Troubleshooting for UV protection finishes and combinability

UV absorbers have the same need for wash fastness and light fastness as dyestuffs. Laundering trials should be carried out with all new formulations to confirm that the claimed UV protection is actually active during the life of the garment. 

In most other cases combination with other finishes does not reduce the UV protection. A two-step application is necessary if the pH values of the UV protection finish bath and that of the other finishes are very different. The UV protection finish should be applied first. Problems may arise from limited bath uptake after a repellent finish or after calendering.  

1 Reinert G, Fuso F, Hilfiker R and Schmidt E, UV -protecting properties of textile fabrics and their improvement . Textile Chemist and Colorist, 1997, 29(12), 36-43. 

2 Textiles and Sun Protection Conference, University of New South Wales, Sydney, May 1993. 

3 Hilfiker R, Kaufmann W, Reinert G and Schmidt E, Improving sun protection factors of fabrics by applying UV-absorbers , Textile Research Journal, 1996, 66(2), 61-70. 

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