A Study on the Washing Characteristic of Blood Depending on the Thickness and Type of Fabric

When washing fabrics with blood on them, it is important to know the factors that affect the washing characteristics of blood. To investigate this, the authors prepared different thickness fabrics of 100% cotton, cotton/polyester blend(65%/35%), cotton/polyester blend(35%/65%), and 100% polyester. The cloths were then contaminated with blood, washed with detergent, and visualized with acidic hydrogen peroxide(a blood sensitive reagent) to observe the amount of blood retained. The results showed that the blood washed out better with more washing cycles, and the blood washed out better with a lower percentage of cotton. However, regardless of the blend, the thickness of the fabric did not seem to have any correlation with the degree of blood washing. On the other hand, if the fabric surface was coated, the blood washed well.