of methyl palmitate, the maximum oily soil removal was found to correspond to the lowest dynamic interfacial tension, as is common with liquid soils. Below the melting point, the lower the contact angle of the wash solution against the soil (indicating higher wettability), the higher the solid fat soil detergency. The removed methyl palmitate was found to be mostly in unsolubilized droplets or particles with a small fraction of micellar solubilization for both solid and liquid forms. The presence of surfactant can prevent the agglomeration of detached methyl palmitate particles in both liquid and solid forms, reducing redeposition and enhancing detergency. Below the melting point, the surfactant aids the solution wetting the surfaces, then penetrating the waxy solid, causing detachment as small particles, and dispersion of these particles. Unlike particulate soil detergency, electrostatic forces are not the dominant factor in fatty soil detergency.     

Enhanced triolein removal using microemulsions formulated with mixed surfactants

In previous work, a microemulsion-based formulation approach yielded excellent laundry detergency with hydrophobic oily soils hexadecane and motor oil. In this work, the same approach is used in detergency of triolein, which is a model triglyceride, some of the most difficult oils to be removed from fabric. The linker concept was applied in formulation of the microemulsion system. Three different surfactants were used: (i) dihexyl sulfosuccinate, an ionic surfactant with a moderate hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB); (ii) secondary alcohol ethoxylate, a lipophilic nonionic surfactant with a very low HLB; and (iii) alkyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate (ADPODS), a hydrophilic anionic surfactant with a very high HLB. The phase behavior and interfacial tension (IFT) of the surfactant systems were determined with different concentrations of ADPODS. The results indicate that as the HLB of the system increases, a higher salinity is required to shift the phase transition from Winsor Type I to Type III to Type II. The three formulations at different salinities were used in detergency experiments to remove triolein from polyester/cotton sample fabric. The results showed that there were two peaks of maximum detergency in the range of salinity from 0.1% to 10% NaCl. The higher the hydrophilicity of the system, the higher the salinity required for maximum detergency. The results of the dynamic IFT and the detergency performance from two rinsing methods lead to the hypothesis that one of these maxima in detergency results from a spreading or wetting effect. The other maximum in detergency is believed to be related to ultralow IFT associated with oil/water middle-phase microemulsion formation. Triolein removal exceeding 80% was attained, validating the microemulsion approach to detergency.     

Optimization of nonionic/anionic surfactant blends for enhanced oily soil removal

Previously reported results for alcohol ethoxylate surfactants have shown that optimum removal of both nonpolar and sebum- like liquid soils from polyester/cotton fabric occurs at the phase inversion temperature (PIT) of the surfactant- water- soil system. A similar correlation between phase inversion and optimum detergency has been identified for detergent systems containing mixtures of nonionic and anionic surfactants such as alcohol ethoxylates and alcohol ethoxysulfates. Experimental techniques other than direct detergency studies are described which allow determination of the optimum nonionic/ anionic surfactant ratio for removal of a particular soil at a specified temperature. In addition, implications of these results for development of temperature- insensitive detergent formulations containing alcohol ethoxylates are discussed.     

Microemulsion formation and detergency with oily soils: II. Detergency formulation and performance

In part I of this series (J. Surfact. Deterg. 6, 191–203, 2003), the mixed surfactant system of sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT), alkyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate (ADPODS) and sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) was shown to form Winsor type I and type III microemulsions with hexadecane and motor oil. In addition, high solubilization and low interfacial tension were obtained between the oils and surfactant solutions both in the supersolubilization region (Winsor type I system close to type III system) and at optimal conditions in a type III system. In the present study, this mixed surfactant system was applied to remove oily soil from fabric (a polyester/cotton blend), and detergency results were correlated to phase behavior. Dynamic interfacial tensions were also measured between the oils and washing solutions. In the supersolubilization and in the middle-phase regions (type III), much better detergency performance was found for both hexadecane and motor oil removal than that with a commercial liquid detergent product. In addition, the detergency performance of our system at low temperature (25°C) was close to that obtained at high temperature (55°C), consistent with the temperature robustness of the microemulsion phase behavior of this system.     

Effect of fiber substrates on appearance and removal of aged oily soils

Aging of oily soils produces difficult-to-remove yellow stains on fabrics. This study examines the effect of different textile substrates on yellowing and removal of aged oily soils. Model oily, squalene and artificial sebum, were aged at 40°C on cotton, nylon, and polyester fabrics for 8 wk. Radiotracer and spectrophotometric analyses were used to quantify volatilization and color change of soiled fabrics upon aging as well as soil and color removal after laundering. Differences in volatility of oils from three substrates were insignificant, although cotton and nylon fabrics produced significantly more yellowness than polyester fabrics. Aging of oily soil enhanced detergency from all three fabrics. The largest increase in removal upon aging was found with cotton. Difference in removal from the three substrates became very small after aging. The effect of substrate was pronounced on yellowing due to aging with cotton and nylon having higher yellowness indices. Cotton visually appeared to be cleaner than indicated by the actual amount of residual oil present after washing, whereas nylon had less residual oil present even though it visually appeared more yellow than cotton. For polyester, the amount of residual oil correlated well with appearance after washing. We conclude that discoloration mechanisms differ among cotton, polyester, and nylon substrates. For polyester, discoloration is solely discoloration of oily soil that is physically bound in the fibrous structure, whereas for cotton, discoloration is a result of discoloration of oil as well as additional yellowing caused by retention of chromophores chemically bound to the cotton substrate. In the case of nylon, yellowing of nylon itself is an additional factor contributing to yellowness even though, most of the oil is removed upon washing. These results illustrate the importance of the method of detergency evaluation. Measuring color change in yellowness or reflectance is not the same as oil removal based on a quantitative measurement of soil mass. Thus, it may be necessary to measure both color and quantity of residual soil.     

Measuring detergency of oily soils in the vicinity of phase inversion temperatures of commercial nonionic surfactants using an oil-soluble dye

We have used a simple technique to measure the detergency of model oily soil from 63∶35 blended polyester/cotton fabrics using solutions of commercial linear lauryl alcohol ethoxylates in the vicinity of their phase inversion temperatures (PIT). The method involves incorporation of an oil-soluble dye in the oily soil, and measurement of reflectance at an appropriate wavelength directly on the fabric before and after wash. This technique was validated for our systems, and it provides an additional visual cue for the efficiency of soil removal. Hexadecane, which represents the linear hydrocarbon part of sebum (typical soil encountered in detergency) and has been widely studied in the literature, was used as the model oily soil. Maximal detergency occurs as a function of washing temperature at approximately 35, 62, and 80°C for ethoxylates with four, five, and six moles of ethylene oxide (C₁₂EO₄, C₁₂EO₅, and C₁₂EO₆), respectively. The oil/water interfacial tension, measured using the spinning drop method, exhibits corresponding minima and complements the detergency results. Addition of sodium carbonate, a salting-out electrolyte, decreases the optimal detergency temperature (ODT) of C₁₂EO₅, shifting its behavior toward C₁₂FO₄ whereas addition of anionic surfactant increases the ODT of C₁₂FO₅, mimicking the behavior of a higher ethoxylate.     

负载织物对纳米TiO2光催化剂净化氨气性能的影响

制备了纳米光催化剂悬浮液,借助后整理工艺对3种织物进行负载加工,并利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)等对其进行了表征. 通过自行设计的小型环境舱和光催化反应器重点考察了棉机织物、涤纶机织物和涤/棉混纺机织物对纳米光催化剂净化氨气性能的影响,并比较了在不同负载织物表面上纳米光催化剂的活性. 结果表明,负载纳米光催化剂的棉织物的氨气净化性能高于负载纳米光催化剂的涤纶织物和涤/棉混纺织物的氨气净化性能. 在负载Ag-TiO2光催化剂的条件下,负载涤纶织物和涤/棉混纺织物对氨气的净化性能有所加强.     

Palm Oil Removal from Fabric Using Microemulsion-Based Formulations

Laundry detergency of palm oil on a polyester/cotton blend was measured using an anionic extended surfactant/nonionic secondary alcohol surfactant blend under conditions corresponding to ultralow oil/water interfacial tension microemulsion formation. The oil removal for the surfactant blend could exceed 90%, which was greater than that for either component surfactant alone or for a commercial liquid laundry detergent. Presoaking produced better detergency than increasing the number of wash cycles beyond two due to fabric abrasion (leading to a brightness decrease) with an excessive number of wash cycles. Higher oil contact angles and shorter oil droplet detachment times were found to correspond to higher detergency. High speed photography showed that snap-off occurred rather than roll-up for these systems.     

Function of lipase in lipid soil removal as studied using fabrics with different chemical accessibility

Fatty stain removal is enhanced by the inclusion of lipase in washing compounds and leads to increased lipid removal from within the fibers. Cotton fabrics with varied morphology/chemistry were investigated to study the accessibility of soil in textiles to detergent and lipase. Three cotton fabrics (untreated, mercerized, and carboxymethylated cotton), differing in chemical accessibility, and Tencel^TM lyocell fabric, a microdenier manufactured cellulosic fiber, were subjected to three treatments—unwashed, washed with detergent, and washed with lipase—so as to understand further the effects of fiber morphology on lipase effectiveness. Both detergents and lipase removed more soil from the more chemically accessible and hydrophilic textiles. Lipase increased lipid removal for all fabrics and all morphological locations on the fiber, including fiber surfaces, interfiber capillaries, small capillaries, and the center of the yarn bundle. Lipase removed significant quantities of soil from the lumen in untreated and mercerized cotons; these fabrics showed the largest total increases in amount of lipid removed by lipase. When the fiber surfaces were smoother and the fiber structure was less open and not carboxymethylated, i.e., the mercerized cotton fabric, more lipase benefit was observed (72% of the residual soil left after washing with detergent was removed when lipase was added). The total soil removal from the mercerized cotton fabric by use of lipase was equal to that observed for the more open, hydrophilic carboxymethylated fabric and for the Tencel, which has no lumen or other morphological features of natural cotton such as crenulations. Lipase appeared to enhance lipid removal under conditions where removal by the detergent surfactant system was limited. Furthermore, we concluded that lipase acted to remove lipid soil from within the fibers by functioning at the interior surfaces of microfibrils and pores within the fiber structure at the lipid-water interface.     

Comparative study of conventional and compact detergents

Experimental work has been carried out on conventional and compact detergent formulations. Comparative study has focused not only on the package size but also on the type of builder contained in the finished product. The detergency as a function of dosage and some parameters concerning the environmental impact of each category of formulation also have been evaluated. Soiled (with carbon black/olive oil) cotton and polyester/cotton fabrics have been used to determine the detergency (% soil removal). Considering the overall results obtained, it can be stated that compact tripolyphosphate-built detergents impose the lowest chemical load upon the environment for the same detergency performance.     

Selecting the optimal linear alcohol ethoxylate for enhanced oily soil removal

Use of nonionic surfactants in detergent products has become increasingly popular because of their tolerance to hardness ions and their effect on lowering the critical micelle concentration of anionics. Their performance as detergents, however, is very sensitive to changes in temperature and electrolyte concentration, which need to be carefully controlled in order to ensure that phase inversion conditions prevail. For a fixed temperature in an application, the only variables available for optimizing the performance of a system containing nonionics are: the type of nonionic, and the concentrations of electrolytes and anionics. Based on the mutual interactions of these ingredients in mixed systems, we have devised some guidelines for selection of the optimal ethylene oxide (FO) chain length in lauryl alcohol ethoxylate type of nonionics for a range of electrolytes and anionic surfactant concentrations. For any given concentration of electrolytes (sodium carbonate and sodium tripolyphosphate), anionic (sodium linear alkyl benzene sulfonate) and nonionic, the detergency of synthetic sebum from blended polyester/cotton fabrics shows a maximum as a function of average FO moles in the nonionic. Oil/water interfacial tension shows an expected reverse trend. The optimal EO moles (for maximal detergency) show a monotonically increasing trend when plotted as a function of the ratio of nonionic to anionic concentration for a fixed level of electrolyte. The optimal EO moles also increase with increasing level of electrolytes in the system. However, the effect of nonionic/anionic ratio is much stronger than the effect of electrolytes on the optimal EO moles.     

Enhancement in electrical conductive property of polypyrrole‐coated cotton fabrics using cationic surfactant

Recently, great efforts have been made to gain highly conductive fabrics for smart textiles and flexible electromagnetic shielding materials. Different from the conventional chemical synthesis method, fibrillar polypyrrole was synthesized on the cotton fabrics via a simple chemical polymerization process with micelles of cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) as soft template. The modified cotton fabric exhibited excellent electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness due to the formation of fibrillar polypyrrole on the fiber surface. Electrical conductivity of fabric surface were studied by four‐probe resistivity system. The highly conductive fabric with surface conductivity of 5.8 S cm^?1 could be obtained by changing cationic surfactant concentration. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the modified fabrics was evaluated by the vector network analyzer instrument. Compared with the sample without using surfactant, the EMI SE value of PPy‐coated cotton fabrics increased by 28% after using 0.03 M CTAB as soft template. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43601.     

The effect of polar soil components on the phase inversion temperature and optimum detergency conditions

Previously reported results have shown that optimum removal of a hydrocarbon soil from polyester/cotton fabric occurs above the cloud point at the phase inversion temperature (PIT) of nonionic surfactant/water/soil systems. Through comparison of phase behavior measurements to radiotracer detergency studies using model sebum soils, i.e., cetane/oleyl alcohol and cetane/oleic acid blends, the relevance of the PIT for removal of nonpolar/polar soil mixtures has also been demonstrated. For these soils, the PIT is typically below the cloud point, and the highest level of soil removal is found between the PIT and cloud point rather than only at the PIT. This relatively temperature-insensitive soil removal is attributed to the preferential solubilization of polar soil components which continually changes the composition of the residual soil during the washing cycle. These findings explain the long-observed results that 4- to 5-EO alcohol ethoxylates are preferred for the removal of nonpolar soils while 6- to 9-EO ethoxylates are the more effective surfactants for sebum soils.     

表面活性剂的混合乳化性质在退浆中的应用

将表面活性剂的混合乳化性质应用到棉线退浆中,讨论了表面活性剂复配比例、温度、pH值及处理时间等因素对退浆的影响。结果表明,表面活性剂退浆法最佳工艺条件为:十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)30 g/L,AEO-9 5 g/L,十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)30 g/L,OP乳化剂10 g/L,pH6.5~7.5,温度70~80℃,处理时间60 min,在此条件下,棉线失重率为14.2%,白度为80.6。     

Surfactants and protocols to induce spontaneous emulsification and enhance detergency

In this study the presence of an oil-soluble nonionic surfactant, Brij 30 (polyoxyethylene-4 lauryl ether), in an oil stain, or its addition to the stain through an oil-based solution or water-based mixture is shown to enhance, to a great extent, the spontaneous removal of the stain from a polyester fabric by inducing rollback and spontaneous emulsification phenomena. These findings lead to potential applications of Brij 30 as laundry pre-spotters for enhancement of the removal of tough stains. The effect of three key factors, namely, the surfactant type, the surfactant concentration, and the surfactant application protocol, on the effectiveness of spontaneous detergency was analyzed via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The test fabrics were soiled with a stain composed of mineral oil plus orange OT dye [1-(o-tolylazo)-2-naphthol]. The results showed that all three factors were important for effective detergency. Brij 30 removed more than 80% w/w of the stain, whereas sodium dodecyl sulfate removed less than 24% w/w, and Brij 35 (polyoxyethylene-23 lauryl ether) was ineffective, removing less than 1% w/w. It was also observed that a low threshold concentration of Brij 30, approximately 0.2 mM, was required to spontaneously remove the oil stain, and that higher concentrations did not cause a significant enhancement of the effectiveness of soil removal. Brij 30 completed the detergency effect in less than 1 min, which may have beneficial implications regarding reduced energy consumption. Video microscopy studies revealed that at low Brij 30 surfactant concentrations, the mechanism for spontaneous oil removal proceeded predominantly via a rollback mechanism and that at higher concentrations, a spontaneous emulsification mechanism became progressively more important.     

Correlation between Detergency of Different Oily and Solid Non-Particulate Soils and Hydrophilic–Lipophilic Deviation

This research examined the correlation between the detergency of soils with varying equivalent alkane carbon numbers (EACN) and hydrophilic–lipophilic deviation (HLD) values. The detergency of oily soils with EACN ranging from 5.2 to 16.6 was evaluated using C₁₀-4PO-SO₄Na as a primary surfactant system and a 1:1 binary mixture of C₁₀-4PO-SO₄Na and AOT as a confirmatory surfactant system (with 65/35 polyester/cotton at 25°C). These surfactant systems were characterized using HLD concepts which showed that C₁₀-4PO-SO₄Na was more hydrophilic (had a higher negative Cc value) than that of the mixed surfactant system. Detergency of the selected soils was evaluated at different salinities corresponding to HLD ranging from negative to positive values. The results showed that detergency of all soils increased with increasing salinity (starting with an HLD = −3.0 (Winsor Type I microemulsion)), reached the maximum at widely different optimum salinity (S*) but at an identical HLD value of zero (optimum Type III), and then decreased with further increasing salt levels corresponding to positive HLD values (Type II). The preferred HLD range from −3.0 to 0.0 showed detergency levels exceeding 80% removal with interfacial tension values (IFT) below 1 mN m⁻¹ for all oily soils studied. Detergency of octadecane (EACN = 18, solid at 25°C) was further conducted and demonstrated that performing detergency at HLD = −3.0 to 0.0 likewise revealed superior soil removal (over 80%) versus systems with HLD values outside this range. Thus, this work highlighted the utility of using the HLD approach in designing surfactant formulations for detergency of soils with widely varying EACN.     

Property modifications of finished textiles by a cationic surfactant

Fabrics made of 100% cotton, 100% polyester and a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend with and without functional finishes were treated in aqueous solutions of the cationic surfactant distearyldimethylammonium bromide (DSDMAB). Finishes chosen were dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU), a durable press finish, and poly(acrylic acid), a soil release finish. Selective sorption of the cationic surfactant by finished and unfinished fabrics was quantified. Cotton takes up much larger amounts of DSDMAB than does polyester. In general, acrylic finished fabrics take up more DSDMAB, while DMDHEU finished fabrics take up smaller amounts of DSDMAB as compared to their unfinished controls. These findings indicate that ionic interaction forces play an important role in the sorption process. In order to investigate this, acid numbers were used as a relative measure of negative sorption sites on fabrics. A direct relationship between DSDMAB sorption and the acid numbers of the fabrics was established. Perceived fabric softness is generally improved by treatments with DSDMAB for all test fabrics. Although cotton fabrics finished with DMDHEU were perceived to be less soft than unfinished cotton, treatment with DSDMAB restored the softness level to that of unfinished cotton. The softness of both cotton and polyester fabrics was greatly lowered by the acrylic finish. The presence of even large amounts of DSDMAB did not restore softness ratings to levels comparable to unfinished controls. Electrical resistivity and electrostatic clinging measurements were used to assess the effectiveness of DSDMAB as an antistatic agent. DSDMAB reduced the electrical resistivities of all test fabrics. However, relative humidity played a much larger role in reducting the electrical resistivity of fabrics. Clinging times were also reduced by DSDMAB treatments. DSDMAB was particularly efficient in reducing the clinging time of polyester. Additional moisture related properties were investigated. The presence of DSDMAB on the test fabrics did not significantly alter moisture regain. The application of DSDMAB from aqueous solutions resulted in lower water retention values of the test fabrics after centrifuging at ag-factor comparable to home washing machines. This leads to energy savings during drying from 10–24%, depending on the fabric and finish type. However, energy savings due to fiber type were more significant than those due to the cationic surfactant treatment.