Synthesis of nano silver on cellulosic denim fabric producing yellow colored garment with antibacterial properties

•Concurrent antibacterial finishing and discoloration of denim garment.•Reduction of indigo and silver nitrate by glucose in the alkali media.•Application of a conventional garment washing machine.•No adverse effects (low toxicity) on human dermal fibroblasts by treated garment. In this study, an aged-look denim fabric with antibacterial property was prepared in one single step process. For this purpose, the simultaneous antibacterial finishing and discoloration of denim fabric was carried out through reduction of indigo dye and silver nitrate by glucose in alkaline media using a conventional garment washing machine. The uniform distribution of silver nanoparticles on the fiber surface was confirmed by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The treated fabrics were also characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Due to the color changes during the process, the color coordinates of the treated samples were also measured. Findings suggest the potential of the proposed method in producing old-look denim fabric with desirable yellow appearance and reasonable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with low toxicity for human.