JOURNAL OF NATURAL FIBERS, vol.17, no.7, pp.1081-1088, 2019 (SCI-Expanded)
It is known that use of chemicals can cause different problems to human health and environment. Therefore, studies to find alternative chemical free finishing processes in textile are now interesting topics. In the light of this, it was tried to minimize chemical uses for antibacterial finishing of cotton by using plant sources "cranberry fruit" and "cranberry fruit branch extract" in dyeing processes. The dyeing experiments were carried out at two different temperatures for different durations. Then, the samples were analyzed in terms of K/S, CIE L*a*b*C* and h degrees values, light fastness, washing fastness, and antibacterial efficiencies. Consequently, it was found that the two natural dye sources could color the cotton-knitted fabrics, and in general, the washing fastness of dyed samples with both natural dye sources was good, but light fastness values were limited and in dyeing processes by using cranberry fruit branch extract it was poor. Moreover, it was seen that among the tested plantal sources, good antibacterial efficiency against the tested bacteria were obtained with the use of cranberry fruit juice in dyeing processes at low temperature and for lower durations.