Odor reduction and bacterial control on a textile material

1. A method for prolonged odor reduction and bacterial control on and within a treated textile material, the method comprising:

(a) providing a bath liquor,

(b) adding a sodium benzoate salt to the bath liquor at a concentration of 5% to 60% by weight of the bath liquor,

(c) lowering pH of the bath liquor to a pH of 3.6 or less thereby converting the sodium benzoate salt to benzoic acid in a resulting treatment bath liquor, and

(d) applying, by a padding or exhaustion method at a temperature ranging from 120° C. to 150° C., the treatment bath liquor of step (c) to a textile material thereby introducing and embedding the benzoic acid into inner amorphous regions of the textile material thereby forming a treated textile material having the benzoic acid on and within the treated textile material that exhibits prolonged odor reduction and bacterial control.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textile material includes a colored dye and the bath liquor of any of steps (a)-(c) further comprises a dye and an inorganic polymer rheology modifier, and wherein, after step (d), the colored dye in the treated textile material remains visually unchanged.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bath liquor of step (a) further comprises an essential oil at a concentration of 1% to 20% by weight of the bath liquor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treated textile material has an applied final concentration of 0.1% to 5% active on weight of the treated textile material.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textile material is polyethylene terephthalate fabric.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the essential oil is selected from the group consisting of cedarwood oil, eucalyptus oil ( Eucalyptus globulus or E. radiata ), clove oil ( Eugenia caryophyllata ), oregano oil ( Origanum vulgare ), thyme oil ( Thymus vulgaris ), cinnamon bark oil ( Cinnamomum zeylanicum ), peppermint oil ( Mentha piperita ), basil oil ( Ocimum basilicum ), rosemary oil ( Salvia rosmarinus ), perilla oil ( Perilla frutescens ), citron oil ( Citrus medica ), and a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein treated textile further comprises an odor mitigation compound is selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide, activated carbon, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, zinc rincoleate, and a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the odor mitigation compound is present in a range of 0.05 weight % to 1.0 weight % by weight of fabric.

9. A treated textile material having prolonged odor reduction and bacterial control made from the method of claim 1 .

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textile material is polyethylene terephthalate fabric and the treated textile material has an applied final concentration of 0.1% to 5% active on weight of the treated textile material.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the essential oil is selected from the group consisting of cedarwood oil, eucalyptus oil ( Eucalyptus globulus or E. radiata ), clove oil ( Eugenia caryophyllata ), oregano oil ( Origanum vulgare ), thyme oil ( Thymus vulgaris ), cinnamon bark oil ( Cinnamomum zeylanicum ), peppermint oil ( Mentha piperita ), basil oil ( Ocimum basilicum ), rosemary oil ( Salvia rosmarinus ), perilla oil ( Perilla frutescens ), citron oil ( Citrus medica ), and a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein treated textile further comprises an odor mitigation compound is selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide, activated carbon, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, zinc rincoleate, and a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the odor mitigation compound is present in a range of 0.05 weight % to 1.0 weight % by weight of fabric.