Bathophenanthroline iron test strips were used to test a variety of textiles that contained iron in the form of mordants, pigments and stains. The strips were found to be an effective means of identifying the presence of iron in cellulosic textiles. They can also be used to detect iron in acidic collagen and silk fibres. In many cases they were unable to detect iron in keratin fibres. The strips have potential for detecting iron in brown stains of unknown origins. Results from the test strips were compared with those from instrumental analyses. -- CCI=IC