A practical and ecological method for, preparing the multifunctional cotton fabrics with excellent laundering durability was explored. Cotton fabrics were modified by plasma induced vapor phase graft polymerization (PIVPGP) of acrylic acid (AA) and subsequently silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were in situ synthesized on the treated cotton fabrics. The AgNP loaded cotton fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), antibacterial activity, self-cleaning activity, thermal stability and laundering durability, respectively. SEM observation and EDX, XPS and XRD analysis demonstrated the much more AgNPs deposition on the cotton fabrics modified by PIVPGP of AA. The AgNP loaded cotton fabrics also exhibited better antibacterial activity, self-cleaning activity, thermal stability and laundering durability. It was concluded that the surface modification of the cotton fabrics by PIVPGP of AA could increase the loading efficiency and binding fastness of AgNPs on the treated cotton fabrics, which could fabricate the cotton fabrics with durable multifunction. In addition, the mechanism of in situ synthesis of AgNPs on the cotton fabrics modified by PIVPGP of AA was proposed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.