Foundation undertakes mold study
When it comes to helping the industry, the
FabriCare Foundation (FCF) wants to break the mold, which is
precisely what the organization will attempt to do when it
sponsors an upcoming study to determine the most effective ways
to clean fabrics damaged by fungi.
On the heels of its recent Consumer
Attitude Survey, the Foundation hopes to make another
educational contribution to drycleaners by addressing a
prevalent problem they face.
Joining the Foundation in the fight
against mold will be the International Fabricare Institute and
the Alliance of Professional Restoration Drycleaners, who will
provide supplemental funding for the project.
“Mold is increasingly becoming a
concern to the public generally and to drycleaners
specifically, across the nation,” FCF chair Ron Kantor
said during the Foundation’s August meeting. “The
vote to begin the project followed careful analysis by the FCF
board.”
The first stage of the study will be
handled by the University of South Florida’s Institute of
Environmental Studies, which will expose four types of fabric
— cotton, wool, silk and polyester — to two common
fungal mycelium, Stachybotrys and Aspergillus.
Following an incubation period, the fabric
test samples will be sent to IFI, who will apply four different
current cleaning methods to them.
Additionally, IFI will test the samples
for tensile strength damage and will subject them to pressing
with dry steam to determine if steam pressure removes any of
their mycotoxins.
When IFI is finished conducting its
research, the fabrics will be sent to a certified microbiology
laboratory in New Jersey where the effectiveness of each
cleaning method will be analyzed. The lab will also pay close
attention to see if mold cross contamination occurred onto the
other fabrics.
In order to validate the veracity of the
findings, the study will be repeated several times.
For additional information on the project,
or to participate as a sponsor, contact Chris Edwards at (336)
841-4188.
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