Silicone Softeners for Stain Repellent and Stain Release Fabric Finishing

During the last few years the use of fluorochemicals to provide stain repellency and/or stain release properties to apparel goods has rapidly grown. The use of fluorochemicals as well as durable press resins, however, has a detrimental effect on the fabric softness. Providing premium softness is key to satisfy the highly demanding aesthetic requirements of many of today’s apparel products. Although softeners based on conventional aminofunctional silicones are well known to provide excellent hand, they significantly impair both the stain repellency and the stain release properties of fluorochemical treated fabrics. This paper presents the results from a recent study where current and new selected organo-modified silicones provide very good softness with minimum–to–no impact on the fluorochemical properties.