The cationization of cotton fibers is emerging as an effective tool for solving the environmental problems associated with the dyeing of cotton fabrics with anionic dyes. In this study, the dyeing performance of cationizing agents (Rucomor Bur, Kemifix REA, Optifix F, and Optifix RSL) were examined, and we found that this method had better results compared with normal or existing methods of reactive dyeing. The dye-bath exhaustion and fixation were determined by the help of an ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectrophotometer on the basis of the maximum absorbance wavelength. Better fixation values were found with the cationizing process than with salty dyeing. The washing and rubbing fastness results were as the same as those of traditional dyeing. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 500-504, 2011