Adherence of bacterial spores to encrusted fabrics

Adherence of Bacillus megaterium spores to fabrics depends on fabric composition and texture. Adherence to cotton terry cloth is higher than to plain cotton and cotton‐polyester fabrics. The adherence is always proportionally enhanced by the presence of organic and inorganic encrustation on the surface of fibres. These encrustations are deposited when fabrics are washed without adequate detergents. This frequently happens because of attempts to limit or banish the use of efficient ingredients (such as sodium tripolyphosphate) for ecological reasons and to use low temperature washing methods to permit energy savings. Encrustation, inadequate detergency and low temperature washing can concur to sustain a high level of bacterial contamination on the fabric surface.