Can silver particles keep workout clothes fresh? - Earth.com

Can silver particles keep workout clothes fresh?

09-20-2018


Can silver particles keep workout clothes fresh? Today’s Video of the Day from the American Chemical Society series Reactions explores whether silver nanotechnology can keep workout clothes from smelling like sweat.

Silver kills bacteria by interrupting the cells from performing the basic processes that they need for survival.

Antibacterial silver is now being used in fabric to make clothing that can resist sweat and stains. Can silver particles keep workout clothes fresh? they ask, well as shown in the video it says bacteria will be killed by silver.

Because silver is effective against bacteria, the goal is to use very small amounts in making garments so that excess silver is not washed off and released into the environment. We also found that some detergent ingredients – particularly bleaching and water-softening agents – made the ion-exchange resin work less efficiently. Depending on these conditions, we recovered between 20 percent and 99 percent of the silver in the washwater. Therefore what has  happened when you find yourself with clean but malodorous clothing is that there’s product buildup on the fibers that traps odor-causing bacteria. 

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: American Chemical Society

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