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Cleaning & Washing > Textile cleaning

Effects of nanobubbles on textile cleaning

Changes in cleaning rate and residual detergent when wash water is replaced with oxygen or ozone nanobubble water.

Key results

+23–42%

Cleaning rate

Oxygen nanobubble laundry water, 6 of 7 soil types (+4% for blood stains)

In-house test Measurement

+27–61%

Oil-based ink cleaning rate

Ozone nanobubble laundry water, 3 colors of oil-based marker

In-house test Measurement

About 10% lower

Residual detergent indicator (TOC)

Oxygen nanobubble wash 5.4 mg/L, tap water wash 6.0 mg/L

In-house test Measurement

Honour Tech's laundry comparison test, together with published research.

  • Laundry
In-house test
1 (7 soil types)
Research cases
3
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Laundry comparison test

With the same washing machine, detergent and wash cycle, cleaning rate and residual detergent levels were compared with and without nanobubbles in the wash water.

Relative cleaning improvement of +3.7% to +41.3% across 7 soil types

In-house test

Standard soiled fabrics and oil-based marker fabrics were washed in tap water or oxygen nanobubble wash water, and cleaning rate was compared by measuring color before and after washing.

4 standard soiled fabrics Measurement

  • Sebum & dust +42%
  • Sunscreen +30%
  • Clay & soil +25%
  • Blood +4%

Oil-based marker, 3 colors Measurement

  • Red +33%
  • Black +30%
  • Blue +23%

Residual detergent Measurement

About 10% lower

TOC from washed fabric

Tap water wash 6.0 mg/L, oxygen nanobubble wash 5.4 mg/L

Basis of comparison: tap water wash (same washing machine, detergent and wash cycle) · This was a first test and will be rechecked with repeat tests.

Test conditions, cleaning rate table by fabric, residual detergent analysis and photos

Test conditions

Target
Four commercial standard soiled fabrics (clay/soil, sebum/dust, sunscreen, blood) and in-house oil-based marker fabrics in 3 colors
Test period
September 2025 (first test)
Wash conditions
7 kg top-loading washer. One wash (13 min, 25.8 L) and three rinses (30.4 L each), 50 min in total
Detergent
Commercial liquid detergent, 4 mL (same in all conditions)
Treatment
Oxygen nanobubble wash water (dissolved oxygen 55.0 mg/L). Ozone nanobubble wash water was also tested on oil-based marker fabrics
Control
Tap water (dissolved oxygen 7.0 mg/L)
Replicates
5 soiled fabric swatches per condition, one wash
Measurement
Color before and after washing measured with a colorimeter (D65, 10°) to calculate cleaning rate (CIE Lab color difference)
Test equipment
HQN-001

Cleaning rate for 7 soiled fabrics

Swipe left or right to see the full table.

Cleaning rate comparison for 7 soiled fabrics
Soiled fabric Improvement (O2 NB) Tap water (%) O2 NB (%) O3 NB (%) Improvement (O3 NB)
Oil-based marker (black) +30% 16.75 21.74 24.05 +44%
Oil-based marker (blue) +23% 20.94 25.78 26.66 +27%
Oil-based marker (red) +33% 15.20 20.15 24.43 +61%
Clay & soil +25% 36.04 44.89 – –
Sebum & dust +42% 18.38 26.03 – –
Sunscreen +30% 22.94 29.71 – –
Blood +4% 48.78 50.57 – –

Improvement is relative to the cleaning rate of the tap water wash (e.g. 16.75% to 21.74% is +30%). Ozone nanobubble wash water was tested only on the oil-based marker fabrics.

Blood soil came out well even with tap water, so the difference was not clear. Measurements were taken with an entry-level colorimeter, and some fabrics became tangled in the laundry net, so the figures will be rechecked with repeat tests.

Photos

Laundry effect of oxygen nanobubbles
Laundry effect of oxygen nanobubbles

Residual detergent

About 10% lower Residual detergent indicator (TOC)

Tap water wash 6.0 mg/L, oxygen nanobubble wash 5.4 mg/L.

Swipe left or right to see the full table.

Comparison of total organic carbon released from washed fabric
Condition TOC (mg/L) Vs. reference Suspended solids (SS)
Diluted detergent (1:1000, reference) 28.8 100% Not detected
Tap water wash 6.0 20.8% Not detected
Oxygen nanobubble wash 5.4 18.8% Not detected

1,500 g of cotton laundry was washed with 25.8 mL of detergent (1:1000), air-dried for 24 hours, then soaked in 6 L of ultrapure water for 48 hours, and the total organic carbon (TOC) and suspended solids of that water were analyzed. The analysis was performed by an external laboratory; surfactant components were not analyzed separately.

Photos

Residual organic load in laundry wastewater with oxygen nanobubbles
Residual organic load in laundry wastewater with oxygen nanobubbles

Results reported in published research

These are results from published research, not performance measured with Honour Tech products. We selected representative studies from peer-reviewed papers and public research reports and do not include corporate promotional material. Studies in which the effect was unclear are included as well. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Positive studies 2

  • Process step removed

    Soaping step for dyed cotton

    Rinsing with oxygen nanobubble water. Colorfastness was highest.

    Soaping step eliminated in rinsing dyed cotton with oxygen nanobubble water

    Rinsing with oxygen nanobubble water. Colorfastness was highest.

    Paper details and results

    Oxygen-enriched Nanobubbles for a Green Reactive Washing Process

    Oxygen-enriched nanobubbles for a green reactive washing process

    Citation
    Anış et al. · 2022 · AATCC Journal of Research 9(3), 152–160
    Summary
    For cotton towels dyed with 3 reactive dyes, a process using oxygen-enriched nanobubble water in all rinsing steps and omitting the soaping step was compared with the conventional process.
    Key findings
    Colorfastness was highest for fabric rinsed with nanobubble water, and much of the unfixed dye came off in the first rinse. Based on wastewater COD, the authors assessed the alternative process as having a lower environmental burden. This study analyzed rinsing in a dyeing process, and its conditions differ from household laundry.
    Gas used
    Oxygen
    View original (opens in a new window)
  • About +5%

    Cleaning rate

    Vs. ion-exchanged water. About +10% when combined with surfactant

    Cleaning rate up about 5% with nanobubbles, about 10% when combined with surfactant

    Vs. ion-exchanged water. About +10% when combined with surfactant

    Paper details and results

    Investigation on Washing Effects for Nano-Bubble/Surfactant Mixtures in an Alternating Flow

    Cleaning effect of nanobubble and surfactant mixtures under alternating flow

    Citation
    Ushida et al. · 2011 · 日本機械学会論文集 B編 77(777), 1219–1228
    Summary
    Fabrics were washed in a laundry test apparatus that alternates the direction of water flow, comparing the cleaning rates of nanobubble water, ion-exchanged water and anionic surfactant solution.
    Key findings
    Nanobubble water was reported to have lower surface tension than water. The effect was on the order of 5–10%, and the paper is in Japanese.
    View original (opens in a new window)

Neutral studies 1

  • Water −30%

    Water use in cotton pretreatment

    Quality was similar to the conventional process, and there was no compositional difference attributable to nanobubbles.

    Water use cut by 30% in cotton fabric pretreatment with nanobubbles

    Quality was similar to the conventional process, and there was no compositional difference attributable to nanobubbles.

    Paper details and results

    Sustainable cotton pre-treatment processes with nanobubble technology

    A sustainable cotton pretreatment process using nanobubble technology

    Citation
    Anış et al. · 2026 · Cellulose 33(8), 4883–4905
    Summary
    Nanobubble water was applied to cotton pretreatment (desizing, scouring, bleaching) in several recipes, comparing desizing, absorbency, whiteness, tear strength and wastewater COD with the conventional process.
    Key findings
    With 30% less water, desizing, whiteness and tear strength were similar to the conventional process. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed starch removal but showed no significant difference due to nanobubbles. The result is equal cleaning quality with less water.
    View original (opens in a new window)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which soils showed the largest differences?

The improvement was largest for sebum and dust soil (+42%).

Oxygen nanobubble wash water raised cleaning rate by 23–42% for 6 of the 7 soil types, while blood soil showed no clear difference. This was a first test in which 5 fabric swatches per condition were washed once, and results vary with the type of soil, fiber material and wash conditions.

Do I need to replace my existing washing machines?

The washing machine and wash cycle stayed the same; only the wash water was changed.

In the test, only the water supply was switched to nanobubble water, with the same washing machine, detergent and wash cycle. We propose a configuration to match your site's water supply method and usage.

Can detergent and water use also be reduced?

We plan to confirm this in the next test.

In this test, the indicator of detergent remaining in the laundry (TOC) was about 10% lower than with the tap water wash. Conditions with reduced detergent or water use were not covered in this test.

How were the studies selected?

We selected representative studies from peer-reviewed published papers.

We include 2 positive studies and 1 study with limited effect. These are not performance measurements of Honour Tech products, and many of the studies address textile processes such as rinsing after dyeing or pretreatment rather than household laundry.

Tell us what you wash, how water is supplied and your hourly water use, and we will propose a configuration suited to your site.

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