Soaping agent used in textiles after dyeing or printing was the earliest soap, which was named as soaping. Because soap is not resistant to hard water and is prone to staining problems, it is gradually replaced by a mixture of detergent or other compounds of surfactants.

The cleaning agent composed of surface mars agent has greatly improved the washing effect in the printing and dyeing textile industry, but the anti-staining and anti-fouling effect is not ideal enough. Especially when soaping the tissues, the staining problem of white or light-colored parts easily occurs, which affects the quality of products. Therefore, a more professional soaping agent appears. These special soaping agents are generally composed of surfactants with high affinity for fuel, antifouling agents and inorganic salts. Polyoxyethylene non-ionic surfactants have high affinity for fuels, so they can retard dyeing only when dyeing. Surfactants in soaping agents should be based on these surfactants. Anti-re-staining agents are mostly polymer textile auxiliaries, such as polyacrylic acid derivatives  while silicates and phosphates act as synergists.