In order to investigate the effect of bath ratio on textile detergency, a washing test was carried out in aqueous detergent solutions using artificially soiled fabrics commercially available and those prepared with three model soils. The detergency evaluated by the surface reflectance method was found to decrease with a decreasing bath ratio. The reduction in detergency under a low bath ratio condition was compensated by an increase in detergent concentration and temperature of the wash bath.In terms of mechanical actions for soil removal, shaking and stirring were found to be effective under a high bath ratio condition, whereas ultrasonicwaves worked well under a low bath ratio condition. In most washing conditions, soil redeposition and fabric damage were not significantly observed. The experimental results show that detergency performance in water-saving textile washing can be maintained under adequate washing conditions with respect to detergent concentration, temperature and mechanical action.