The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of some swelling agents with reduced water content on final properties of cotton fabrics. A single-step swelling of cotton in the reagent was used. There were selected properties generally used to characterize mercerized cotton that are technologically important, such as water retention, shrinkage, stiffness, crease recovery angle, and hand. Water retention method and dyeing with Cl Direct Red 81 have been used to compare the degree of swelling for different samples. Correlations have been established between structural changes induced by the swelling agents and final properties of cotton fabric. The mixtures of an alkali solution and an additive produced similar or better end-use properties as compared with classical sodium hydroxide or ammonia treatments, combining the action of a diluted alkali solution (3.13 mol/L NaOH or KOH) and a nonalkali reagent. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.