ISO 3175-3:2017

Overview

ISO 3175-3:2017 - Textiles: Professional care, drycleaning and wetcleaning of fabrics and garments - Part 3 - specifies a reproducible laboratory procedure for testing cleaning and finishing performance using hydrocarbon solvents in commercial drycleaning machines. The standard covers procedures for both normal and sensitive materials, defines machine and solvent requirements, and describes conditioning, specimen preparation, cleaning cycles and finishing steps used as the basis for performance assessment (see ISO 3175-1).

Key topics and requirements

• Scope: Procedures apply to fabrics, garments and composite specimens cleaned in hydrocarbon solvents; localized stain removal is excluded.
• Hydrocarbon solvent specification: Aliphatic or iso-/cyclo-aliphatics (C10–C12), flashpoint ≥ 38 °C, boiling range ~150–210 °C.
• Drycleaning machine: Commercial reversible rotating cage with specified dimensions and lifters; control of solvent and air temperature; automatic solvent dryness control and measurement of solvent/air temperature. g-factor and extraction speed requirements are defined.
• Load and liquor ratio: Test load mass and ballast composition are specified for repeatability; typical liquor ratio used is around 5.0 ± 0.5 L/kg of load.
• Detergent and emulsion dosing: Use of a model detergent (coco fatty acid diethanolamide) and controlled emulsion addition to introduce water (examples in the standard show achieving ~2% water on load mass).
• Conditioning and specimen preparation: Conditioning in standard atmosphere (ISO 139), fabric piece sizing and stitching to prevent unraveling, and testing timelines after conditioning.
• Procedural choices: Distinct cycles and finishing treatments for normal vs sensitive materials; minimum number of cycles (typically three) recommended when number not agreed.
• Finishing: Steam treatment, hot pressing and other restorative finishing methods are included to reflect practical drycleaning outcomes.

Applications and users

ISO 3175-3:2017 is intended for:

• Textile test laboratories and quality assurance teams evaluating drycleanability and post-cleaning performance.
• Garment and fabric manufacturers validating material resistance to hydrocarbon solvent drycleaning.
• Professional drycleaners and equipment manufacturers establishing machine parameters and process controls.
• R&D and compliance teams developing care labels and consumer care instructions (in conjunction with and ).