Who invented permanent press

Like all polymers, cellulose has a chainlike structure, comprising long strands of glucose molecules. Hydrogen bonds tie the glucose together. These hydrogen bonds are weak and easily broken. Washing breaks them handily. When the bonds break, the structure of the chains is no longer secure, causing the molecules within them to shift and the fabric to wrinkle. True permanent press — the term properly describes cloth that is a blend of cotton and synthetic fibers — was invented in the midth century, but for textile makers, a no-iron, percent cotton fabric was a long-sought grail.

A few such fabrics had been developed, but they still needed touch-ups with an iron on emerging from the dryer. With her colleagues, she developed a process called cross-linking, which replaced the ineffectual hydrogen bonds with stronger ones. The new chemical bonds act like the sturdy rungs of a ladder, snapping the polymer chains back to crisp, unwrinkled attention.

Treated this way, the resulting fabric also known by names like durable press and wash-and-wear needed little or no ironing. Cross-linking, which lets a range of chemicals be affixed to polymer chains, also made possible later developments including stain-resistant and flame-retardant cotton. Click Here to Know about a Legend Dr. Abdul Kalam. Toggle navigation Menu. Social Discuss Sign Up Login. Permanent press Famous Inventors. Home inventions Permanent press.

Permanent press - Invented by Ruth R. Garments treated with this special finish—given a memory—tend to go back to their original, well-pressed condition after long wear, or after washing and drying. There is no more ironing or pressing. Less than 2 percent shrinkage is noticeable and the fabric lasts longer. This is permanent press, the fabric with the memory burned in. Fabrics selected for permanent-press articles are processed with resins similar to those in wash-and-wear products.

Because cotton, a natural fiber, is weakened by the special resins applied and by the high temperature and the long curing time needed, man-made fibers that give the requisite strength are used. Acrylics and acrylic blends treated with a permanent-press finish have a wool-like look and good wrinkle resistance. Some of the trade names for acrylics on the market are Acrilan, Creslan, Orlon, and Zefran. Nylon, another fiber used in permanent press, has been an easy-care fabric for a long time.

Combined with cotton, for example, in permanent-press denims, nylon adds strength to the fiber blend. Some trade names of polyester fibers are Dacron, Fortrel, Kodel, and Vyeron. Two basic methods achieve permanent press—post-curing and pre-curing. The basic fundamental principle is the heat setting, or curing, of chemicals previously applied to the fabric.

After the fabric is cut and sewn and the completed garment is pressed, it is baked in a special oven for approximately five to fifteen minutes at a temperature of to degrees Farenheit. In the pre-curing method the chemicals with which the fabric is treated are set or cured at the mill, enough to form a partial bond with the fibers. The partially cured fabric is then made into garments, just as in post-curing; and a special type of pressing—on presses that apply great pressure and temperatures as high as degrees—completes the permanent set.

She graduated from Newcomb during the Great Depression and hoped to do research, but jobs were scarce. Instead, she taught high school in Jefferson Parish, west of New Orleans. She married Frank Benerito in and went to work at the U. During the Korean War she developed a way to deliver fat intravenously to patients who were too sick to eat—a method used to feed seriously wounded soldiers. The use of enzymes in all phases of textile manufacturing and especially garment finishing will continue to grow.

Expect enzyme use in detergents and laundry products to also grow. GMO genetically modified organisms technology is also becoming more prevalent as new enzyme cocktails are being developed for use in the textile and home laundry product industries. Genencor is one of the largest of the biotechnology companies providing textile enzymes for textile manufacturing and finishing.

Look also for growth in nano-technologies for textiles. Nanotech textiles have quietly been infiltrating the textile manufacturing industry with new fabrics which are touted as having anti-wrinkle, anti-static, anti-stain, and anti-bacterial. Because nano-textiles have the potential to be a high tech tsunami on the textile industry we will explore the potential impacts in the next post. Stay tuned January 03, Permalink. Tags: chemicals in clothing, chemicals in fabrics, organic clothing, permanent press.

I know first hand how much havoc all of these chemicals in conventional cotton processing can cause to a person with sensitive skin. My son has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity which shows up as eczema. It is a constant battle of Prednisone creams and antihistamine pills every time he has a flair up.

The hard part is deducing what caused the latest flair up, was it that the washer didn't do a second rinse, or the organic sunscreen, or did we forget to put him into organic clothes for two days in a row It goes on and on.

We just ordered him another pair of organic sheets since the side of his face that touches the conventional set we have now seems worse. I guess I will have to start carrying sheets and towels on my organic cotton web site soon. Check it out for more exciting up dates on our fight against consumer chemicals and some great looking clothes. All organic of course. The wrinkle resistant treatments are a problem for silk products, too.

Anything that is washable as a silk is likely to have been treated with a formaldehyde containing finish. As a graduate student I have been doing research on a more environmentally and consumer friendly finish for silk using Citric Acid.

The finish is simple, the chemicals can be reused, they are non-toxic to humans and have low aquatic toxicity, and it can be done at a low temperature, thus decreasing energy costs and environmental outputs.