Detergency evaluation of non-ionic surfactant Dehypon® LS54 for textile conservation wet cleaning

Abstract

Dehypon® LS45 is a non-ionic surfactant commonly used by UK-based textile conservators, however it has a very low cloud point of 20°C which can be problematic during wet cleaning. The research presented here investigated the wet cleaning detergency of an alternative surfactant, Dehypon® LS54, which has a higher cloud point of 30°C. Artificially soiled cotton and wool were washed using both surfactants and their respective detergency effects evaluated using colorimetry and visible spectrophotometry. The most effective concentration of Dehypon® LS54 for removing soils was found to be 0.3% w/v and its detergency effect was similar to Dehypon® LS45 at the same concentration. However, it should be noted that Dehypon® LS54 at 0.3% w/v has slightly higher critical micelle concentration value for washing than Dehypon® LS45. Dehypon® LS54 was also found to be more effective at removing soiling from cotton compared to Dehypon® LS45.