Durability of Shield Effective Polyester Cotton Fabric with Integrated Stainless Steel Threads in Processes of Dry and Wet Cleaning

Protective properties against electromagnetic radiation represent the essential value of textiles for protective clothing worn in hazardous working conditions. To ensure that protective clothing lasts for as long as feasible, care processes must be optimized, especially since protective clothing is subjected to repeated cycles due to soiling. Improved formulations of special detergents and agents with high-performance finishing agents used in care processes can contribute to a longer life of protective clothing. In this paper, the shield effectiveness of a cotton polyester fabric with integrated metal threads in the warp and weft directions at frequencies of 0.9 GHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, and 2.4 GHz is compared to that of its environmentally friendly alternative, wet cleaning processes. The research is carried out by varying process parameters: mechanics, chemical action, and cycle number. The results proved the drop of shield properties of polyester/cotton fabric with integrated stainless steel threads depending on frequencies and the number of professional cleaning cycles. The worst shield effectiveness of the tested fabric was obtained after 10 cycles of dry cleaning, wherein the degree of protection at frequency 2.4 GHz is reduced by 6.89 dB. According to the obtained results, the level of functional properties was better preserved in the wet cleaning process, which additionally has better ecological premises compared to dry cleaning process.