Thin films of meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin with different metal centres (MTCPP, M = Fe, Co and Zn) in combination with anatase TiO2 have been formed on cotton fabric. Their self-cleaning properties have been evaluated by conducting the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation. All MTCPP/TiO2-coated cotton fabrics showed superior self-cleaning performance as compared to the bare TiO2-coated cotton. Among the three metal porphyrins, FeTCPP showed the highest photocatalytic activity with complete degradation of methylene blue in 180 min. The fabrics were characterized by FESEM, XRD, UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.