Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of laundering on the shrinkage and elasticity of cotton/spandex fabrics, in which one group was enhanced 5%, the other group was 10%, the third group was 15% during tentering and the final group was not enhanced but dyed with a reactive dye. The laundering conditions were varied in washing temperature, drying methods and number of wash cycles. Shrinkage and elasticity as the extension and elastic recovery after stretching at a force of 15 N for cotton/spandex fabrics were investigated. The fabrics which were treated with greater enhancing during tentering, showed greater shrinkage, lower extension and less elastic recovery after repeated washings and dryings. The cotton/spandex fabric which was enhanced 5% during tentering showed the least amount of deformation after 20 washings. The greatest deformation of the cotton/spandex fabrics occurred after the first wash, but the increases in shrinkage and elasticity were reduced as the number of wash cycles increased. The fabrics which were washed at $20^{\circ}C$ and air dried showed lower shrinkage and lower extension with the force of 15 N than the fabrics washed at $40^{\circ}C$ and dried in the tumble dryer. This showed that drying temperatures had a greater affect on the deformation of the cotton/spandex fabrics than the washing temperatures.