What fabrics shrink easily after washing?

The simplest and most commonly used cleaning method for all types of fibre fabrics is water washing. During the washing process, water has an effect on the strength and various physical properties of clothing fibres. Clothes of different types, styles, the selection of different fibre materials, water after a variety of different properties of the strength of fibres and their physical properties of the change also exists a great difference. In this article, we will start from the physical properties of fibres to sort out the reasons for the common problem of ‘shrinkage’ in the washing process.

I. Common types of fabric fibres:

1. Cotton fibre

Cotton fibre expands when exposed to water, the elongation rate of about 4% or so, so cotton fabrics in water than when drying the volume increases, and wet strength is slightly higher than when drying, about 2% or so, this time the use of washing is more favourable. Cotton fibre fabrics have a high rate of moisture return, comfortable to wear, soft to the touch, but the high hygroscopicity of cotton fibre fabrics for microbial growth and reproduction to create the conditions for microbial destruction of cellulose by the microbial decline in strength, the stability of alkali is also greatly reduced.

2. Hemp fibre

Hemp fibre expansion in contact with water, the strength of the increase, but the expansion of the change is too large (about 22% elongation), a little careless in the washing process that may make the fabric deformation out of shape. But its waterproof and corrosion resistance than cotton, not easy to microbial infestation.

3. Silk fibre

Silk fibre in contact with water is not only a decline in strength, but also because of its fabric fibre friction between small, unstable with each other solid. In addition, silk fibre fabrics are generally poor dyeing fastness, so the washing should not be too fine rubbing, should be a big carry washing. Otherwise, it is not only easy to deformation out of shape, but also cause damage to the colour and lustre.

Silk fibre has good moisture absorption properties, comfortable to wear. However, Quercus silk is very easy to produce water stains, so wear and use, especially after cleaning and ironing, should try to avoid splashing water droplets.

4. Wool fibre

Wool fibre swells when exposed to water, the tensile strength decreases (about 14%), and under the rubbing effect of external forces, the wool fibres of the fabric fibres are entangled with each other and felted more tightly, which results in the reduction of the size of the wool fibre fabrics in all directions, and the increase of the thickness and density of the fabrics, which produces a more obvious shrinkage and deformation.

Moreover, wool fibre is quite sensitive to alkali, however, most of the current water-based washing materials are mostly alkaline, so pure wool fibre fabrics should try to avoid washing.

Wool fibre hygroscopicity is good, even if the water content of up to 30%, the hand touch also has no wet feeling, so wool fibre fabric collection before storage, should be kept clean and dry to avoid microbial erosion.

5. Viscose fibre

This kind of fabrics in water quickly expand, become thick and hard, but its strength is only dry about 50%, so viscose fibre fabrics should not be rubbed when washing to avoid deformation, breakage. Its moisture absorption is good, comfortable to wear, but easy to produce wrinkles and deformation, poor clothing conformity.

6. Chemical synthetic fibre

Common clothing using chemical fibres generally low moisture absorption rate, so water does not swell, do not shrink, washing is not easy to produce shrinkage deformation, washing, wearable performance is good. However, it is because of their low moisture absorption rate, which is easy to produce static electricity, easy to appear entangled body, adsorption of dust, not heat dissipation, easy to produce melting holes in case of sparks and other phenomena.

II. Different fabric fibres show different changes when exposed to water

Common clothing fibre materials in the spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing processes such as the production process, are subject to a certain degree of mechanical stretch, these mechanical tensile forces make the fibre yarns and textiles more or less elongated, thus forming a potential shrinkage stress. This potential shrinkage stress, in the clothing material after moisture absorption, will be elongated part of all or part of the contraction back, thus forming the fabric ‘shrinkage phenomenon’.

For example, some fibers meet water tensile strength decline: wool and mulberry silk fibers down about 14%, viscose fibers down as much as 53% or so; while some fibers meet water tensile strength is improved: cotton fibers to improve about 2%, hemp fibers to improve about 5% or so.

In addition, the fabric fibers are wetted by water, its stretch performance changes are also very large, such as mulberry silk elongation of about 46%, viscose fibre elongation of about 35%, hemp fibre elongation of about 22%, wool fibre elongation of about l2%, only the cotton fibre changes are small, only elongation of about 4% or so. To this end, understand these changes, master the different texture fibres in contact with water performance changes in the law, is to ensure that the quality of clothing cleaning basis.

Changes of common fabric fibres in water

It is not difficult to find that the textile clothing materials used in common garments have a certain degree of shrinkage. This is not only affected by the characteristics of the textile fibres themselves, but also with the production process of spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing of clothing materials. In general, the warp direction of the textile shrinkage is greater than the weft direction, and the more hygroscopic the fibre, the greater its shrinkage rate, the worse the hygroscopicity, the smaller the shrinkage rate.

Due to the different fibres made of clothing material shrinkage rate is different, so in the clothing cleaning and maintenance and even in sewing clothing, we must give full consideration to the shrinkage of clothing material, in order to take appropriate measures to make the clothing in the cleaning and maintenance process as far as possible not to deform shrinkage or less deformation shrinkage!

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