A Protocol to Examine the Colour Damage Profile of Bleach Containing Detergents

In the development of new and improved bleach systems for detergents there is a need for a reliable and generally accepted protocol to test colour and fibre damage. We here describe a protocol to screen detergents on colour damage/fading under European wash conditions, using a recently developed set of dyed fabrics. The test protocol has been evaluated in an inter-laboratory test and was found to be robust in the sense that it gave similar results in different laboratories. Hence the protocol described is recommended for testing the colour damage/fading properties of oxidative bleach containing detergents for the European market.