Softening and colouring textile materials by dyeing or printing involves a treatment of the material, e.g. before or during dyeing, with an amino sugar such as chitosan, or a ring compound having the form ring-CH2-ring, or complexes of an amino sugar with such a ring compound or with an anionic compound, an amphoteric compound, a nonionic or polar compound or a neutral electrolyte, or with an amino sugar and a cationic compound. The treatment gives improved results with dyeing and with reactive dyes produces washfast colouring of polyester/cotton blends, of polypropylene and polyethylene and even glass, metals and ceramics. |