From Soap Trails to Standards: How WWII Needs Sparked Testing Textiles Still Used Today
The Challenge
In 1940, the U.S. Navy needed a new detergent for shipboard laundry in hard saltwater. Traditional soaps left visible bubble trails and didn’t clean well. The Navy tasked General Dyestuff to develop a solution and needed reliable, cotton test substrates and consistent “soiled” samples to prove it worked.
Our Solution
Testfabrics’ founder, Werner Klaas, sourced the cotton fabrics and supplied pre-soiled test cloths that replicated common onboard grime (oil, soot, carbon). Those standardized materials enabled repeatable trials, letting chemists evaluate surfactant performance, cleaning effectiveness, and fabric safety under controlled conditions.
The Impact
The Navy achieved a detergent that cleaned in saltwater and left no tell-tale trail. More importantly, the project catalyzed a lasting category: standardized soiled fabrics and test textiles. That heritage underpins today’s AATCC/ISO/ASTM practices across conservation labs, universities, and consumer product testing.
The Testfabric Approach
For nine decades, Testfabrics has focused on one thing: dependable textile substrates for testing, colorfastness, and evaluation. The WWII program with the Navy set the tone- define the soil, control the variables, and provide consistent fabric grounds so chemists, conservators, and engineers can trust their results. That same discipline informs our current offering, from multifiber test fabrics to standardized soiled cloths.
We don’t formulate surfactants; we enable the people who do. By partnering with research teams, conservation departments, and standards bodies, we supply materials that make experiments comparable and training teachable. The Navy collaboration became a template we still follow: listen to the technical brief, match the fabric and finish, document the method, and deliver repeatable lots that advance both education and product development.
