Methods to treat various kinds of fabrics.
Fabrics are merely of 2 kinds; natural and synthetic. Natural fabrics such as wool, cotton, silk, and linen are made from animal coats, cotton-plant seed pods, fibres from silkworms. Synthetic fabrics such as nylon,spandex, rayon, polyester, and acrylic are man-made. Although these were fabrics categorised in 2 main categories, we can further analyse the fabrics in depth with details.
These fabrics differ in a number of ways, such as:
1. Warmth:Wool is particularly warm because the fibers have little crimps in them. These create pockets of air in the material that help to insulate.
2. Breathability:Cotton “breathes”, which means when used as clothing it allows air to circulate to your skin. Many people prefer 100% cotton to polyester blends because of the breathability factor.
3. Strength:Linen, spandex, and polyester are all quite strong and durable.
4. Dying Properties: Linen, for example, is a good fabric to dye because the colour sets well and won’t fade much.
5. Softness / Scratchiness: Many types of wool, of course, are quite itchy (due to the crimps in the fibres), and cotton and silk are known for their softness.
6. Properties when wet: “Absorbent” cotton will retain 24%-2%7 of its own weight in water and is stronger when wet than dry.
7. Lustre: This property is what makes silk so desirable. Rayon is a man-made substitute than can look similar.
8. Elasticity: A lot of synthetic fabrics are very elastic. This means you can stretch them and they will “bounce back” to their original shape. Spandex was developed with this property in mind. Nylon, which is used in hosiery, is also very stretchy.
We wear different types of fabrics every day, but chances are that we don’t know what they are, or even how to take care of them. Good fabrics are worth nothing if not cleaned or maintained properly, and improper care could be a waste of money. Clothing, after all, is and should be treated as an investment.
Proper care for the different clothes in your wardrobe can help keep them looking their best and prolong their use.
Here are the different kinds of fabrics and how to take care of them:
Cotton
Most cotton fabrics are “pre-shrunk”, which makes them highly durable. Cotton garments can be machine-washed with any detergent. As with any fabric, reserve bleach for whites. If bleach is needed for coloured clothing, use colour-safe bleach as much as possible.
Machine-wash in cold or warm water with all-purpose detergent and line dry in shade to avoid yellowing. For white cotton, wash with bleach on a hot water setting. Then leave it to dry in direct sunlight if the stain has completely vanished.
Synthetics
Synthetic fabrics don’t have the risk of shrinkage unlike more delicate fabrics and are resistant to water-based stains. However, friction makes them conducive to static electricity.
Polyester, considered the “wonder fibre” of the 20th century, makes for durable, easy-to-wash garments that come in a wide variety of colours. Most polyester fabrics can be machine-washed in warm water, but be sure to iron on low heat to keep the fibres from melting.
Another synthetic widely used today is spandex, an elastic fibre used in a lot of sportswear because of its flexibility and its resistance to wear and tear due to friction. Be sure to avoidbleach and hot water when washing spandex fabrics. Once the fabrics are washed, let them dry on their own, not in direct sunlight. After having dried them, they are free to be used.
Rayon
Rayon is a textile made from wood pulp and is treated with chemicals, which makes it a semi-synthetic fabric.
While cool and comfortable, rayon has the drawback of losing its crispness, as well as bleed and/or shrink, when laundered.
Consider hand-washing in cold water with mild detergent if dry-cleaning is not an option. Air dry and iron when slightly damp.
Linen
This is an example of natural fabric, this time made from flax. Usually used in curtains. Linen is a surprisingly light and breezy fabric that keeps you cool in hot weather, and, like cotton, is machine-washable.
Clean linens in warm water with chlorine-free bleach and hang to dry. Using the medium heat setting on the dryer is also a good option for drying this fabric. It is also the easiest fabric to wash.
Cashmere
Cashmere makes for some of the most comfortable sweaters and scarves, as this fabric is made of a natural fibre woven from goat hair.
Dry-clean cashmere as much as possible. If this is not an option, consider hand-washing with baby shampoo. Ironing or machine-drying can ruin cashmere, and wringing can loosen the weave.
Never hang cashmere scarves or sweaters. Instead, fold them to make sure they retain their shape.
Silk
Silk feels exquisite but is quite delicate to handle and difficult to clean. This natural fibre is among one of the world’s oldest textiles and clothing materials, and the fibre is in itself washable.
However, silk is difficult to clean because of the many fabric weaves that may tighten when washed. When washing silk, be sure to follow the garment labels. This fabric too needs to be dry-cleaned as much as possible. If hand-washing is an available option, use products formulated especiallyfor delicate fabrics.
To dry silk garments, roll them in a towel to press out the moisture and hang to dry like the old school methods. Press with a warm iron to bring back to shape.
Wool
Natural wool is woven from animal fur, which is a great natural insulator and really easy to dye into many different colours.
Wool fabrics can be a crossed between rugged tweeds and wool challis, and sometimes both weaves are incorporated in certain clothing. Wool knits need to be dry-cleaned but may be hand-washable in cool water depending on the label.
Garments made of lined wool look best when dry-cleaned once a month. Be sure to remove the surface soil with the help of a damp cloth and refresh by hanging from a padded hanger.
This was a list of methods that you could follow with caution, and get rid of the stains from your fabrics without any fret. Although it is advised to keep the fabrics washed or dry-cleaned at least once a month. Or you could simply contact Dhobi G online laundry service and we will surely and responsibly wash/dry-clean those stains for you. We will pick your laundry from your place and post service, deliver it right at your doorstep, at reasonable prices. Contact Dhobi G, details on the official website.