After weaving or knitting, fabric undergoes a series of treatments called “finishing” which makes it look and feel a certain way. Finishes can be either aesthetic or functional, or a combination of both. They can also be done through dry or wet processes.
What is finishing process in laundry
Some finishes are permanent while others are a temporary change to a fabric’s surface. Examples of permanent finishes include sizing, sheening, and stiffening wash and fold. These can affect the tensile strength, sheen, shrinkage resistance, crispness, and abrasion resistance of fabrics.
Some fabrics require stiffening to reduce creasing, especially in crease-prone styles like polo shirts or twill trousers. Stiffening can be done with permanent chemicals such as Ankord, Basco, Clearight, Sheercroft, or Turbenizing, among many others. These chemicals are usually based on polyamides and polyesters, rather than natural cellulosic fibres.
Other finishing processes are bleaching, dyeing, and steaming. Bleaching uses hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda to remove colour from the fibres. Dyeing involves soaking fabric in dye solutions that can change its appearance and add colour. Steaming is a heat-based treatment that sets the dyes into the fibres of the fabric.
Embossing is a finishing process in which raised figures or designs are added to the surface of fabrics by running them through hot, engraved rollers. This can be done to both cellulose and synthetic fabrics, and the results are long-lasting if paired with chemical resins. Fabrics can also be made water-repellent with the use of various chemistry such as polymers, sizing, or fluorochemicals.