Aminoplasts applied to textile materials and paper from an aqueous liquid are cured on the treated material in the presence of a curing agent which is a synergistic mixture of at least one acid having a dissociation constant greater than 10-6 and at least one salt which shows an acid reaction in aqueous medium and which is a salt of ammonia, an amine or a metal with an inorganic or organic acid, by heating the treated material to an elevated temperature so that curing is effected before the treated material is dried. The aminoplast may be a condensate of formaldehyde with melamine, aguanamine, urea, ethylene urea, propylene urea, thiourea, guanidine, biuret, dicyandiamide, ureas, ethylene imine or propylene imine and may be etherified with methyl or ethyl alcohol. The acid may be formic, sulphamic, glycolic, oxalic, citric, diglycolic, tartaric, sulphurous or orthophosphoric acid and the salt may be of hydrochloric, sulphuric, thiosulphuric, sulphurous, sulphamic, phosphoric, phosphorous, fluoboric, nitric, nitrous, carboxylic or sulphonic acids, e.g. ammonium chloride, sulphate, sulphite, bisulphite, thiosulphate, phosphates, sulphamate, nitrate, acetate and citrate, 2-aminopropanol hydrochloride, magnesium chloride, sulphate and dihydrogen phosphate, aluminium chloride, acetate or sulphate, zinc chloride, acetate, nitrate and fluoborate and calcium, barium, ferric, stannic and chromic chlorides. The treating composition may also contain water repellents, e.g. fatty derivatives of melamine formaldehyde resins, fire retardants, hand modifiers, softeners, wetting agents, e.g. polyethylene oxide condensates of nonyl phenol, epoxidized triglyceride, dyes, pigments or agents imparting resistance to biological growth and actinic degradation. In examples melamine formaldehyde resins are used in conjunction with MgCl2 or Zn fluoborate and formic or citric acid, and optionally polyethoxylated nonyl phenol and/or an epoxidized triglyceride.ALSO:Textiles, paper and other products of the paper making system, i.e. paperboard, cardboard and tissue are shrinkproofed, and creaseproofed by impregnating them with an aqueous liquid containing at least one aminoplast precondensate and treating them with a curing agent comprising a synergistic mixture of at least one acid having a dissociation constant greater than 10-6 and at least one salt which shows an acid reaction in aqueous medium and which is a salt of ammonia, an amine or a metal with an inorganic or organic acid, and curing the aminoplast by heating to an elevated temperature before the treated material has dried. The aminoplast may be a condensate of an formaldehyde with melamine, a guanamine, urea, ethylene urea, propylene urea, thiourea, guanidine, biuret, dicyandiamide, urons, ethylene imine or propylene imine and may be etherified with methyl or ethyl alcohol. The acid may be formic, sulphamic, glycolic, oxalic, citric, diglycolic, tartaric, sulphurous or orthophosphoric and the salt may be an ammonium, amine or metal salt of hydrochloric, sulphuric, thiosulphuric, sulphurous, sulphamic, phosphoric, phosphorous, fluoboric, nitric, nitrous, carboxylic or sulphonic acids, e.g. ammonium chloride, sulphate, sulphite, bisulphite, thiosulphate, phosphates, sulphamate, nitrate, acetate and citrate, 2-aminopropanol hydrochloride, magnesium chloride, sulphate and dihydrogen phosphate, aluminium chloride, acetate or sulphate, zinc chloride, acetate, nitrate and fluoborate and calcium, barium, ferric, stannic and chromic chlorides. The aminoplast precondensate, salt and acid may be applied to the material treated from the same aqueous solution or separately, either the salt or acid being applied with the aminoplast precondensate or the salt and acid being applied after the aminoplast precondensate. The aminoplast may be cured by steaming for from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, by drying at 220 DEG - 250 DEG F or by holding the treated material in the wet state at for example 90 DEG - 100 DEG F for three hours if desired while covered with a polyethylene cover. After curing the treated material may be washed with water which may contain a surface active agent and subjected to a dry curing step in the presence of ammonium, amine, magnesium, aluminium or zinc salts of hydrochloric, phosphoric, sulphuric, nitric or fluoroboric acids. The treating solutions may also contain water repellents e.g. fatty derivatives of melamine-formaldehyde resins, fire retardants, hand modifiers, softeners, wetting agents, e.g. polyethylene oxide condensates of nonyl phenol, epoxidized triglyceride, dyes, pigments or agents imparting resistance to biological growth and actinic degradation. Yarns may be given stretch properties by wet fixation of an aminoplast in and on the highly twisted yarn followed by backtwisting of the treated yarns. Woven, non woven and knitted fabrics and yarns, threads and staple fibres in the form of spun, twisted or braided fibres roving, slivers, laps or bulk fibres of cotton, regenerated cellulose, wool, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin or acrylic fibres may be treated. The process is applicable to the treatment of towelling and fabric comprising yarns composed of a core of polyamide fibre covered with cotton. Colour may be developed in the treated materials by the use of ferric chloride in the aminoplast solution and an alkaline wash following fixation which precipitates an insoluble coloured iron compound.ALSO:A catalytic composition used in the curing of aminoplasts on textile materials and paper comprises a synergistic mixture of at least one acid having a dissociation constant greater than 10-6 and at least one salt which shows an acid reaction in aqueous medium and is a salt of ammonia, an amine or a metal with an inorganic or organic acid. The acid may be formic, sulphamic, glycolic, oxalic, citric, diglycolic, tartaric, sulphurous or orthophosphoric acid and the salt may be of hydrochloric, sulphuric, thiosulphuric, sulphurous, sulphamic, phosphoric, phosphorous, fluoboric, nitric, nitrous, carboxylic or sulphonic acids, e.g. ammonium chloride sulphate, sulphite, bisulphite, thiosulphate, phosphates, sulphamate, nitrate, acetate and citrate, 2-aminopropanol hydrochloride, magnesium chloride, sulphate and dihydrogen phosphate, aluminium chloride, acetate or sulphate, zinc chloride, acetate, nitrate and fluoborate and calcium, barium, ferric, stannic and chromic chlorides.ALSO:Textiles paper and other products of the paper making system, i.e. paperboard, cardboard and tissue, are rendered resistant to attack by bacteria by impregnating them with an aqueous liquid containing at least one aminoplast precondensate and treating them with a curing agent comprising a synergistic mixture of at least one acid having a dissociation constant greater than 10-6 and at least one salt which shows an acid reaction in aqueous medium and which is a salt of ammonia, an amine or a metal with an inorganic or organic acid, and curing the aminoplast by heating to an elevated temperature before the treated material is dried. The aminoplast may be a condensate of an formaldehyde with melamine, a guanamine, urea, ethylene urea, propylene urea, thiourea, guanidine, biuret, dicyandiamide, urons, ethylene imine or propylene imine and may be etherified with methyl or ethyl alcohol. The acid may be formic, sulphamic, glycolic, oxalic, citric, diglycolic, tartaric, sulphurous or orthophosphoric and the salt may be an ammonium, amine or metal salt of hydrochloric, sulphuric, thiosulphuric, sulphurous, sulphamic, phosphoric, phosphorous, fluoboric, nitric, nitrous, carboxylic or sulphonic acids, e.g. ammonium chloride, sulphate, sulphite, bisulphite, thiosulphate, phosphates, sulphamate, nitrate, acetate and citrate, 2-aminopropanol hydrochloride, magnesium chloride, sulphate and dihydrogen phosphate, aluminium chloride, acetate or sulphate, zinc chloride, acetate, nitrate and fluoborate and calcium, barium, ferric, stannic and chromic chlorides. The aminoplast precondensate, salt and acid may be applied to the material treated from the same aqueous solution or separately, either the salt or acid being applied with the aminoplast precondensate or the salt and acid being applied after the aminoplast precondensate. The aminoplast may be cured by steaming for from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, by drying at 220 DEG -250 DEG F or by holding the treated material in the wet state at for example 90 DEG -100 DEG F for three hours if desired while covered with a polyethylene cover. After curing the treated material may be washed with water which may contain a surface active agent and subjected to a dry curing step in the presence of ammonium, amine, magnesium, aluminium or zinc salts of hydrochloric, phosphoric, sulphuric, nitric or fluoroboric acids. The treating solution may also contain water repellents, e.g. fatty derivatives of melamineformaldehyde resins. Woven, non woven and knitted fabrics and yarns, threads and staple fibres in the form of spun, twisted or braided fibres roving, slivers, laps or bulk fibres of cotton, regenerated cellulose, wool, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin or acrylic fibres may be treated.