Assessment of Hygienic Effects of Laundering Using Spectrophotometry

Microbial cleanliness of textiles is an important issue in numerous industry sectors where microorganisms may contaminate manufactured goods and constitute a threat for consumers’ health. The most common method of removing contaminants like microbes is laundering. Changes in the manner of laundering, which have taken place in the recent years due to ecological reasons, lead to decreased hygienic effects. The aim of the study presented in this paper was to determine the viability of bacteria in textiles following laundering with the use of the spectrophotometric technique. The tests were conducted on cotton textiles contaminated with bacteria and laundered. The concentration of bacteria was determined by spectrophotometry with the use of AlamarBlueTM dye. The quantitative analyses confirmed the possibility of using spectrophotometric measurements in determining the levels of the tested bacterial species in the extracts from the laundered textiles. It was demonstrated that laundering textiles contaminated with bacteria result in a decrease in their count irrespective of the species.