Care, Maintenance and Sustainability of Textile Products
This domain covers laundering, stain removal, storage and the environmental impact of textiles. The exam tests whether you can match care to fibre properties and explain practical sustainability without vague claims.
Core rules
- Always read the care label first. Sort by colour, fibre and soil level; use the correct temperature, detergent and cycle.
- Cotton tolerates hot washing and strong detergent but may shrink. Wool needs cool hand washing, mild detergent and flat drying; heat and agitation cause felting. Silk needs gentle washing or dry cleaning and no chlorine bleach. Polyester is heat-sensitive and can retain oil odours.
- Chlorine bleach damages wool, silk and many synthetics. Hot ironing can glaze or melt synthetics.
- Treat stains promptly: blot liquids, scrape solids, test chemicals on a hidden area, and use cold water for protein stains such as blood or egg.
- Sustainability means durability, repair, reuse, recycling and reduced water, energy and chemical use. Microfibre shedding, overproduction and short garment life are major concerns.
Worked example
A wool sweater label says hand wash cold, do not bleach, dry flat, cool iron. Washing it in hot water with vigorous agitation would felt the wool because the scales on wool fibres interlock under heat and friction. Chlorine bleach would damage the protein fibre. Flat drying prevents stretching under the weight of water. Reasoning: match the care action to wool’s protein composition and felting behaviour.
Traps that cost marks
Do not use chlorine bleach on wool or silk. Do not tumble-dry wool or heat-sensitive synthetics. Do not use hot water on protein stains, which can set them. Do not treat “natural” as automatically sustainable; water use, processing and durability also matter.
Key idea
Correct care extends product life, and longer useful life is one of the most effective sustainability measures.