face_with_colon_three Self cleaning fabric coating. This could reduce the need for detergent and other chemicals that could be harmful to the environment.

Routine household laundry leads to the release of detergent residues and textile-derived microplastics, contributing to water pollution. Here, the authors report a self-cleaning polyelectrolyte multilayer coating that can be applied to both hydrophobic synthetic fibers and hydrophilic cotton textiles to remove food stains, oily residues, and pathogens, providing a detergent-free laundry product requiring reduced rinsing.