Cleaning cellulases to stop redeposition

City life means grime on clothes

The United Nations estimates that 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050. For many, this means adopting a white-collar city wardrobe. It also means battling the traffic dirt and particles that stick deep in the fabric of clothes. These microscopic dirt particles dull colors and make whites look gray on otherwise clean clothes. They even cause problems in the washing machine: when they’re removed from one item of clothing in the wash, they can redeposit onto others, leaving the whole laundry load less than clean.

Laundry strategies to beat urban grime

According to the World Health Organization, 91% of the world’s population live in places where air quality exceeds recommended limits. So it’s unsurprising that many urban consumers have already developed laundry sorting strategies to try to beat urban grime. In some regions, it’s common for consumers to wash indoor and outdoor wear separately to prevent redeposition. But these time-consuming strategies are hard to maintain in the face of fast-paced city lifestyles.

"Fast-paced urban lifestyles mean that time-consuming laundry sorting strategies are hard to maintain"

What causes redeposition?

Cotton fibers are made up of interlinking layers of tiny threads known as fibrils. As the fibers age, some fibrils come loose and protrude from the fibers. The shorter ones trap dirt particles in the air, which are then released during the wash cycle to redeposit on clothes. As these dirt particles build up over time, they make white cotton fabrics look gray, and colors appear dull.