Abstract: A treating agent for cellulosic textile materials includes a water-soluble phosphonium salt of phosphorus-containing oxoacid and polycarboxylic acid as active ingredients, and a process of treating cellulosic textile materials uses the treating agent. The treating agent eliminates the necessity of the use of a substance releasing formaldehyde during wash and wear treatment and enables non-formaldehyde wash and wear treatment, and the cellulosic textile material treated by the treating agent is completely free from formaldehyde, retains enough of the strength thereof, and undergoes neither discoloration nor fibrillation.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an agent and a method of treating wool fibers using the agent which contains as an active ingredient, one or more water-soluble organic phosphine compounds selected from the group comprising hydroxyalkylphosphines expressed by the following formula: ##STR1## (wherein R.sup.1 denotes a hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms and R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each denotes an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms) and derivatives thereof such as alkylene oxide addition products, phosphonium salts and quaternary phosphonium compounds thereof.