A quick-revision summary of Class 12 Home Science Chapter 10: Care and Maintenance of Fabrics in Institutions. Read the full notes for explanations and figures.
1 Key definitions
Terms to learn by heart
Two aspects of care(1) keep the material free of physical damage and rectify damage; (2) retain or refresh the appearance: remove stains and dirt, keep textural and visual characteristics
Laundrya science (scientific principles and techniques) and an art (mastered skills, aesthetically pleasing results)
Fully automaticsingle time setting of controls; no further intervention
Semi-automaticintervention at frequent intervals; rinse water filled and drained each cycle; generally two-tub
Manually operated50 per cent or more of the work done by the operator
Agitationtop loading; agitator blades rotate or oscillate; current forces water into the fabric
Pulsationtop loading; vertical pulsator, very rapid vertical movements
Tumblingfront loading; horizontal perforated cylinder; clothes move through the water
Spinningabove 300 rpm; centrifugal force throws water up and out; pumped down the drain
Ironingsmoothening out wrinkles created with use or during washing
Pressingputting creases in sleeves, trouser legs, pleated skirts
Stainunwanted mark or colouration from contact and absorption of foreign matter; needs special treatment before washing
2 Equipment
| Type | Key points |
|---|---|
| Care depends on | fibre content, type of yarn, fabric construction, finishes, purpose of use |
| Household manual washing | buckets, basins, bowls, scrubbing boards and brushes |
| A. Washing | top loading / front loading; fully automatic, semi-automatic, manually operated |
| Washer operations | filling water → water level (auto or manual) → temperature (button, dial, panel) → washing → rinsing → water extraction |
| Agitators | plastic, aluminium or bakelite; not affected by detergents, bleaches, softeners; speed varied by fabric |
| Rinsing | poor rinse = grey, dull clothes with a harsh texture |
| Water extraction | spinning; bottom-drain (perforated tubs); combination bottom-drain and spin (best: removes heavy dirt and dirt in suspension) |
| B. Driers | (a) low temperature, high velocity: room temperature and humidity stay normal; (b) high temperature, slow: small fan, perforations at top, exhausted air has high relative humidity |
| C. Irons | smooth metal surface, inbuilt thermostat, steam; 1.5-3.5 kg; light at home, heavier for curtains and bed covers; charcoal iron = metal box with a lid, live coal |
3 Key numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| above 300 rpm | spinning creates centrifugal force |
| 333-1100 rpm | range of spin speed |
| 600-620 rpm | optimum spin speed |
| 50% or more | manual work in manually operated machines |
| 1.5-3.5 kg | weight of an iron |
| 100 kg or more / 5-10 kg | commercial machine per cycle / domestic machine |
| 100 kg per load | hospital washing machines |
| 60-70% | moisture removed by hydro extractors |
| 400-500 / 1,800-2,000 | rooms in big hotels / beds in larger hospitals |
| 5 or more | sheet changes a day in OT, maternity ward, labour room |
| minimum 6 sets | linen per bed in stock (bed sheet, draw sheet, pillow slip) |
4 Levels of care and commercial laundries
- Household laundry: clothing and small articles of daily use
- Commercial laundries: bigger household linen and special articles
- Dhobis: collect from homes; serve households, student hostels, small hotels, restaurants; work from home; wash at dhobighats
- Laundries / dry-cleaning shops: customer = individual or institution; several centres; transport for hostels, small hotels, restaurants, small hospitals, nursing homes
- Sections: washing, water extraction, drying, pressing and ironing; hospital/institutional vs individual/personal; dry-cleaning; woolens, silks, synthetics; blankets, carpets; dyeing, zari polishing; inspection, sorting, pretreatments (mending, repairing, stain removal)
- Equipment: separate dry-cleaning machines, hydro extractors, driers, flat bed ironing and pressing, roller ironing and calendaring machines, folding and packaging tables, trolleys
- Records: check on receipt → record damage/special care → invoice (kind, number, delivery date) → code tags
5 Hospital and hotel laundries
| Hospital | Hotel and restaurant |
|---|---|
| hygiene, cleanliness, disinfection | aesthetics and final finish most important |
| disposables burnt where there is a threat of infection | different fibre contents |
| mostly cotton, wash-fast dyes in hospital colours; only blankets woolen | starching, ironing, pressing, correct and perfect folding |
| stubborn stains may be ignored; no starching or whitening; pressing not perfect | guests’ personal laundry when required |
| repair, mending, condemnation may or may not be included | smaller hotels link up with outside commercial laundries |
Hospital 10 steps: collection (Emergency, main OT, OPD, specialised centres, wards) → transportation (linen bank or direct to laundry plant) → unloading and sorting (clean, mildly soiled, very soiled; patients’ dress, doctors’ dress, blankets) → washing (100 kg per load) → hydro-extraction (60-70%) → drying → pressing, ironing, folding, stacking → mending and segregation of condemned articles → packing → distribution.
Doctors’ dress: generally a different colour from patients’ dress, may be tericot. Blankets not changed daily unless soiled. Record: Receipt for Washable Linen (Receipt No., Received from, Dated, Time, S.No, Name of the clothing, No., Remarks).
6 Career and scope
- Four requirements: knowledge of the material, of the processes, of the chemicals and reagents, working knowledge of machinery
- Laundry Management courses: short term; coaching, job placement, help to start a business, training with stipend in hi-tech laundry; jobs in airways, ship, railways, hotels, hi-tech hospitals; internship needed
- Useful qualifications: Textile Science, Textile Chemistry, Fabric and Apparel (graduate Home Science specialisation)
- Scope: entrepreneurship; metropolitan areas where women work outside the home; nursing homes, small hospitals, day care centres; hi-tech laundries of railways, airways, shipping lines, hotels, hospitals
7 Stain removal on cotton and linen
| Stain | Fresh | Old |
|---|---|---|
| Blood | cold water, then dilute ammonia | cold water and salt (1 oz to 2 pints) |
| Ball pen | methylated spirit; soap and water | |
| Curry | soap and water; sunlight and air | as fresh; javelle water |
| Grease | hot water and soap | grease solvent (petrol, methylated spirit); hot water and soap |
| Ink | tomato and salt; sour milk or curd; salt and lime juice | prolonged treatment; dilute oxalic acid; dilute borax rinse |
| Lipstick | methylated spirit; soap and water | glycerine; soap and water |
| Tea, coffee | boiling water through | borax + boiling water; glycerine |
Other fabrics to remember: unwashable grease on silk/wool = French chalk (brush off after an hour); old curry on silk/wool = potassium permanganate and ammonia alternately, on synthetics = sodium perborate; old lipstick on synthetics = kerosene or turpentine; old tea/coffee on silk/wool = borax, dilute hydrogen peroxide. Practical: two 4″ × 4″ white cotton samples per stain, one treated, one controlled; stick both in the file.
More for this chapter