Evaluating Dimensional Change in Home Laundry

Laundry is an activity consumers engage in on a weekly basis. A common complaint that consumers have when doing laundry is that their clothes have shrunk. The dryer is often blamed for this occurrence. AATCC Test Method (TM) 135, Dimensional Changes of Fabric after Home Laundering, evaluates the amount of dimensional change that occurs to fabric specimens after the entire laundering process (washing and drying). The purpose of the study was to distinguish between the dimensional change that occurs during washing and drying processes using AATCC TM 135. The results showed that both washing and drying contributed to the overall dimensional change in fabrics.