DO THE DYE FIXING AGENTS INTERFERE WITH SOFTENERS ?
The dye-fixing agents are cationic and the unreacted fixing agent in the bath will compete with the cationic softeners for sites if not properly soaped and washed off and are likely to diminish the efficiency of the applied cationic softener. Unreacted dye fixing agents can be washed off readily and Cationic softeners, when applied after good soaping and rinsing will not suffer any reduction in its efficiency due to this reason. There are instances where to improve wash fastness of colour after finishing, dye fixing agent and cationic softeners or being administered in the same re-work bath. Combining cationic softeners and dye fixing agent should not be attempted, as the possibility of the long chain fatty cation of the softener reacting with the dyestuff anion cannot be ruled out and the resultant insoluble complex would be hydrophobic and also too big to be trapped inside the fibre. The purpose of the inclusion of Dye fixing agent will be defeated. Whatever correction for fastness,