Serine and glycine are selected as coreactants to combine with dimethylol-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU). We found that the pore structures of DMDHEU-crosslinked cottons are changed. DMDHEU alone has lower values of equilibrium absorption, structural diffusion resistance constant, and rate constant, but higher value of activation energy than do DMDHEU-serine and DMDHEU-glycine. On the other hand, DMDHEU-serine has higher values of structural diffusion resistance constant and lower values of equilibrium absorption and rate constant than does DMDHEU-glycine; however, the hydroxyl group contained in serine has the higher affinity toward direct dye resulting in the decrease in the value of activation energy. The expansion patterns of cross section show that the degree of the expansion of the DNIDHEU-crosslinked fiber is lower than that of the DMDHEU-serine- and DMDHEU-glycinecrosslinked fibers. The distribution of crosslinking agents on the crosslinked fabrics reveals the slightly higher surface distribution of DMDHEU-serine and DMDHEU-glycine. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.