3.1 Textiles are often treated with antimicrobial agents to reduce the growth of odor-causing organisms during use, in storage, or while waiting to be laundered, or both . Additionally, antimicrobial agents are used to reduce or control microbial growth on the textile that may affect the material's visual, chemical or physical integrity, or both.

3.2 Anti-fungal test methods that measure antimicrobial behavior on treated textiles or other porous or non-porous substrates do exist (Guide E3152, Test Method E2722, AATCC TM30), but they were developed for either specific types of antimicrobial agents or put under unrealistic conditions such that other agents are disadvantaged or end-use conditions exaggerated.

3.3 This test practice is designed to measure relative antimicrobial activity of all common antimicrobial agents used to treat porous materials such as textiles without positive or negative bias for one type of chemistry or product over another. The practice is designed to more closely simulate conditions that might be experienced in the actual end-use of the porous treated materials (for example, low initial fungal spore exposure and limited available nutrients but with ideal conditions to grow). This practice is designed to demonstrate a significant reduction in visible surface fungal growth on a porous treated material (such as textiles) relative to an identical untreated control.