Bleach Washing Combined with Pumice Stone for the Modification of Denim Garments

Abstract

Washing of Denim garment with pumic stone combined with bleaching powder was investigated to preserve the quality and to create more distress worn-look fashionable Denim garment. For this, regular Denim trouser (twill 3/1 weave, composition 100 % cotton) was selected for the present investigation. The Denim trouser has been processed by stone-bleach washing technique, using various concentrations of pumice stone (10 to 70%) (owg) with 10 g/L bleaching powder at 40 o C for 20 min. In order to evaluate the influence of pumice stone on physicomechanical properties like tensile strength, elongation at break, fabric weight, colour change, the dimensional characteristics (shrinkage/ extensibility), stiffness and water absorption has been determined. Fabric surface was also examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). It can be concluded that pumice stone made the influence on Denim properties, whereas in producing durable and distressed worn look Denim garment the optimised washing condition for the best value is determined.

Predicting the tensile strength of bleach washed denim garments by using fuzzy logic modeling

“…As bleaches work by destroying the constituent of the fabric surface, it certainly affects the tensile strength of the treated fabric. 5,8,10,11 At the same time, exposing the fabric for more time in the bleach or even a higher process temperature affects the fabric’s tensile strength. The increment of all of the input parameters gradually decreases the strength of the treated garments.…”

“…19 The influence of pumice stone-bleach washing on the physico-mechanical properties (elongation at break, tensile strength, color change, fabric weight, water absorption, and stiffness) has been studied, and the author stated that stone-bleach washing without soda ash has a negative effect on color loss. 11,20 However, washing with soda ash caused more stiffness loss, more water absorption, and less strength loss. 21 Another work compared and evaluated the impact of bio-polished denim garments after bleaching with hydrogen peroxide and bleaching powder and found a significant difference.…”

“…Bleach washing is one of the prominent denim wet washes, [7][8][9] where the colors from the fabric are uniformly removed, and a worn-out appearance is created. [8][9][10][11] In the washing of denim, hypochlorite bleaches are generally used, which are applied in aqueous form by preparing from the bleaching powder. In the first stage, during the discoloration, the chemical bonds that make up the chromophore are broken by the bleaching agent.…”

The comfort properties of hemp and flax blended denim fabrics with common industrial washing treatments

“…Similar results were obtained in the literature, and the positive impact of the washing treatments on the air permeability values was explained with two major facts. 51,52 First, the washing treatments are known to remove the impurities and some parts of the indigo dye, which remains on the yarn surface and therefore prevents air transmission. 53 Second, shrinkage occurs in all the washing treatments, causing an increment in fabric thickness and enlargement in the porous area.…”

“…The pumice stones added into the washing processes have already been shown to increase water retention, as they loosen the surface fibers via abrasion and provide a larger area. 51,54 On the other hand, Haq et al stated that a bleach wash increased water retention by eliminating the factors preventing the absorption of water. They implied that a bleach wash removed the cuticle of cotton fiber composed of cotton wax and the redundant sizing materials causing water repellency.…”