The Effect of Locally Prepared Soaps with Different Oils on the Colour and Dimensional Stability of an African Print Fabric

Abstract

Ghanaians that patronize the locally produced soap “Azumah blow” have raised concerns about the quality and its effect on fabrics. Meanwhile, palm oil is the oil used in its production. The aim of this study was to vary the oils for the production of the soap to determine if a change in oil used can reduce or eliminate the soap’s effect on a textile fabric. The objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate the effects of locally prepared soaps from three different types of oils on the colour fastness and shrinkage of an African print fabric from TexStyles Ghana Limited (GTP). Palm oil, Palm kennel oil and Coconut oil were used in the preparation of the soaps. Test specimens were subjected to washing with the 3 different types of soaps at 600C for 30 minutes using the standard Launder-Ometer (Gyrowash 315). Each washed specimen was dried at room temperature. Dimensional stability was measured with the aid of a tape measure. Colour fastness and staining were measured by means of grey scales. The results indicated that soap samples employed for the study generally showed less change to the dimensional stability of the fabric used for the study. They were gentle on the colour staining properties; however, the coconut oil soap had the best performance compared to the soaps with palm oil and palm kennel oil. It is recommended that other performance attributes of cotton fabrics are explored with these types of soaps to give an overall picture of their total performance.