Care, Repair, Alteration and Recycling of Textiles
The final domain tests everyday textile knowledge: reading care symbols, choosing wash and iron conditions, mending, altering and reusing old cloth. A common question gives a fabric and asks for the washing and ironing method with reasons.
Care symbols and washing
- Tub = washing, triangle = bleaching, square = drying, iron = ironing, circle = dry cleaning.
- Cotton: hot wash, hot iron around 200 degrees Celsius. Silk and wool: cold or lukewarm water, mild detergent, no wringing, dry in shade. Polyester: warm wash, low iron.
- Bleach only where the triangle permits; never bleach silk or wool.
Storage
- Wash and dry before storing, because stains set with time.
- Neem leaves or naphthalene with woollens; silica gel in damp weather; fold knits rather than hanging them.
Repair, alteration and recycling
- Darning for holes, patching for tears, re-stitching buttons and hems.
- Alteration: taking in at side seams, letting down a hem, shortening sleeves.
- Recycling: old sarees become bags, quilts and cushion covers; worn shirts become children's wear; denim becomes aprons.
Worked example
A woollen cardigan has a moth hole at the elbow. Darn it with matching wool, not cotton thread. Reasoning: wool stretches with the garment, so a cotton darn would pucker and pull away at the first wearing; the darn is worked over a support and pressed under a damp cloth to blend it.
Traps that cost marks
- A hot iron on polyester, which glazes and melts the surface.
- Bleaching silk or wool.
- Storing unwashed clothes so stains become permanent.
- Hanging knitted garments, which stretches them out of shape.