Regulatory limits on the amount of releasable formaldehyde govern the
nature of finishing systems used for producing easy care cellulosic fa
brics. Currently, the most widely used cross-linking agents for finish
ing cotton textiles are formaldehyde based. One of the adverse feature
s of these agents is that the finished fabrics are susceptible to form
aldehyde release. Certain reactive nitrogenous additives, effective in
increasing the affinity of cross-linked cellulose for anionic dyes, a
lso are effective in decreasing the amount of formaldehyde released fr
om finished fabrics. Some of these same reactive additives also greatl
y enhance the receptivity of non-formaldehyde polycarboxylic acid cros
s-linked cottons for anionic dyes. In this study, the effect of reacti
ve additives on formaldehyde release from cottons finished with formal
dehyde-containing agents is discussed, as are the dyeing and colorfast
ness properties of these fabrics. Also examined are anionic dyeing and
fastness properties of non-formaldehyde polycarboxylic acid cross-lin
ked cellulosic fabrics.