Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Make it Lady on 13/07/2008 12:36:58
-
My husband had a nose bleed for the first time since he was 12. He had a stained shirt and a stained hankie. Being a man he is not very good at laundry and, even though his degree is pharmacy, he didn't use a lot of common sense when dealing with the stains. He put the stained items straight into the washing machine with lots of other white shirts. He washed at 70 degrees C and put in a biological washing powder.
When the was had finished the blood was gone from his shirt but yellow stains were now present under all the armpits of the shirts he had washed with it. What reaction between the sweat, blood and enzymes had caused these fixed yellow stains which have rendered all the shirts useless? Please tell me so I can explain it to him properly.
I don't need to know how to remove blood stains as I already know, but this new yellow stain is a different matter.
-
The yellow armpit sweat stains can occur without the addition of blood.
Washing the clothes at too high a temperature for the enzymes in the biological detergent to work may explain the the appearance of the yellow stains. (The enzyme is denatured at the high temperature used).
Most biological proteins lose their biological function when denatured (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_(biochemistry)). For example, enzymes lose their activity, because the substrates can no longer bind to the active site, and because amino acid residues involved in stabilizing substrates' transition states are no longer positioned to be able to do so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denaturation_(biochemistry)
-
I have noticed the degradation of the cloth in the armpits of shirts washed a bit hotter than they should have been. I wondereed if the (typically rather acidic) deodourants had anything to do with it.
-
What's wrong with yellow stains ?...yellow is a lovely colour !!
-
Try soaking the protein stains in the peroxide anyway it may take some more of the yellow out of it, even now!
-
The new yellow stain is most likely protein from the blood washed in warm water.. I have been able to remove the yellow blood left overs with peroxide.. soak it then rub it real good in the peroxide it should still bubble away some more of the stain!
-
But the items have some coloured patterns on them so wont the peroxide bleach them too.
-
They are right. The blood stains have nothing to do with the yellow stained colors in the armpit of the clothes. Those yellow colors are the sweat in our armpit. it turned yellow because of the effect of some of the deodorants that we used. Anyway do u know what is the washer ratings or your washing machine that you are using?
-
But the items have some coloured patterns on them so wont the peroxide bleach them too.
I have never had the peroxide take the color out of a shirt, Only the yellow stains, and blood stains. My sons shirt, was bright blue and green paisley print, but all the stains came out after soaking in peroxide! I really think it is more the protein. Too hot of water can set stains in, so you really should treat and remove the stain first with cool or warm not hot water, then wash in hotter water once the stain is removed.