**4.2 Fabric preparation: pad-dry-cure method**

Pad-dry-cure or exhaust-dry-cry is a finishing process applied to textiles to impart different finish treatments, such as waterproofing, softening, antibacterial or anti-odor finishes. The textile is passed through a water-based solution bath containing the Ag-silica additives; in this case, this method [13, 43] consisted in the inclusion of cotton fabric (4 cm × 4 cm), and the total immersion was carried out at 20°C for 10 min. Then, it was dried at 40°C for 2 h and, finally, cured for 1 h at 140°C. These impregnated fabrics were exposed against the *Chaetomium globosum* and *Aspergillus* sp. strains, to measure their antifungal activity.
