Abstract
Eight treatments were evaluated for their effectiveness in the setting of dyes in new cotton fabrics. Dyes representing three application classes (direct, reactive, and vat) widely used on cotton fabrics were selected. Because of the perceived problems of red dyes bleeding during laundering, five of the eight dyes selected for evaluation were red. Color and staining evaluations were made after treatment and after laundering of the treated specimens to determine the effects of the treatments on color change and bleeding.
The dye setting treatments did not cause large amounts of color change in the treated fabrics; however, none of the dye setting treatments significantly reduced color loss or staining during laundering for any of the dyes. Some of the treatments actually increased rather than decreased color loss and staining. Clearly, the home treatments for setting dyes evaluated in this study are a waste of the consumer's time, energy, and money.
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