This peer-reviewed paper builds on the examination of cleanliness and dirt in my authored book Soap and Water (IB Tauris, 2010) by looking at more complex issues of maintenance and wear and tear in textile objects. It extends my earlier inquiry into the material culture of domesticity from the working classes to a broader base, and covers an extended timescale (1880–1939). This research links clearly to my ongoing work on surfaces, and develops my interest in material interactions between people and things. It is also connected to the Surface Tensions project (a series of interdisciplinary and cross-institutional research symposia) and book, Surface Tensions: surface, finish and the meaning of objects.

The paper looks at domestic textiles and fashion textiles, examining the processes of surface finishing (e.g. bleaching, calendaring, fulling and pressing) that contribute significantly to their material characteristics. These processes have not been widely analysed in historical study; for instance Mary Schoeser's book World Textiles devotes just a few pages out of 350 to this subject. My paper looks both at the finishing processes applied to new textiles, and the replication of these finishes domestically in the ongoing maintenance of textile objects. It finds that such processes are indicative of complex systems of social value. The evidence used includes documentary photography, advice literature, technical manuals on textile production and social reportage.

Early developments of this research were presented to the Design History Society, The Women's History Network Conference, and The North American Conference on British Studies, as well as at symposia at the Geffrye Museum and the Institute of Historical Research, London.