Dyeing of Wool and Cotton with Extract of the Nettle (Urtica dioica L.) Leaves

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the optimum dyeing conditions for wool and cotton fabrics with the nettle (Urtica dioica L.) extract. For this purpose, the leaves of the nettle were extracted with distilled water by using Soxhlet apparatus. Wool and cotton fabrics were pretreated with artificial animal urine system (AAUS) including NH₃ (3%, v/v), CaC₂O₄ (3%, m/v), and urea (3%, m/v) before dyeing processes in order to improve the fastness properties of the dyed samples. The best dyeing conditions were evaluated in terms of color strength. The results reveal that the nettle leaves shall probably be an important raw material especially for dyeing of wool fibers.

Keywords:

• dyeing
• fastness
• nettle
• Urtica dioica L.
• wool
• cotton