The fibers examined included one type of Encron, three of Dacron, and one of Fortrel. Three simulated consumer practices applied to the fibers before SALS analysis were outdoor weather exposure and the laundry techniques of mild, low-temperature hand washes and vigorous, high-temperature machine washes. All SALS measurements were made using a Hughes 5milliwatt polarized laser. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also performed. Three kinds of physical changes resulting from the treatment were recorded by SALS and documented by SEM: surface deposition, surface pitting, and fibrillation. However, SALS was more sensitive in detecting induced fibrillation than was SEM, because SALS pattern relfected sampling over the entire surface, whereas examination by SEM showed only one surface at any given time. Additional tests in which a sample of Dacron 242 was laundered repeatedly at different temperatures showed that temperature effects were responsible for differences in fibrillation between the samples. In any case, different laundering practices resulted in different physical changes in fiber structure, which were readily detected by SALS. Furthermore, SALS was more sensitive in detecting the changes than was SEM. Five references and photographs are included.