10

Chapter

Care and Maintenance of

Fabrics in Institutions

Learning Objectives
After completing this section the learner will be able to —
zz discuss the significance of care and maintenance of fabrics and textile
products
zz describe the concept of care and maintenance of fabrics in hospitals
and hotels
zz explain the process and various equipments required and their usage
zz discuss how a student can prepare for a career in this field.

Introduction
The use of fabrics in a family setup for apparel and household is well known.
You may also be aware that some special fabrics are used for industrial
purposes, for interiors in institutions for heat and sound insulation and
for bandages, masks etc. in hospitals. Since fabrics with specific properties
are selected for specific usage and functionality, it becomes important
that these characteristics are retained for the expected life of the material.
Efforts are also made to prolong the period of the serviceability of the
product by taking good care of them. Care and maintenance of fabrics
includes two aspects:

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 zz Keeping the material free of physical damage and rectifying any
damage that may have occurred during its use.
zz Retaining or refreshing the appearance in terms of removal of stains
and dirt and retaining the textural and visual characteristics.

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

Basic Concepts
Clean fresh hygienic clothes, spotless and crisp household linen
are the outcome of successful laundering or dry-cleaning. Laundry
is both a science and an art. It is a science because it is based
on application of scientific principles and techniques. It is also an
art since its application requires the mastering of certain skills to
produce aesthetically pleasing results.

You are aware that care and maintenance requirements of different

fabrics depend on its fibre content, type of yarn and fabric construction
techniques, the finishes given to the fabrics and the purpose for which
they are used. You are also aware of the process of laundry, stain removal,
role of water — suitability of soaps and detergents, methods of washing,
finishing treatments, ironing and hot pressing, folding. Let us now briefly
discuss the equipments required for these activities. There are mainly
three types of equipments in common use:
A. Washing Equipment
B. Drying Equipment
C. Ironing/Pressing Equipment
At household level, a large amount of washing is done manually,
using equipments like buckets, basins, bowls and scrubbing boards and
brushes. In some cases, basic washing machines have been added.

A. Washing Equipment

Two types of models of washing machines are available — top loading

(where the garments are put into the machine from the top) and
front loading (where the garments are put in the machine from the
front side).

Activity 1
Do a survey of types of washing machines available in the market.
Collect pictures and paste them in the given boxes. 191

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 Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

Top Loading Front Loading Two Tub

Washing Machine Washing Machine Machine  

These machines may further be:

(a) Fully automatic: These machines have a single time setting of
controls for each use i.e water filling, temperature of water, wash
cycle and number of rinses. No further intervention of the operator is
required.
(b) Semi-automatic: These machines require intervention of the
operator at frequent intervals. Rinse water in such machines has to
be filled and drained out with each cycle. These are generally two-tub
machines.
(c) Manually operated: In these machines, 50 per cent or more of the
work is manually done by the operator.
Automatic Washer performs the following operations
a. Filling up water.
b. Water Level Control is also an important feature. The water level is
controlled either automatically or manually.
c. Regulation of Temperature of Water: The machine has a button, dial
or panel indication which permits selection of desired temperature
of the water. The temperature may be same for wash and rinse or
different for the two operations.
d. Washing:
The principle of all washing machines is to keep the fabric in movement
in the washing solution to carry away the dirt. The major methods of
this are:
i. Agitation — This is used in top loading machines. The agitator
has blades which may rotate (movement in one direction) or
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 oscillate (alternate movement in two directions) which cause the
creation of a current in the tub, forcing water into the fabric.
ii. Pulsation — This is also used in top loading machines. The
movement is caused by a vertical pulsator, which has very rapid
movements vertically.

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

iii. Tumbling — This is used in front loading machines. Washing
takes place in a horizontally placed cylinder which is perforated
and which revolves in a partially filled tub. With each revolution
the clothes are carried to the top and then dropped in the wash
water. This means that the clothes move through the water
rather than water moving through clothes as in the previous
two types.
Depending on the size of the machine and the type of fabrics to be
treated, the agitators may be made of plastic, metal (aluminium)
or bakelite, and are such that they are not affected by detergents,
bleaches, softeners etc. Agitation speed can also be varied depending
on the type of fabric.
e. Rinsing
This is the important phase in the wash cycle. If the rinse is not
thorough, the clothes may look grey and dull and have a harsh
texture.
f. Water Extraction
Water is extracted after the wash phase and after each rinse phase of
the cycle. It can be done in three ways:
i. Spinning: Spinning at speeds greater than 300 rpm, which
generates a centrifugal force which in turn throws the water up
and out. This water is pumped down the drain.
ii. Bottom-drain: Machines with perforated tubs stop at the end of
wash phase and then at the end of the rinse phase and drain
through the bottom. At the end of the drain period, the tub
begins to spin as described above which removes the remaining
water from clothes.
iii. Combination Bottom-drain and Spin: Some machines drain
through the bottom without stopping i.e. the bottom draining
occurs during the spin period. This system provides the best
water extraction because it can remove the heavy dirt at the
bottom and dirt in suspension in water.

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 The amount of water extracted from the clothes during spinning
is directly affected by the speed at which the tub spins. The speed
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

can vary from 333 –1100 rpm. Spinning to near dryness is avoided
because it may cause wrinkles which are difficult to remove during
ironing. The optimum speed is approximately 600–620 rpm.

B. Drying Equipment and Process

Apart from drying in the open, driers are used at commercial and
institutional level.
There are two types of circulation systems in driers:
(a) Air of relatively low temperature is circulated at high velocity.
Room air enters the drier from under the front panel, passes
over the source of heat and then through the clothes and leaves
through an exhaust. Thus the temperature and humidity of the
room stays normal.
(b) Air of high temperature is circulated slowly. In this after the air
enters the drier and passes over the heat source, it is drawn by
a small fan through perforations at the top of the drier, then
downwards through the clothes and out through the exhaust.
Since the movement of the air in this drier is slow, the relative
humidity of the exhausted air is high.

C. Ironing and Hot pressing

Most households have an iron and a temporary or permanent place

for work. Ironing is the process of smoothening out wrinkles created
with use or during washing. Pressing helps to put creases such as
in sleeves, trouser legs and pleated skirts. Irons have smooth metal
surface which can be heated. Most electric irons have an inbuilt
thermostat, which can adjust the temperature to suit the fabric. The
iron may also have a system of producing steam while in use. The
weight of the iron varies from 1.5–3.5 kgs. At household level light
weight irons are preferred. Heavier articles like curtains, bed covers
etc. may require heavier irons.

Though in most cases the heating is with electricity, in India one

can still see some charcoal irons. Charcoal iron is like a metal box
with a lid, in which live coal pieces are put to heat the iron.

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 Care and maintenance of apparel and articles of household usage
within the family may be done at different levels. Household laundry
takes care of clothing and small articles of daily use. Bigger articles
of household linen and some special articles are sent to commercial
laundries. Sometimes services are hired of individual professionals
who collect material from household for washing and/or ironing and

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

finishing. Such professional
(often called dhobis) serve
Activity 2
individual households and
institutions like student Make a list of the type of
hostels, small hotels and fabric articles in your home.
restaurants. They generally Categorise them according to
work from their homes. For the maintenance activities done
washing they make use of within the household, sent to
specially marked places commercial laundry or use
in towns and cities called made of certain professionals.
dhobighats.

The concept of individual workers grew up into ‘Laundries’ or ‘Dry-

cleaning’ shops. Here the customer takes the articles for cleaning and
comes back a few days later to collect finished articles. The customer may
be an individual or an institution. Bigger laundries often have several
centers or shops in different parts of the city. Some laundries also provide
services of transport of material to and from the customer. This is specially
so in the case of institutions like hostels, small hotels, restaurants and
also small hospitals and nursing homes.
The commercial laundries are organised in different sections. Each
section deals with a specific job, such as washing, water extraction, drying,
pressing and ironing. Some laundries may have a separate section for
hospital and institutional work, and another for individual and personal
work. They also may have separate sections for dry-cleaning, for fibre
specific articles like woolens, silks and synthetics, and for special articles
like blankets and carpets. Some laundries also have arrangement for dyeing
and special finishes like zari polishing. Most laundries would have units
for inspection, sorting out of materials and taking care of pretreatments
like mending, repairing and stain removal.
These laundries have bigger equipment and in larger numbers. The
washing machines have the capacity to handle 100 kg or more of load
in one cycle (as against 5 –10 kgs in domestic washing machines). They
have separate machines or dry-cleaning. Other equipments include hydro
extractors, driers, flat bed ironing and pressing equipment, roller ironing
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 and calendaring machines, folding and packaging tables and trolleys to
carry material from one place to another.
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

The commercial establishments have a system of keeping record.

When the article is received, it is checked and any damage or special care
requirement is recorded. The customer is given an invoice for the kind
and number of articles received and the date of delivery. System of code
tags matching the invoice helps to identify the items of each customer or
invoice.

Institutions
Large institutions that require a constant flow of clean linen, working-
clothing or uniform, like hospitals, prisons and hotels, will usually have
their own laundry departments. The organised collection, laundering and
timely delivery of processed material is essential to the operation of the
institution.
There are two types of institutions which have in-house laundry and
maintenance setups, i.e., within their organisation. These are hotels
and hospitals. Both have a large quantum of bed linen and other room
furnishing requirements as also staff uniforms and accessories such as
aprons, caps, head dresses and masks.
The hospital laundry takes care of hygiene, cleanliness and disinfection.
However, a number of hospitals have started using disposables where
there is a threat of infection, which are then destroyed by burning. Most
of the articles in hospitals are of cotton and dyed (in colours specific to the
hospital and department) with dyes which have excellent wash-fastness.
Only the blankets are woolen. The daily laundry thus emphasises mainly
on cleanliness of cotton materials. Here too the stubborn stains may not be
taken notice of and finishing like starching and whitening is not included.
Even the ironing and pressing may not be done to perfection. Repair and
mending and condemnation of unusable material may or may not form a
part of the services required.
In the hospitality sector, i.e. for hotel and restaurants, aesthetics and
final finish of the articles are the most important. As compared to hospitals
the articles here may be of different fibre contents. Final finishing of
laundered goods, i.e., starching, ironing pressing and correct and perfect
folding, are emphasised. They also have to care of guests’ personal laundry
when required. As mentioned earlier the smaller hotels may have link ups
with commercial laundries from outside.

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 Process of laundry functioning in hospitals
1. Collection from Emergency, main OT, OPD, various specialised
centres and wards
2. Transportation from linen bank or directly from hospital to

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

laundry plant
3. Unloading dirty linen and sorting
� Bed linen— clean, mildly soiled and very soiled
� Patients’ dress
� Doctors’ dress
� Blankets
4. Washing is done in large washing machines which have a
capacity of 100 kg per load.
5. Hydro-extraction — Hydro extractors work in centrifugal motion
which gets rid of 60 –70% moisture.
6. Drying
7. Pressing, ironing, folding and stacking
8. Mending and segregation of condemned articles
9. Packing
10. Distribution

The quantum of work, especially for bed linen, is much larger for
hospitals as compared to hotels. The big hotels may have upto 400–500
rooms.The larger hospitals may have to take care of 1,800–2,000 beds
or even more. Of these, sheets in Operation Theater, Maternity ward and
Labour room may require 5 or more changes per day. Linen requirement
in stock is a minimum of six sets per bed. Each set normally consists of
bed sheet, draw sheet and a pillow slip. The blankets are not changed daily
unless soiled. Apart from linen for patient’s bed, the other articles to be
laundered are dress (gowns, kurta, pyjamas etc.) for patients, dress (coats,
gowns, kurta and pyjama) for doctors (that is generally a different colour
from dress for patients and may be of tericot material), and some general
material like table cloths and curtains.
As in the case of commercial laundries there is a system of keeping
record for collection and disbursement of material to each department. An
example is given as follows.
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 NAME OF THE HOSPITAL
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

Receipt for Washable Linen

Receipt No………
Received from………………………………………...
Dated………………. Time …………

S.No Name of the clothing No. Remarks

1 Bed Sheet
2 Draw Sheet (White)
3 Draw Sheet (Green)
4 Patient’s Kurta
5 Patient’s pajama
6 Doctor’s Kurta
7 Doctor’s Pajama
8 Doctor’s Gown
9 Towel split
10 Towel Hand
11 Face mask
12 Baby Frocks
13 Blanket Big/ Baby
14 Pillow Cover
15 Slings
16 Apron
17 Dirty Linen Bag
18
19

Preparing for a career

The field of Care and Maintenance of Fabrics is a technical field. The
primary requirements are:
zz Knowledge of the material, i.e., its fibre content, yarn and fabric
production technique, and the colour and finishes applied, in terms
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 zz Knowledge of the processes involved.
zz Knowledge of the chemicals and other reagents used in the process
and their effect on the fabric.
zz Working knowledge of the machinery requirements and its
functioning.

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

Generally, Laundry Management courses are short term programmes,
which offer coaching, job placement assistance, assistance to start business,
practical training with stipend in hi-tech laundry, job opportunities in
airways, ship, railways, hotels and hi-tech hospitals. However, since each
setup may have different types of equipment and different requirements,
a practical training or internship would be required. Qualifications in
Textile Science, Textile Chemistry, Fabric and Apparel would be extremely
useful. These courses are offered as specialisation for the graduate degree
by several institutions throughout the country that offer Home Science.

Scope
This is one area where persons with specialisation in Textiles and Clothing,
Fabric and Apparel can venture into entrepreneurial activities. These
services provide much needed help and support for the end users, in
metropolitan areas especially where women are working outside the home.
There may also be a large
number of nursing homes,
small hospitals, day care
centres etc. which would need
such services on a regular
basis. One may also choose
to work in hi-tech laundries
of railways, airways, shipping
lines, hotels and hospitals, i.e.,
institutions and organisations
that have in house program
for care and maintenance of
fabrics and textiles.

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 Key Terms
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

Laundry, washing, ironing, dry-cleaning, disinfection, washing machines,

hydro-extractors, calendaring, tunnel washing systems

Review Questions
1. What are the two aspects of care and maintenance of fabrics?
2. What are the factors which affect the process of cleaning of fabrics?
3. How are the different sections organised in a commercial or
institutional laundry?
4. What are the differences in processing laundry work in commercial
laundries and hospital laundries?

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 Practical 1
Theme: Care and maintenance of fabric products: Stain Removal
Task: To remove different types of stains like ball pen, blood,
coffee, tea, lipstick, curry, grease, ink.

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

Purpose : A stain is an unwanted mark or colouration on a fabric caused
by contact and absorption of foreign matter which needs special treatment
before the actual washing process.
Conduct of the Practical : In order to use the right procedure for removing
the stain, it is important to identify the stain.

“Refer to the Chapter 17 in Class XI textbook for HEFS

Care and Maintenance of Fabrics”.

Procedure : Take two samples of each stain on white cotton cloth of 4”X4”.
Treat one while keep the other as controlled sample. Remove the stain by
referring to the table given:

Stain Condi- Cotton and Linen Silk and Wool Synthetics

tion

1. Blood Fresh Soak in cold water. Sponge with cold Wash in cold
Then wash in dilute water. water.
ammonia.

Old Steep in cold water 1. Same as for -

and salt until stain cotton
is removed (1 oz to 2 2. Apply starch
pints). paste. Leave
it to dry and
brush it.

2. Ball 1. Steep in Same as cotton Same as

pen ink methylated cotton
spirit.
2. Wash with soap
and water.

3. Curry Fresh 1. Wash with soap Same as cotton Same as

stain and water. cotton
2. Bleach in
sunlight and
air.
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 Old 1. Same as for Treat with Bleach with
fresh. potassium sodium
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

2. Bleach with permanganate perborate.

javelle water. and ammonia.
Dip the
stained portion
alternately in the
above solutions.

4. Grease Fresh Wash with hot water 1. If washable, Same as silk

and soap same as cotton. and wool
2. For
unwashable,
spread French
chalk on the
stain. Brush
off the powder
after an hour.

Old 1. Treat with Same as cotton Same as

grease solvent cotton
(Petrol,
methylated
spirit).
2. Wash with
hot water and
soap.

5. Ink Fresh 1. Rub the stain Treat with sour Same as silk
with a cut milk or curd as and wool
tomato and salt for cotton.
wash.
2. Soak the stain
immediately in
sour milk or
curd for half an
hour. Wash.
3. Apply salt and
lime juice and
leave it for half
an hour. Wash.

Old 1. Try above no. 1. Same as Same as silk

2 and 3 with cotton and wool
prolonged 2. Rinse in
treatment. dilute
2. Steep in dilute ammonia
oxalic acid. solution.
3. Rinse
thoroughly
202 with dilute
borax solution.

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 6. Lipstick Fresh Steep in methylated Same as cotton Same as
spirit and wash with cotton
soap and water.

Old Moisten and soften Same as cotton Steep in

by working glycerine kerosene or

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

into a stain. Leave turpentine.
for a short while. Wash with
Rinse and then soap and
wash with soap and warm water.
water.

7. Tea and Fresh Pour boiling water 1. Steep in Steep in

coffee through. warm water. warm
2. Steep in sodium
dilute Borax perborate
solution (1/2 solution (1
tsp to 2 cups tsp-1pint)
of water)

Old 1. Spread Borax 1. Steep in

over and pour Borax
boiling water Solution
through. 2. Treat with
2. Steep in dilute
glycerine hydrogen
until stain is peroxide.
removed.

Note
After conducting the practical stick the control and treated samples
in your file.

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 References For Further Reading
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

Bheda, R. 2002. Managing Productivity In The Apparel Industry. CBS

Publishers & Distributors.
Belfer, N. 1992. Batik and Tie Dye Techniques. Dover Publications.
Dantyagi, S. 1987. Fundamentals of Textiles and Their Care. Orient Longman.
D Souza, N. 1994. Fabric Care. New Age International, New Delhi.
Kunz, G. I. 2009. Merchandising: Theory, Principles and Practice. Fairchild
Publications.
Landi, S. 2002. The Textile Conservator’s Manual. Butterworth- Heinmann
Publications.
Mehta, Pradip V. and S.K. Bhardwaj, 1998. Managing Quality in the
Apparel Industry. National Institute of Fashion Technology & New Age
International Publishers, New Delhi.
Mills, J. and J. Smith, 1996. Design Concepts. Fairchild Publications.

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