Influence of Industrial Washing on Denim Properties

Abstract

One of finishing methods applied on fabric or garment is industrial washing, which together with the use of new
technologies and equipment enables to obtain the desired results. Usually, washing is applied for already sewn garments,
therefore, it is very important to know the impact made by particular washing on the fabric in order to preserve the
quality of a sewing garment. A presumable change of properties shall be considered even in the phase of garment design.
The aim of this paper is to determine the influence of different methods of industrial washing on denim properties.
Currently popular and fashionable denim (twill 1/2 weave, composition 98 % cotton, 2 % elastane) was chosen for this
investigation. The denim has been processed by different industrial washing techniques, namely simple and silicone
softening, washing with chlorine solution, enzyme and double enzyme washing. In order to evaluate influence of
different washing on fabric properties, the structural characteristics, shrinkage, air permeability, bending rigidity,
extensibility on load 98.1 N/m, breaking force and elongation, shear rigidity has been determined. It can be concluded
that the silicone softening made the greatest influence on the change of denim properties, whereas the simple softening
the least one.