EN
A laboratory-scale study was performed for fostering an eco-friendly approach by substituting synthetic colorant with natural plant extracts as dye source in the presence of hard water (prepared from NaHCO₃, MgSO₄, CaSO₄, and KCl). The dyeing behavior of cotton fabric was analyzed using extract from Eucalyptus globulus and Curcuma longa. Alum and ferrous sulphate were used as mordanting agents to mitigate the hard water effect on dyeing properties. The color strength and fastness properties of dyed cotton were studied. The hard water badly affected the color properties of fabric dyed with natural dyes. Mordant lessened the adverse effects of hard water, but not satisfactorily. The sequestering agent proved to be significant in mitigating the negative effect of hard water on fabric dyeing. Moreover, water hardness also adversely affected the extraction of natural dyes from Eucalyptus globulus and Curcuma longa; however, dye exhaustion was improved by mordant and the sequestering agent. Results revealed that the negative impact of hard water on dyeing properties can be mitigated using a sequestering agent.