PURPOSE: To perform antibacterial dyeing of cotton in high. safety and durability by immersing cotton in a dyeing bath of a vegetable dye of an antibacterial medicinal herb and mordanting the dyed product, thereby carrying out the antibacterial treatment simultaneously with the dyeing treatment.

CONSTITUTION: Cotton is immersed under heating in a dyeing bath containing preferably 0.01-3wt.% (based on the cotton) of a vegetable dye liquid having antibacterial property and extracted from medicinal herbs such as Bengal madder, KOGANE-BANA (Scutellaria baicalensis) and gall-nut, the dye is fixed with a mordant (e.g. chromium acetate) and the dyed cotton is washed with a cationic or nonionic detergent to obtain dyed cotton having durable antibacterial property. The cotton is suitable as a material for towel, bed sheets, underwear, etc.