Method for imparting permanent press to textiles

A method for imparting permanent press properties to a textile containing cellulose fibers wherein said method comprises adding either an aqueous solution of a formaldehyde-free crosslinking agent or a neat formaldehyde-free crosslinking agent to a laundering process comprising at least one textile, and heating the textile at a sufficient temperature for a sufficient time to react the crosslinking agent with the textile wherein water is removed from the textile, to impart permanent press properties to the textile, wherein the crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of (hydroxyalkyl)urea, .beta.-hydroxyalkylamide and combinations thereof, wherein the (hydroxyalkyl)urea has the structure ##STR23## wherein R.sup.1 is ##STR24## R.sup.2 is H or R.sup.5, R.sup.3 is H or R.sup.5, and R.sup.4 is H, R.sup.1, or R.sup.5, wherein

• R.sup.5 is ##STR25## R.sup.6 is ##STR26## and R.sup.7 is ##STR27## wherein R.sup.8 is H, methyl or ethyl, R.sup.9 is H, methyl or ethyl, and R.sup.10 is H, methyl or ethyl;
• and the .beta.-hydroxyalkylamide has the structure ##STR28## wherein A is a bond, hydrogen, a monovalent of polyvalent organic radical derived from a saturated or unsaturated alkyl containing from 1 to 60 carbon atoms, aryl, tri-lower alkyleneamino or an ethylenically unsaturated radical;
• R.sup.11 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and hydroxyalkyl having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms;
• R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and one of the R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 radicals joined together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached to form a cycloalkyl;
• n is an integer of 1 or 2 and n' is an integer of 0 to 2;
• n being 2 when n' is 0.