Investigations into the Sequential Application of Crease Resist Finish, Tannin and Cationic Reactant to Improve the Resistance of Sulphur Dyes to Oxidation

The importance of sulphur dyes are realized due to the fact that they offer an economical method of achieving dyeing of good color strength and acceptable fastness on cellulosic substrates. However, the main limitations associated with this class of dye are the lack of availability of bright colors and it’s fading on exposure to laundering with detergent and perborates/peroxides formulations. In order to meet the growing requirements of customers regarding the higher wash fastness, garment traders are in turn demanding their suppliers to achieve these properties against single and multiple washes. In this study, sulphur black 1 dyed cotton fabric has been aftertreated with Fixapret CP, Bayprotect Cl and CC (Choline Chloride) with various sequential combinations to improve the wash fastnesss of the dyed fabric against the aggressive ISO-1O5 CO9 washing system. Sequential application of Bayprotect Cl followed by CC was found to offer a significant improvement causing a 12% reduction in percentage colour loss relating to the untreated fabric, which was comparable to the independent application of Fixapret CP with minimum deleterious effects on the hue, chroma and tensile strength of the fabric.