Abstract
Due to the complex environment in the ground, most of excavated costumes undergo deterioration and color change. To reduce the extent and intensity of the staining and to recover the original color or gray fabrics of excavated costumes, bleaching would be required. Excavated historical costumes are very delicate in nature, therefore, special care is needed in bleaching process. Several bleaching agents were selected and applied to the control cotton fabric and pre-deteriorated cotton fabrics to examine the change of color and physical properties after bleaching. A dual bleaching using hydrogen peroxide and sodiumborohydride showed the superior bleaching effect to the other bleaching agents. The strength of pre-deteriorated fabrics slightly increased after dual bleaching. The six historical costumes which belonged to General Duk-Ryung Kim's nephew's wife were dual bleached. They became remarkably cleaned and brightened. The treatments improved the appearance of costumes. By microscopic investigation, it is found that costumes did not show the damage after treatment. In conclusion, it is possible to bleach historical textiles without damage using appropriate bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide and sodiumborohydride.