New cotton cleans itself in the sun

Someday, doing laundry may be as simple as leaving your smelly socks out in the sun. Researchers at China’s Hubei University for Nationalities have created cotton which cleans itself when exposed to sunlight. The researchers coated the cotton with a titanium dioxide compound which, when it reacts with certain types of light, breaks downs stains and kills bacteria. The new cotton remained stable through multiple tests and could provide a basis for commercially produced versions of the same fabric.