DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2482  
First  Edition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2482 : 202 2 
© UNBS 202 2  
  
Textiles — Loofah bathing sponge —Specification  
 
 
 
 DUS 2482 : 2022 
ii © UNBS 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for i ts correct application  
© UNBS 2022  
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 DUS 2482 :2022 
© UNBS 2022 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is  mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) ;  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards ; and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreeme nt of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
includin g government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments b efore recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 315, Textiles and related 
products.  DUS 2482 : 2022 
iv © UNBS 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Introduction  
Luffa com monly called sponge gourd, loofah, vegetable sponge, bath sponge or dish cloth gourd, is a member 
of cucurbitaceous  family.  It is a natural resource obtained from matured d ried fruit of luffa cylindrical.  
Luffa is a tropical and subtropical vegetable which  produces fruits containing a fibrous vascular system. In the 
developed world, the demand for luffa sponge products for skin care is increasing. Many environmentally 
conscious consumers appreciate that luffa products are biodegradable, natural and a renewa ble resource.  
Loofahs can be very effective on areas of particularly dry or hard skin like the soles of the feet, elbows or 
knees . They can also be used in engineering, biotechnology and industrial applications as components of 
shock absorbers, sound proof  linings, packaging materials, filters in factories and for bio -diesel and chemical 
extraction.  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2482 : 202 2 
 
© UNBS 2022 – All rights reserved  1 
 Textiles — Loofah bathing sponge —Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Uganda Standard specifies requirements , sampling and test methods  for loofah bathi ng sponge  
also known as “luffa” or “loofa ”. 
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited  appli es. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
US ISO 105 -C10, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part C10: Colour fastness to washing with soap or 
soap and soda  
US ISO 105 -X12, Texti les — Tests for colour fastness — Part X12: Colour fastness to rubbing  
US ISO 2859 -1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 1: Sampling schemes indexed by 
acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot -by-lot inspection  
US ISO 22198, Textiles — Fabrics — Determination of width and length  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC mainta in terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online brow sing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
dermabrasion  
removal of superficial layers of skin with an abrasive tool 
exfoliation  
peeling  off in flakes or scales of bark or dead skin  
loofah  
fibrous interior of a fruit that resembles a marrow, dried a nd used as a sponge for washing the body  (see 
Figure 1)  DUS 2482 : 202 2 
2 © UNBS 2022 – All rights reserved  
 
 
Figure 1 — Typical loofah bathing spong e 
4 Requirements  
4.1 General  requirements  
4.1.1  The sponge fibrous layer shall be uniform without any joint and shall be maintained in its natural state 
withou t coating, dyeing, bleaching or any lamination.  
4.1.2 The sponge shall be dry,  free from moulds a nd shall not be discoloured.  
4.1.3  The sponge should  be able to dry under room temperature in not more than 12 hours.  
4.1.4  The sponge shall be  picked from ma ture or dry fruits  for better strength .  
4.1.5 In case th e sponge  is stitched, the seams shall be of even tension thr ough and loose ends shall be 
securely trimmed off. Stitches shall present a regular even appearance without fabric pucker and shall be free  
from skips that may result from faulty machine thread te nsion or  other stitching malfunction s. 
4.2 Specific r equireme nts 
4.2.1  Dimensions  
When tested in accordance with ISO 22198, t he dimensions of the sponge shall comply with the declared dimension (s) on 
the label, subject to a tolerance of ± 2.0 cm .  
4.2.2 Cloth  
Where a cloth is stitched on the loofah fibrous layer,  the cloth shall : 
a) be free from holes, floats, bars, missing threads and any other defect which may signif icant ly ma r the 
appearance or affect  the serviceability or durability of the sponge;  
b) if coloured, comply with the colour fastness requirements in Table 1 . 
 DUS  2482 : 202 2 
© UNB S 2022 – All rights reserved  3 
 Table 1 — Colour fastness requirements for coloured cloths stitched on loofah sponges  
Colo ur fa stness to:  Requirement  Test method  
Wash fastness (colour chang e), min.  4 US ISO 105 -C10 
Rub fastness (wet) , min.  3 US ISO 105 -X12 
5 Packaging  
Loofah bathing sponges shall be packaged in  a suitab le material  protecting them from dust, dirt and any 
damage duri ng transportation,  handling  and stora ge. 
6 Labelling  
Each loofah bathing sponge package shall be legibly and indelibly marked with t he following information : 
a) manufacturers name / tradem ark and address ;  
b) product name, such as “Loofah bathing sponge”;   
c) dimen sion(s) of the sponge;  
d) date of product ion; 
e) care instructions ” 
f) warning (if necessar y) such as “Some skins are sensitive to dermabrasion and exfoliation thus may 
become r ed or develop irritation after using a loofah bathing sponge” ; and  
g) country of origin.   
7 Sampling   
Sampling shall be done in a ccordance with US ISO 2859 -1 
 
 DUS  2482 : 202 2 
© UNBS 2022 – All rights reserved  5 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standard s Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunctio n with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presen ce of this mark  on a p roduct or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National  Bureau of Stan dards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Ugan da 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 2482 : 202 2   
 
ICS 59.080.01 
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© UNB S 2022– All rights reserved