Chemicals Used In Washing

Washing is the most rising sector in Bangladesh now a days..All fashionable and fancy styles are achieved through wash in apparels...Washing either a glory nor a magic....

1. Chemicals Used in Washing
Engr.Nazmus Sakib Khan
( B.Sc in BUTex)
Technical Support Expert
Auxicolour Bangladesh( Associated With Denge Kimya, Kisco )


1. Whitening agent: Also called optical brightener. Used in knit fabric, woven, or others for
making the fabric or apparels clean. It normally makes the fabric white bluish , reddish..
2. Wetting Agent:
A substance that reduces the surface tension of water or another liquid, causing the liquid to spr
ad across or penetrate more easily the surface of a solid. Improve absorbency of the fabric.
3. Detergent: Remove oils.waxes, fat from the surface of the fabric….
4. Hygroscopic Agent: Absorbs water molecules and dissolve it as well as increasing boiling
point, viscosity or other physical properties …..
5. Fixing Agent: To fix up the dyestuff with fabric….Different uses for Direct dyes, reactive
dyes, printing, indigo fixing and so on…
6. Softening Agent: To get good hand feel using at finishing process. Cationic softener,
polyurethane based softener, Anti ozone softener for removing yellowish look from garments
and to protect ozone according to Buyers requirement….
7. Silicon: To get slippery hand feel in fabric.
8. Rubbing Fastness Improver: Used for increasing dry & wet rubbing properties of dyed
garments according to buyers requirement.. Normally requirement for Dry Rubbing: 1-2, Wet
rubbing: 3-4 …It is one kind of fixing agent….
9. Defoaming Agent: To avoid foaming in desizing or scouring bath which creates for other
chemicals uses…It is also called anti foaming agent..
10. Sequestering Agent: To remove hardness of water…..

2. 11. Meta by Sulphite : Used for neutralization of Potassium per magnate and makes the
garments white at the localized area of PP..One kind of reducing agent…
12. Weight Giving agent: It is normally called GSM increasing agent…It increases the inter
molecular forces of the fabric and give a coating on fabric which improves the GSM…
13. Water proofing Agent: Used for waterproofed by applying water-repellent coatings …
14. Enzyme : Enzyme is used in different purposes at different fabrics like denim,knit,twill ..Bio
polish enzyme is used for removing hairiness of the fabric and provide a clean surface of the
fabric.Stone free powder enzyme is used for highly stone effect at denim…Acid enzyme is used
in dyeing bath with controlling ph for high abrasion effect …Used for medium or light shade of
denim because it gives effect quickly than neutral enzyme…Neutral enzyme is also used for
effect and surface clean without ph control..Used for dark shade because it comes fading effect
slowly…
15.Striping agent: Used for color reduction of dyed fabric. It is a reducing agent.It is also one
kind of replacement of hydrose….
16.Bleaching Agent:A bleach is a chemical that can remove or lighten color, usually via
oxidation.
17.Clorine Bleach: Chlorine bleach usually contains sodium hypochlorite.It is a water solution
of sodium hypochlorite which kills germs basically…
18. Calcium Hypochlorite : Calcium hypochlorite is an inorganic
compound with formula Ca(ClO)2. As a mixture with lime and calcium chloride, it is marketed
as chlorine powder or bleach powder for water treatment and as a bleaching agent.This
compound is relatively stable and has greater available chlorine than sodium hypochlorite .It is a
white solid, although commercial samples appear yellow. It strongly smells of chlorine, owing to
its slow decomposition in moist air. It is not highly soluble in water and is more preferably used
in soft to medium-hard water.
19. Sodium Hypochlorite: Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is a compound that can be effectively
used for water purification. It is used on a large scale for surface purification, bleaching, odor
removal and water disinfection.

3. 20. Hydrogen per oxide: For bleaching of cellulose fibers….In full bleaching, hydrogen
peroxide is used before dyeing and for the oxidation of reductive dyes in dyeing. However, in
general, hydrogen peroxide consumption for bleaching is increasing because it is seen as an
environmentally harmless alternative to chlorine-based bleach.
21. Anti back Stain: Used for grey cast looking in pocket of the pant…Anti-back staining
agents are polymers designed to prevent the redeposition of dyes on substrates during wet
processing, particularly for denims. While fading, loose indigo dyes are removed from the fabric
and they redeposit themselves randomly causing a bluing effect on the finished garment.
22.Potash: Used for dischargeability. Called generally Potassium carbonate. Potash is used as a
bleaching agent in textile industries. It is also used widely to wash and dye wool. It is also used
for the purpose of dying and washing leather products.
23.Soda Ash: Soda Ash is used throughout the production process as a cleaning agent, for
refining and bleaching and to adjust the pH during the drying process.
SODA ASH IS A MILD ALKALI AND PROCION DYES AND REACTIVE CD DYES CAN
ONLY FIX UNDER MILDLY ALKALINE CONDITIONS WHEN DYEING OR PRINTING
24.Acetic Acid: Acetic acid is a colorless and corrosive liquid with pungent smell of its own. It
is miscible with water, alcohol and ether in all proportions. Acetic acid is used in
garment industry for dyeing.ph control in dyeing bath…
25.Lakage or Lycra proctector: Used to protect damage of fabric ..Shirt or pant which is
containing elastomer or spandex that should be treated with this. It is specially applied to protect
the fiber elasticity and strength of Lycra with high performance. It can create a shiny and bright
effect in the process of sodium hypochlorite / Javel & hydrogen peroxide bleaching. It can be
used for Lycra protector in the process of desizing, enzyme wash and dyeing.

26.Phosphoric Acid: Stronger than acetic acid. In the manufacture of detergents, phosphoric
acid is used to produce water softeners. Water softeners remove Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions from hard
water.

4. 27.Hypo: HYPO bleach is the most effective fabric whitener for clothes. Use it to make your
whites sparkle like never before.HYPO will remove the toughest stains from white fabrics
making them stain-free and sparkling…
28.Anti Mildew Agent: Used for moisture management…To remove fungus ,bacteria attr