Scouring and bleaching
Scouring is a hot alkaline wash that strips sizing, spinning oils and natural cotton waxes from greige cloth so it wets out evenly. Bleaching then oxidises the residual yellow-brown pigments to give a uniform white. Together they turn greige into an absorbent, dimensionally settled RFD base.
Skipping or under-doing this step is the usual cause of patchy dyeing, uneven shade and poor absorbency. Bleaching can be full white or a half-bleach for a natural look. An optical brightener may be added for a bright white, but is left out for RFD destined for dyeing because it shifts the final shade.
When you order from a mill
Our RFD is scoured and fully bleached without optical brightener so it dyes and prints predictably. Ask for half-bleach or a specific whiteness index if your product needs it.