Abstract
We examined the antimicrobial effects of the cotton fabrics which were laundered at different conditions and treated with a colloidal silver solution using Staphylococcus aureus. Colloidal silver solution was made from commercial colloidal silver generator by electrolysis. The fabric which was innoculated and washed with water before drying had no more Staphylococcus aureus, but which was innoculated and dried before washing with detergent solution had lower reduction rate. The fabric washed with oxygen bleach did not have an antimicrobial effect, but rinsed with 0.07% fabric softener showed antimicrobial properties. The fabric rinsed with 0.7ppm colloidal silver solution had better antimicrobial effects. As the treating concentration of silver solution increased, the antimicrobial property of the fabric was increased. The fabric treated with 5% silver solution sustained reflectance and whiteness of untreated fabric. The colloidal silver treated fabric lost antimicrobial property after washing because nano-sized silver particles were located on uneven fiber surface without chemical bonding forces.