The effect of washing treatments on the sensory properties of denim fabric

Several processes in textile finishing involve a modification on fabric sensorial and mechanical properties. This paper tries to evaluate the effect of four different washes on the denim fabric tactile properties using a sensory analysis. The studied washes were rinse, stone1, stone2 and stone bleach. The tactile sensory properties of washed denim fabrics were assessed by a trained panel composed of 10 assessors. The 10 panelists were selected from 15 assessors after a training program, during which their performance in terms of repeatability was controlled to decrease the variability of the provided measurements. This trained panel assessed 16 sensory attributes already selected to find out the differences between the washed samples. Analyses of variance and principal components analyses were carried out to define the most pertinent attributes, which allows one to find out the difference between the washed samples. It was found that the change of washed denim fabric handle depends on the washing intensity and it is more important in the case of normal finishing than the fifties finishing. There have been some studies in which the influences of some washing and special treatments on the mechanical and physical properties of denim fabrics were determined. This paper identifies the most important tactile sensory properties that are influenced by industrial washings for the denim fabric. In addition, this paper represents the progressive changes of the handle that occur on treating the denim fabric with various washings.