This study examined the possibility of using glyoxal and chitosan in one-step finishing to impart both durable press performance and antibacterial efficacy on cotton fabrics. Glyoxal treatment provided good wrinkle resistant property and fair antibacterial activity on the finished fabrics, but the loss of breaking strength retention of the finished fabrics was a main problem of this treatment. Chitosan added in the combination of glyoxal and chitosan system also provided comparable results in wrinkle resistant and antibacterial properties on the finished fabrics as the glyoxal did. The advantage of chitosan in the combination of glyoxal and chitosan system was the improvement of the breaking strength retention of the finished fabrics without affecting the durable press property of the finished fabrics. However, the yellowing of the finished fabric was still a problem when the finished fabrics were treated with the combination of glyoxal and chitosan system.