Fabric treatment for stain release

Abstract

A fabric treatment composition that includes at least one zeta potential modifier and a hydrophobic agent with a melting point or glass transition temperature below 100° C. that imparts fabric protection benefits, including improved stain and soil resistance, oil repellency, water repellency, softness, wrinkle and damage resistance, and better handfeel to treated fabrics. Particularly preferred compositions include at least one zeta potential modifier in an amount sufficient to adjust the zeta potential of the composition to be positive and greater than zero millivolts. Particularly preferred compositions also include a fluoropolymer. The composition can be used as a pretreatment prior to washing, through soaking or direct spray application, or added to the treatment liquor, that is either the wash or rinse cycle of an automatic washing machine, or used prior to or during the drying cycle of an automatic drying machine or refresher machine, or used prior to or in conjunction with an ironing device. The fabric treatment is complete when the fabric is cured by drying and / or heating.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application filed Apr. 9, 2002, Ser. No. 60 / 371,452, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and of U.S. patent application filed Jan. 8, 2003, Ser. No. 10 / 338,350, which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a fabric treatment composition for imparting fabric protection benefits, including stain and soil resistance, oil repellency, water repellency, softness, wrinkle and damage resistance, and improved handfeel. The composition can be used as a pretreatment prior to washing, through soaking or direct spray application, or added to a treatment cycle, such as the wash or rinse cycle of an automatic washing machine, or used prior to or during the drying cycle of an automatic drying machine or refresher machine, or used prior to or in conjunction with an ironing device. The fabric treatment is complete when the fabric is ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] The present invention is based in part on the discovery that compositions containing at least one zeta potential modifier and a hydrophobic agent when applied to fabrics and cured by drying and / or heating will impart numerous fabric protection benefits, including stain resistance, oil repellency, water repellency, softness, wrinkle and damage resistance, and improved handfeel. Fabric protection benefits include minimizing fiber wear (e.g., retaining fiber tensile strength), maintaining fabric appearance by reducing fiber pilling, and / or reducing color loss, and / or inhibiting the deposition of fugitive dyes onto the fabric during a washing process. These benefits, individually and collectively, increase the useful longevity of the treated garment or fabric. Preferred fabric treatment compositions also include a fluoropolymer. In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method of increasing the fabric protection properties of a fabric that includes the steps of:

Problems solved by technology

Usually, a thick or uneven coat results, which gives areas of incomplete oil and water repellency and a fabric hand feel that lacks softness.

These products can also decrease the porosity of fabric, resulting in uncomfortable conditions for the wearer during use.

An additional drawback of direct application products is that they cannot be used on fabrics that are already stained or soiled because they lock in stains and soils.

Additionally the coating should be cured at temperatures that are attainable in commonly available residential dryers as curing at high temperatures makes the coating excessively durable typically resulting in an unfavorable handfeel owing to excessive build up over numerous treatment cycles.

Such a transient coating reduces coating build up over multiple applications or treatments that result in poor handfeel, and also reduces the potential for leaving a visible residue or causing an undesirable changes in appearance, such as yellowing or discoloration of white or lighted colored fabrics.

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