Washing

Washing and special type of wash in

denim

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 Laundering
• The most common method for renovation for
washable textile products uses water
combined with cleansers, such as soaps or
detergent.
• Water: Natural solvent dissolve salt from
perspiration.
• Organic solvent used in dry cleaning.
• Auxiliary agents

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 Factors
• The effect of laundering and the degree of
cleaning depend on
• Cleanser: soap or detergents
• Auxiliary agents: Softeners, Enzymes,
Fluorescent brighteners
• Temperature
• Water quality: Soft and Hard
• Material: Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic
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 Hydrophilic fibers
• These fibers like cotton, rayon, flax easily
absorbed all types of soils( soluble, insoluble
or oily), however when wetted, swell in size
and allowing higher water penetration and
resulted increase in surface area.
• This facilitate to releasing all types of soils. In
general cotton launders better then polyester
or nylon.

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 Cleansers: Soap and detergents
• Soap: sodium salt of fatty acids. They a excellent
cleaner in soft water but less effective in hard water.
• In hard water minerals combine with water and made
scum or curd.
• Detergent: They are surfactant(Alkyl benzene
sulphonate and sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonates
), which react with minerals and reduce the surface
tension of water. They dissolve readily in water and
do not form scum with hard water.

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 Cleansers: Soap and detergents
• Soil is easily removed if water temperature is high.
• Cleansers not only remove soil from fabric bit also
hold soils in suspension in wash water and
prevent the soil from redeposit on fabrics.
• Additives: various additive used to improve the
cleaning action of soaps and detergents.
• Surfactants: Reduce the surface tension of water
& allow water to penetrate in soil.

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 Bleach
• Oxidize the coloring matter, thus whitening
the fabrics and remove the certain stain. They
are 2 types.
• Chlorine bleach: never used on protein fibers
or spandex.
• Non chlorine Bleach: Hydrogen peroxide
and sodium per borate, are more costly,
slower but safe for all fibers.

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 Other additives
• Fluorescent Brighteners: It absorbs the light of
shorter wavelength (Like UV Rays)and emits it
at longer wavelength at visible region like blue.
• Fabric Softeners: it provide lubricant on fibers,
allowing them to move more readily against
each other, it making fabric fluffier and softer.
The lubricating film also absorb moisture.
• Others additives : Enzyme, Starches or
Fragrances ( P&G TIDE® with Febrez® )
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 Dry Cleaning Solvents
• Dry cleaning solvent is an organic solvent and tumbles
in the machine in same way as clothing is done. The
process is called dry cleaning because no water is used
in process.
• Solvent evaporate readily and dry the fabric below
body temperature.
• It is very effective for stain of oily in nature like
( gravy, oil, perspiration).
The cloth dryer used the capture the vapor and pure
solvent is reuse.
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 Advantage
 Re use the solvent after filtration.
 It is non aqueous, or non water bearing so
they do not wet the fiber. No shrinkage or
damage in the fibers such as rayon.
 No effect on color and dyes.
 The dryers used for dry cleaning is usually low
temperature. (100 degree F or 30 degee C)

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 Dry cleaning solvents
S.NO SOLVENT REMARKS
1. Perchlorethylene (Perc or PCE)Non flammable & best performance at
Most Used reasonable price.
The fumes of perc are toxic so caution has
to be exercised for use.
2. Hydrocarbons ( Synthetic They are inflammable but have high flash
Petroleum solvents) Second points. Air pollution is minmum. Example
Most Used DF 2000
3. Stoddard( Petroleum Solvents) Flammable , special care in use
4. Liquid Carbon Di Oxide Eco friendly systems but expensive
Systems
An alternative solvent are Silicone base
sand . It have high flashpoint so not
considered hazardous, no ozone deplete
and consider by environmental agency a
volatile organic compound.

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 Denim Wash

 Denim” Americanization of the French name

“Serge De Nimmes” , a fabric originated in
France during the Denim has its origin in
tough canvas cloth from Nimmes, France
 Denim jeans use about half of the total global
cotton output production

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 DENIM

1. An indigo dyed, cotton twill fabric, woven with a

dyed warp yarn, and a natural weft yarn. It is a
resistant woven cloth.
2. The standard weights are 12 and 16 oz (ounces).
3. Denim fabric seems to have been reserved for work
clothes, when both durability and comfort were
needed
 JEANS
• In the classic sense, jeans are trousers made of heavy
indigo denim with a contrasting stitched seam

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 Denim
o Traditionally warp faced cotton fabric in 3/1 twill
construction.

o Coarse yarns are used in the construction, both for warp

and weft.

o Warp is dyed indigo blue and weft is left white, undyed

o Fabric is bluer on the surface and almost white at the

back.

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 Manufacturing

• Fibers used: Denim is usually made of cotton

• Ring Dyeing of warp yarns
• Spinning on the fiber: It uses one plain thread and one
colored thread invariably ring dyed with indigo.
• Weaving: Denim has a right hand twill weave
• Dyeing procedure: Dyeing takes place by Immersion of
yarn of denim fabric into dye vats
• Denim fabric finishing

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 Terms Associated With Denim
 Whiskers / Chevrons
 The lines that form on the lap and legs of jeans from continued
wear. 
 Most whiskers are applied by hand using either a sanding tool
depending on contrast desired.
o Bio-Washing
o Controlled action of enzymes on fabric surface for surface
modifications.
o Ring Dyeing
o Type of dyeing fault in which dyes are partially diffused to the
interior of fibre. Around fibre a ring like appearance of dye can be
viewed cross-sectionally

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 Terms Associated With Denim
o Back Staining
o Deposition of Bleeded indigo on white portions of
the fabric.

o Back Wash Treatment

o Given to denim after biowash to give it a cleaner
and brighter look and to deactivate the enzymes

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 Types Of Denim’s
• Basic Blue
– Indigo Blue denim which is bio-washed and
bleached.

• Over-Dyed Denim
– Indigo blue denim over-dyed with Sulphur dyes

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Finishes Applied On Denim

Finishes Applied on Denim

Dry Finish Wet Finish

--Applied to Fabric in Dry State --Employ Aqueous Based Treatments
--Usually Mechanical Finishes --Usually Chemical Finishes

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 Process Flow

Brushing

Singeing

Dry/Wet Finish Montfort/Foam Finish

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 Parameters of Washing
 Load : No. of garments washed at a time
Excess load - wash improper; less load - inefficient process.
 Liquor Ratio : Ratio of mass of the garment to the amount of the liquid
 Improper liquor ratio
 Abrasion among garments increases
 Concentration of chemical used changes
 Temperature : Maintain an optimum temperature
 Improper temperature
 Change in rate of chemical reaction
 Undesired effects

 Time : Washing time is fixed

 If altered - amount of reaction increases/decreases.
 Chemicals : Chemical ingredients for a specified wash is predetermined
 If altered - produces undesired result.

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 Washing Procedure
• Washing of 10-15 garments is done at a time.
• Amount of water used for all kind of washes is
10 times the garment weight
• Less water is used in commercial plants for
more fabric to fabric abrasion
• Front loading washing machine are used

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 Types Of Wet Washes
• Mercerization • Resin wash
• Stone wash • Ozone fading
• Stone bleach • Water-Jet fading
• Acid wash • Vintage Wash
• Enzyme wash • Snow wash

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 Mercerization
 Process of treatment of cotton yarn or denim fabric
 Fabric or yarn is immersed in a caustic soda
solution
 Later neutralized in acid
 Increased luster, affinity for dyes & Increased
Strength.

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 Stone Wash
• The process of washing denim garments from
which the color is removed by using pumice
stones
– It imparts a faded look to the garment.
– Depending on the length of treatment, the feel
and appearance of the denim can be completely
changed

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 Pumice Stone
• Pumice stones are used in wash to chip away
layers of indigo from the denim.
• Pumice is volcanic and is used because of its
strength and lightweight
• The preferred pumice to use is Turkish White
Pumice Stone as it has the best porosity and
cleanliness

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Pumic Stones

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 Process Of Stone Wash
 The abrasion effect is caused from pumice stone on
the garments clashing against each other and against
the wall of the washer drum .
• The degree of color fading depends on
 The garment to stone ratio 0.5- 3.0 par stone : 1 part garment
 Water temperature
 Washing time
 Size of stones.
 Material to liquor ratio 8 : 1 and load of garments. Process
time varies from 60-120 minutes.

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 Drawback of Pumic stones
 The quality of the abrasion process is difficult
to control.
 Too little will not give the desired look and too much
can damage the fabric, mostly at the hems and
waistbands.
 Everything in the washing machines gets abraded
including the metal buttons and rivets on the
jeans.
 It can cause machine damage & blocking of
the drainage System.
 Difficulty in removing pumice-stone residues
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 Acid Wash

• The process is achieved by soaking pumice

stones in chlorine bleach or potassium
permanganate.
• Process: Dry tumbling with jeans before
washing
 Effect : Irregular, high contrast splotches over
the entire surface of the garment. Also known
as moon, fog, marble, and frosted.

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Visual

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 Enzyme Wash
 Enzymes are used in denim : Cellulase
 Highly efficient catalysts in biochemical
reactions.
 Major area: De-sizing, enzyme wash.
 Enzymes used quite costly at Rs.400-1200 per
kg .
 Bio Stone wash : it means pumic stones with
enzymes.

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Visuals

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 Advantages
• Advantages
More eco-friendly as are completely
biodegradable
Very effective catalysts even under mild
conditions, they do not require the high-energy
input
Work quickly and efficiently w/o leaving any
pollutant behind

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Visual

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 Advantages
 Less machine and garment damage
 Increased machine productivity, load can be increased
by 50%
 Reduced environmental contamination, less pumice
stones are used (traditionally 1-2 kilo per pair of jeans)
 Improves the quality of waste water, no pumice in the
water
 Reduced labor demand (less handling of pumice stone)
 Expanded variety range
 A reduced energy input per garment
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 Constraints
 In case of prolonged action the cellulase may
cause significant loss of fabric strength,
detergent is necessary to remove the
enzyme.
 Back-staining.

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 Resin Wash
 Used to give WRINKLED EFFECT to the jeans

 Jeans are treated with resin, and then baked in

an oven so chemicals can merge with fibers to
set color, stiffness, and make creases permanent

 Resin affects the denims tear/tensile strength and

make the fabric weaker and more brittle

 Also resin contains formaldehyde – so may be

problematic for production of children's jeans

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Visual

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 Ozone Washing
• Garment is bleached by use of ozone gas
• Done in washing machine with ozone,
dissolved in water in a closed chamber

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 Advantages
• The advantages associated with this
process are
– Color removal is possible without losing strength
– Very simple and environmentally friendly method
– After laundering, ozonized water can easily be
deozonized by UV radiation

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 Ice Wash/Snow Wash
• Achieved by dry tumbling with pumice stone
with a bleaching agent to produce a “snow”
pattern effect on denim.

• Denim dyed with sulphur or indigo dye can be

washed and bleached to achieve the desired
color effect that is color depth and color
variation by a variety of process combinations.

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Visual

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Visuals

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 Variation According To Shade
• Dark Wash
• Medium Wash
• Light Wash

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 Dark Wash
• Dark wash means that the blast area will be
very apparent, and stand out against the
ground color (base wash) dramatically. 
• Using PP (potassium permanganate) gives
hi-contrast effect

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Visual

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 Medium Wash
• Medium wash is most common.
• There is a good contrast between blasted area
and ground, not too dramatic, but not soft
enough that it is invisible.
• Usually achieved by sandblasting or machine
brushing

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Visual

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 Light Wash
• Light wash means that blast be subtle, and
very soft, with minimal color loss
• Generally hand sanding gives you the softest
blast effects, but hand sanding will disappear
in lighter washes

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Visual

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 General Procedure for Dry wash
• Use of a Manikin (a heavy duty rubber balloon) that mimics shape of
human legs

• The garment piece subject to change in appearance is draped

• The balloon is inflated

• In this state the dry processes are carried out on the required surface

• The garment is then removed from the balloon by deflation

• Helps in finishing specific areas on the garment

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 Types Of Dry Finishes
1. Sand Basting
2. Spraying
3. Feathering/Hand Sanding/Scraping
4. Machine Brush
5. Moustaching/Whiskering
6. Mechanical Abrasion
7. Grinding And Nicks
8. Scarring
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 1. Sand Basting
 A Process of Blasting an abrasive material in granular,
powdered form through a nozzle.
 Spray gun under high pressure used on to the denim
garments.
 The Sand literally chips off the outer layer of the indigo.
 Done before washing to give a desired
distressed/abraded/used look(local “worn” look) on
front and back leg panels.
 Contrast is a useful term describing the desired blast
effect.
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Visuals

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 Advantages
• Advantages of sand blasting process
• It is purely mechanical process, not using any
chemicals
• It is a water free process therefore no drying required
• Variety of distressed or abraded looks possible
• Any number of designs could be created by special
techniques

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 2. Spraying

• Process
• Process of spraying chemicals (generally at PPM)
to get different effect on the garments.
• Can be done by using computerized spraying gun
or by manual spray
• Followed by curing of the garment

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 Advantages
• Advantages of using Spraying
– Water free process - zero effluent discharge
– Less time consuming
– Different designs possible
– Easy to use
– No adverse effect on fabric strength

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Visuals

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 3. Feathering/Scraping
 Process : The manual process whereby a high
density industrial abrasive, nylon bristled brush
or dense grade sand paper, is used .
 To create local abrasion effects.
 Soften the lines around sandblasted area to get
a nicely blended blast pattern.
 A typical blast should look strongest at the
center, and decrease in intensity at edges to
blend into the ground color, with no harsh lines
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 4. Machine Brush
• A high powered electrical steel bristle brush
that when run over denim quickly chips the
indigo away

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Visuals

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 5. Moustaching/Whiskering
• The process of achieving the effect of jeans
worn from new whereby creases on the front
and back of the garment are abraded in wear,
creating a "whiskered" effect.

• The effect can be achieved by natural wear, or

by manual "scraping"

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Visuals

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 6. Mechanical Abrasion
• To give worn out effect, abraded look or used
look, some mechanical processes have been
developed. These are based on mechanical
abrasion by which the indigo can be removed

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 Advantages
• Advantages of these processes
– Control on the abrasion
– Different looks on the garment can be achieved
– All are Dry Process
– Economical
– Ecological
– Environmental Friendly

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 7. Grinding And Nicks
 Using a mechanical device to chip away at the fabric to break the yarns and get
small tears.
 The difference between grinding and nicks is amount of surface covered
 Its generally any tearing of ¼ or more in length while a nick is any tear under ¼
in length
 Most commonly used at bottom hem and pocket edges

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 8. Scarring

• Process
– The manual process where by denim garments are
literally cut with razor blades to give local "worn
and torn" effects

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 Visuals

Scraping effect Process of nicking

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