The Influence of Silicone Softeners on Fabric Stain Removal and Whiteness Maintenance During Home Laundry

摘要

The influence of silicone softeners applied in textile mills on fabric stain removal and whiteness maintenance during home laundry are investigated using amino and polyether silicones. It is observed that fabrics treated with amino silicones have reduced stain removal performance. On the other hand, fabrics treated with polyether silicones have improved performance over both amino silicones treated and untreated fabrics. In general, amino silicones reduce the fabric whiteness because they influence the intensity of textile brightener and its maximum emission wavelength. With analysis of fabric surface energy, Si content, wash fastness and silicone-stain interaction, the influence of the silicone on the performance of fabric stain removal can be concluded as follows: (1) the higher the surface energy of fabric treated with silicone, the better is the fabric stain removal; (2) cationic charges of amino silicones create a strong interaction between silicones and stains, leading to poor stain removal index; (3) due to silicone-stain interaction, stains may be washed away with silicone on the fabric surface. Therefore, poor silicone wash fastness may lead to better fabric stain removal.