Cotton textiles, when in contact with the human body, provide all the requirements for microbial growth-nutrients, oxygen, water and warmth. It is not surprising that under these conditions very high populations of microorganisms have been isolated from clothing and bedding. These organisms may have detrimental effects on health, odor, and textile properties. A new antimicrobial treatment, called Reputex™20, is a durable finish for cotton and cotton blends, based on the active agent PHMB. It is readily applied by padding or exhaustion. The antibacterial efficacy of this treatment on fabric has been assessed using qualitative agar plate and quantitative bacterial counting methods. Treated cotton is bactericidal for approximately 25-50 wash cycles, depending on the wash conditions. Antifungal efficacy is demonstrated by an agar plate method.
展开▼
