MOST of us try to wash bacteria out of our clothes. Not so Alex Fowler. He
wants several thousand bugs to set up home inside every single fibre of a
fabric, living, breeding and eating up the dirt. Welcome to the era of
self-cleaning clothes.
Eventually, the garments in your wardrobe may be able to support a variety of
bacteria engineered to eat odour-causing chemicals and human sweat. Other
bacteria might secrete waterproof and protective coatings to extend the life of
clothing and produce antiseptic for bandages.
Ironically, textile makers have spent millions developing fibres blended
with, say, silver ions…
