Use of triclosan as antibacterial agent in textiles

The triclosan has been applied on cotton fabrics as an antibacterial agent and its durability to repeated home laundering studied. To evaluate the effects of environmental conditions on activity of triclosan, the samples were exposed to acidic, basic and synthetic urine solutions as simulated wearing conditions. The antibacterial activity of fabrics was evaluated against S. aureus and E. coli. The results show that the raw fabrics have the lowest activity and the bleaching pretreatment causes the increase in antibacterial activity and significant reduction in bacteria growth. However, the fabrics show the best activity after finishing with triclosan, especially against S. aureus. It is also observed that the repeated home laundering, and acidic, basic and urine conditions cause the decrease in the activity.