THE NECESSITY OF PRETREATMENT

THE NECESSITY OF PRETREATMENT Before the Action Begins TEXTILE pretreatment is described as the series of cleaning operations performed on the yarn or the cloth. Impurities that cause adverse effects during dyeing and printing are removed through the process of pretreatment. A term associated with the textile industry, pretreatment describes the process to which cloth is subjected before it can take further processing. Pretreatment processes include desizing, scouring, and bleaching of fabrics. In cotton, pretreatment is carried out in order to remove any inherent or added matter present in it, thereby improving its absorbency and whiteness. Mercerization is another such process that imparts properties of cotton, namely fibre strength and shrinkage resistance. It also enhances the accessibility and reactivity of cotton cellulose. These pretreatments, therefore, play a major role in subsequent dyeing, printing and finishing. In fact, it has been reported that 70 percent of all the defects occurring in dyedfinished fabrics may be attributed to the imperfect preparation of the base fabric. This principle of pretreatment is as integral and necessary in human affairs as it is in clothes. If we want our efforts to bear fruit, it is essential that we should take the correct preliminary steps before plunging headlong into difficult situations. Without the necessary moral preparation, all our steps will go awry, just like a cloth which is dyed without pretreatment. If journalism of decent standards is to thrive, it is essential that there should be industries to feed it. Independent journalism thrives and prospers when backed by industries. Thus, industrial backing is the pretreatment for the emergence of quality journalism. To concretize the power of votes in elections, unity is the first prerequisite. Without the pretreatment of electoral unity, voting power will be divided and it will fail to become a genuine political power capable of serving true social ends. If we want our efforts to bear fruit, it is essential that we should take the correct preliminary steps before plunging headlong into difficult situations. Without the necessary moral preparation, all our steps will go awry, just like a cloth which is dyed without pretreatment.