A method for the treatment of wool garments with ozone gas to control and inhibit their felting and shrinkage during their subsequent industrial finishing process and/or domestic washing care, and a wool garment treated with said method. The method includes wetting the garments and treating the garments inside the interior of a rotative tumbler for a time period of between 15 and 60 minutes at ambient temperature with ozone gas, the ozone gas being at a concentration in air of between 20 g ozone/Nm.sup.3 and 150 g ozone/Nm.sup.3, where the rotative tumbler which contains the garments is rotated at a speed of between 10 rounds/min and 25 rounds/min. The method is improved by adding treating the garments with enzymes.

A method for the treatment of wool garments with ozone gas to control and inhibit their felting and shrinkage during their subsequent industrial finishing process and/or domestic washing care, and a wool garment treated with said method. The method includes wetting the garments and treating the garments inside the interior of a rotative tumbler for a time period of between 15 and 60 minutes at ambient temperature with ozone gas, the ozone gas being at a concentration in air of between 20 g ozone/Nm.sup.3 and 150 g ozone/Nm.sup.3, where the rotative tumbler which contains the garments is rotated at a speed of between 10 rounds/min and 25 rounds/min. The method is improved by adding treating the garments with enzymes.

An apparatus for desizing and/or shrinking a textile fabric, the textile fabric having a length and a width, the method including moving, lengthwise, the fabric, and wetting the fabric within a first pool of liquid, the first pool of liquid including water; passing the fabric through a chamber, and in the chamber contacting the fabric with at least one heatable roller heated at a treatment temperature; soaking the fabric with a main pool of liquid, the main pool of liquid including water; and treating the fabric with ozone. The apparatus includes a first module for wetting the fabric, a second module with a heatable roller for heating the fabric, a third module for soaking the fabric, and fourth module for treating the fabric with ozone. The second module may optionally be integrated with the first module.

Provided are a bleaching method capable of bleaching the color of a fiber product without the use of a high-temperature treatment or a chemical, and a bleaching apparatus for use in the bleaching method. The present invention provides a bleaching method comprising the step of irradiating a colored fiber with light comprising a wavelength of 360 to 600 nm in the presence of oxygen.

Provided are a bleaching method capable of bleaching the color of a fiber product without the use of a high-temperature treatment or a chemical, and a bleaching apparatus for use in the bleaching method. The present invention provides a bleaching method comprising the step of irradiating a colored fiber with light comprising a wavelength of 360 to 600 nm in the presence of oxygen.