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Aesthetic treatments
Any interior designer or proud home owner will tell you that having the right design on your fabric or the right colour for your curtains is of vital importance. So too is a nice soft duvet cover, lovely lush carpet, and sofa covers that don't scratch. This is where the aesthetic type of fabric and textile treatment comes in. An array of chemical, solution and traditional treatments improve the look and feel of the fabric, making it pleasant for it's end use.
If you've ever gotten into bed and thanked the manufacturer for coming up with a soft cotton blend which keeps you warm, you've got industrial fabric softening treatment to thank. Brushing, heating and high-pressure washing all contribute to the overall softness of a material – the rougher it feels, the the more raw it's likely to have been sent to you from the weaver or manufacturer. There are also chemical softening processes which can be used, not dissimilar from the fabric softener you can buy for use at home from the supermarket.
If you're a lover of patterns and designs on fabric, spare a thought for the work that goes into creating them. Even simple striping requires a long process of dyeing, washing and drying, whilst the more complex designs may have to repeat this process hundreds of times over, depending on the number of colours used in the pattern. Even plain white or block colour has to be treated prior to being sold – most raw textiles, such as cotton and wool, come in dull browns, greys and off-white; meaning that to achieve the pristine white many people prefer, bleaching, washing and drying must be undertaken.
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