ISO 23232:2009 provides a guide for aqueous stain resistance. It can provide a rough index of aqueous stain resistance as, generally, the higher the aqueous liquid repellency grade, the better the resistance to staining by water/alcohol-based materials, especially water/alcohol-based liquids. This is particularly true when comparing various finishes for a given substrate. ISO 23232:2009 can also be utilized for determining if washing and/or dry-cleaning treatments have any adverse effects on the aqueous liquid repellency characteristics of a substrate. It is recommended that the washing and/or dry-cleaning treatment procedures described in ISO 6330 or ISO 3175 be used for this purpose.

ISO 23232:2009 is not intended to give an absolute measure of the resistance of the substrate to staining by water/alcohol-based substances. Other factors, such as the composition and viscosity of the water/alcohol-based substances, substrate construction, fibre type, dyes and other finishing agents also influence stain resistance.

SO 23232:2009 is not intended to estimate the resistance to penetration of the substrate by water/alcohol-based chemicals; for this evaluation, see ISO 6530.