Four component anionic and non-ionic surfactant composition for single bath and single stage dyeing of textile fibers

A process for the single bath, single-stage dyeing of textile fibers in the presence of anionic and nonionic surfactants, comprising contacting said textile fibers at a temperature of from about 20 to about 95.degree. C. with an aqueous dye liquor containing per liter of liquor, from about 0.1 to about 2.0 g of surfactants selected from the group consisting of

• (a) C.sub.8-24 alkyl or C.sub.8-24 alkenyl alcohol sulfates, C.sub.14-18 alkane sulfonates, and C.sub.10-14 alkyl benzene sulfonates in the form of their alkali metal, ammonium or amine salts, and
• (b) castor oil containing about 20 to about 50 mols of ethylene oxide, alkoxylated C.sub.8-24 alkyl or alkenyl alcohols, and alkoxylated C.sub.8-12 alkylphenols;
• from about 0.05 to about 1.0 g sulfated hydroxyalkyl alkylpolyalkylene glycol ether corresponding to formula I ##STR7## in which R is a C.sub.1-6 alkyl radical, R.sup.1 is a C.sub.6-18 alkyl radical, M is an alkali metal or ammonium cation, n=2 or 3 and x is a number of about 2 to about 10;
• and from about 0.1 to about 2.0 g of C.sub.2-12 alkyl alcohol;
• wherein the ratio by weight of surfactants (a) to surfactants (b) is from about 5:1 to about 1:5, the ratio by weight of surfactants (a) and (b) to sulfated hydroxyalkyl alkylpolyalkylene glycol ether is from about 1:1 to about 4:1 and the ratio by weight of surfactants (a) and (b) and sulfated hydroxyalkyl alkylpolyalkylene glycol ethers to alkyl alcohol is from about 1:1 to about 5:1, and on completion of dyeing said fibers, aftertreating said fibers at a temperature in the range of from about 80.degree. to about 100.degree. C.