Textiles and Clothing
Textiles and clothing tests fibre classification, the property that explains a fabric's behaviour, identification tests, and correct laundering. Marks are lost by treating every plant fibre alike or by calling rayon a synthetic.
Classification
- Natural: vegetable/cellulosic (cotton, linen, jute, coir), animal/protein (wool, silk), mineral (asbestos).
- Man-made: regenerated (viscose rayon, acetate - cellulose raw material, chemically processed), synthetic (polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex), inorganic (glass, metallic). Rayon is man-made but not synthetic; this distinction is a classic one-mark question.
Behaviour follows chemistry
Cotton: absorbent, stronger wet, conducts heat, wrinkles, shrinks, damaged by mildew and strong acids. Linen: strong, crisp, poor elasticity, wrinkles badly. Wool: warm, elastic, felts on agitation in hot water, harmed by alkali and chlorine bleach, attacked by moths. Silk: lustrous, strong, harmed by sunlight, perspiration and strong detergent - use mild soap. Polyester and nylon: strong, quick-drying, thermoplastic, low absorbency, melt under a hot iron.
Identification
Burning test: cotton and viscose smell of burning paper with grey ash; wool and silk smell of burning hair with a crushable black bead; polyester and nylon melt into a hard bead.
Finishes and laundry
Permanent finishes - mercerisation, sanforisation, crease resistance; temporary - starching, calendering. Launder protein fibres in lukewarm water with neutral soap, dry in shade, iron at low heat; cellulosic fibres tolerate hot water and a hot iron; synthetics need low iron heat.
Worked example
A woollen sweater shrank after hot water, detergent and rubbing. Reasoning: wool is a scaled protein fibre; heat, alkali and agitation cause felting and shrinkage. Remedy: lukewarm water, mild soap, no rubbing, flat drying in shade; the damage is largely irreversible.
Traps
"Rayon equals synthetic"; washing silk in hot water; chlorine bleach on wool; assuming every white fabric can be boiled.