Soil Repellant vs. Dual Action Repel/Release

 

November 2005 - Performance textiles promise convenience to consumers' busy lives. Consumers want wrinkle resistance, easy-care, and fabric protection, and now can have all of these bundled into one garment with a high performance textile finish.

The technology behind these products is a fluorocarbon finish that enables the fabric to repel spills on contact. Recent advancements in fluorocarbon stain repellent finishing include dual action finishes that repel and release stains.

The Clothes Care Research Center (CCRC) recently took on the challenge of conducting a head-to-head comparison of a soil repellent and a stain repel/release product for cotton blends in the apparel market. Do such fabrics need special cleaning care? Are the finishes durable? If time-saving wash chemistries such as fabric softeners are used do they impact the repel/release performance?

CCRC found the repel/release fabric outperformed the repel-only fabric in characteristics that help clothes to look newer longer. Use of fabric softener had no significant impact on the repel/release performance. CCRC further concluded that it was not necessary to follow a recommended schedule of ironing after every five wash cycles, a care recommendation that few consumers are likely to follow.

CCRC research protocols and findings were published in the November 2005 issue of AATCC Rreview in a paper authored by CCRC board member Elizabeth Easter, Ph.D, professor and director Textile Testing Laboratory, University of Kentucky; and CCRC technical committee member, Bruce E. Ankenman, Ph.D, Northwestern University.

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