The study on the penetration and washing features of blood on the surface of fabric

Abstract

The absorption of blood onto the surfaces of white cotton, polyester, rayon, and nylon fabrics was studied. Different categories of fabrics (woven and knitted) with diverse thickness, were manually folded twice to obtain four fabric layers, and 100 mu L of human blood was dropped onto the surface of the fabrics. The amount of blood that penetrated the fabric layer and the shape of bloodstain observed on the fabrics were influenced by the chemistry, thickness, and texture of the fabric. The blood bearing fabrics were left to dry for 3 days, washed by hand using tap water, and Lumiscene was then sprayed onto the fabrics to enhance the latent bloodstain for comparison of the shape of the bloodstain before and after washing by hand. The features of the bloodstain after washing varied greatly with the recipient fabrics. Additionally, stronger luminescence was observed at the surface where the blood was deposited compared to the background. However, it was confirmed that physical contact during the washing can deform the original shape of the bloodstain. The effect of the drying time on the bloodstain after hand washing was also studied. 100 mu L of blood was dropped on the surfaces of the fabrics and dried for 0, 1, 12, 24, 72 h, and 7 days, then washed by hand, before the bloodstain was enhanced with Lumiscene. The results of this experiment indicated that the increased drying time induces stronger chemiluminescence of Lumiscene. However, after drying of the bloodstain for 7 days, the luminescence of the bloodstain was decreased at the blood deposited site and increased around the blood deposited site.