COST 120 Discharge Exercise Assignment

Use appropriate safety equipment and good ventilation as per class discussion
Never mix bleach with any other chemical especially ammonia
Follow instructions for each chemical used

Class Project: Pull colour from fabric with soda ash, TSP or Oxyclean
• Find x4 fabrics, various colours or prints. Keep small swatch as is.
• Wash fabric in machine with hot water, soap and ½ cup soda ash, OR ¼ cup TSP OR 1
scoop Oxyclean for 40 minutes minimum
• IF Oxyclean then rinse twice in clear water
• IF soda ash or TSP then rinse, wash with soap, rinse again with small (1/4 cup) amount
vinegar, dry
• Include notes on this process

Class Project: Diluted bleach exercise:

Note: It is possible to do quick tests with small swatches to see if a fabric will bleach or not. It is also a valid
breakdown process to do a wash with soap and some bleach in order to proceed with breakdown process, knowing
that the fabric may or may not lose colour.
Focus – ‘pull colour’ i.e. do not obliterate colour
• Find minimum x4 fabrics, various colours or prints. Keep small swatch.
• Wash together in washing machine with hot water, normal amount of soap, and 125 ml.
(1/2 c.) bleach
• Put towel on top of washing machine to contain the bleach smell; use ventilator fans
• Machine rinse twice
• Label with original. Include notes

Each student: Diluted Potassium Permanganate Exercise:- ‘pull colour’

• Find x4 cellulose fabrics, with some blue, green, purple, black or brown. Keep small
swatch.
• Wash fabric
• Make potassium permanganate dip 10 water :1 ‘full strength’ dip
• Pre-wet fabrics and immerse in diluted pp dip for one minute
• Air until colour changes from pink to brown
• Rinse, wash with soap and rinse
• Option: dip one end of swatch in lemon juice or citric acid solution
• Label with swatch of original; include notes
• Safety Note: Protect your eyes.

Each student: Discharge as visual texture:

To be done with potassium permanganate full strength recipe OR lemon juice/citric acid on top
of potassium permanganate.
This could be done painting with bleach, but masks with ventilators are needed and so we will not do this
during Covid.
• Brush or sponge small amounts of your choice of discharge agent on to your fabric, to
create a visual texture.
• Rinse, wash, rinse and dry.
• Label. Include process notes.
• Follow all instructions and safety precautions.
Options: Brush/ sponge onto wet OR dry fabric
Brush/sponge diluted to create less contrast
Fold and dip rather than brushing

HAND IN = Samples from both class projects with swatches of original fabrics and notes; samples from the
two exercises using potassium permanganate with notes including pot.perm. source in Vancouver.