Color, Fastness, and Antimicrobial Properties of Wool Fabrics Dyed with Helichrysum Arenarium Subsp. Aucheri Extract

Natural dyestuffs are evaluated as innovative natural sources to color the fabric and give antibacterial properties in the textile industry. In this study, methanol extracts of Helichrysum arenarium subsp. aucheri were used as natural sources in wool fabric dyeing. Aluminum potassium sulfate (KAl(SO4)2.12H2O), copper sulfate (CuSO4.5H2O), and iron sulfate (FeSO4.7H2O) metal salts were used in the pre-mordanting process. The dyeing process was carried out in mordant and non-mordant fabrics at 25% and 50% concentrations. In this experiment, fastness values are ranked between medium and good grades. The point that should be especially emphasized is that the un-mordanted and dyed samples’ fastness values are acceptable. The disc diffusion method was applied to determine the antibacterial effect of extracts against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. The methanol extract obtained from the ultrasonic water bath has shown the most powerful antibacterial effect against S. aureus ATCC 25923 with a 15.8 zone diameter. The dyed wool fabrics demonstrated excellent antimicrobial activity (reduction rates: w38.4e100) against two different bacteria according to AATCC 100 method.