Overview
ISO 3175-2:2017 - Textiles - Professional care, drycleaning and wetcleaning of fabrics and garments - Part 2 - specifies standardized testing procedures for drycleaning with tetrachloroethene (perchloroethylene) using commercial drycleaning machines. The standard defines how to prepare, condition and process test specimens (fabrics, garments, composite specimens) to evaluate performance after cleaning and finishing. It covers procedures for normal and sensitive materials and is intended as the precursor to performance assessment in ISO 3175-1. Localized stain removal is outside its scope.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and materials: Procedures for fabrics, garments and composite test specimens; distinguishes normal and sensitive materials.
- Reagents: Uses distilled tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4 / perchloroethylene) and sorbitan mono-oleate as a model detergent/emulsifier.
- Machine & apparatus:
- Commercial, reversible rotating-cage drycleaning machines with specified cage diameters and lifters.
- Machine control requirements: solvent/air temperature control, solvent temperature measurement to ±2 °C, and automatic solvent dryness control.
- Specified finishing equipment: iron, steam press, steam table, steam former (mannequin) and steam cabinet.
- Process parameters (examples from the standard):
- Liquor ratio: (5.0 ± 0.5) L solvent/kg of load.
- Solvent temperature: maintained at (30 ± 3) °C during cleaning.
- Detergent dosing: initial charge (1 g/L) and an emulsion to achieve ~3 g/L detergent with 2% water by mass of load.
- Load composition: test specimens normally ≤10% of load mass; remainder ballast of prescribed fibre composition and mass per unit area.
- Conditioning: standard atmosphere (20 °C, 65% RH) per ISO 139; specimens tested immediately after conditioning.
- Minimum cycles: at least 3 cycles unless otherwise agreed.
- Test reporting: requires documentation of machine settings, deviations, specimens and number of cycles.
Applications and users
- Textile testing laboratories validating drycleanability and post-cleaning properties.
- Textile and garment manufacturers assessing material resilience to perchloroethylene drycleaning.
- Drycleaning equipment manufacturers and process engineers developing machine cycles and controls.
- Quality assurance, lab technicians and compliance teams referencing standardized methods for comparative testing and product labeling.
Related standards
- ISO 3175-1 - Assessment of performance after cleaning and finishing (companion standard).
- Other parts of ISO 3175 (hydrocarbon solvents, simulated wetcleaning) and ISO 139 (standard atmospheres for conditioning).
Keywords: ISO 3175-2:2017, tetrachloroethene, perchloroethylene, drycleaning, textiles, professional care, testing procedure, commercial drycleaning machines, sensitive materials.