Researchers in Australia have found a way to make fabric lose stains in a matter of ten minutes in the sun. The fabric is dipped in a solution, coating it with microscopic silver and copper. Silver has been an anti-germ element for a long time. Greeks and Romans would put silver in water to prevent bacterial growth; similarly, today, modern women’s dresses and medical clothes contain silver. Although China did create a self-cleaning fabric previously, it took ten hours to clean. With this new product, it now takes a matter of 40 minutes to clean micro materials from clothes.

Rajesh Ramanathan of the Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility at the RMIT University in Melbourne and his team were able to create this special solution. They are currently trying to convince textile manufacturers to implement these solutions so that consumers can lessen the burden of laundry. The way the solution works is that the silver and copper coating react when they are struck by light. These changes allow for less water consumption, as well as an influx of electricity. The coating does not wear away cotton due to its structure made of cellulose, thereby greatly strengthening the substance. Additionally, the product works on both polyester and nylon fabric. You can still wash your clothes with the solution; however, the product will continue to have its coating eating away at the stains after fifteen washes. Despite its impressive abilities, unfortunately, stain-resistant nanotechnology clothing usually stops working after one wash. These new discoveries are, no doubt, going to change the way you look at laundry

<Minsuk Kim Centennial High School 10th Grade>