Care practices for fluorocarbon treated garments: A case study

An assessment of recommended care instructions for fluorocarbon treated garments was selected as a research project. A leading brand of fluorocarbon treated pants was selected. The overall objective of the research project was to benchmark the current practice for care of fluorocarbon treated garments. The specific research objectives were to determine if the habits and practices of consumers adversely affect the performance of fluorocarbon treated khakis and to compare the results of these practices to the performance of the pants after following the recommendations of the care label. For the most part, these findings support the care label recommendations. To review, warm water and liquid detergent increased the ratings for stain repellency. Also, claims that stain repellency, smoothness, and fabric integrity (as measured by edge abrasion) are maintained for 30 washes were supported by the findings of this project. Although it is true that omitting fabric softener, as suggested by the care label, provides an improvement in stain repellency, the colorfastness is noticeably reduced over 30 wash cycles.