Cellulose Fibers

Cotton is made into fabric after first being cleaned, bleached, spun into
threads, and woven. The process is fairly complicated and is mostly done
by machine.
ADVANTAGES: It’s breathable, inexpensive,resists static, and it can
withstand high heat.
DISADVANTAGES: It’s prone to shrinking and stretching, it dries
slowly, and it isn’t wrinkle resistant.
Cotton can be washed in any water temperature, although higher
temperatures are better for getting stains out… but hot water can shrink
the fabric.
Linen is made of the fiber on a flax plant and is difficult to harvest,
contributing to its expense. It takes lots of chemicals and compacting to
turn it to fabric.
ADVANTAGES: It can keep you cool, and is really easy to clean.
Organic linen uses natural dyes,which are healthier for you and the
environment.
DISADVANTAGE: It can be really, really expensive Wash. your fabric
regularly, but make sure that you do not tumble dry them, as that can
cause permanent creasing
 Silk
ADVANTAGES: Is strong but lightweight, has a great luster, and is stain
resistant
DISADVANTAGES: Is very expensive, and it degrades over time-
making it hard to preserve.
It’s recommended that you hand wash silk,even if the label says that the
article is safe to machine wash. But if you do machine wash it.you NEED
to use the delicate cycle.
Wool
The first step in making wool fabric is shearing it from sheep, then its
quality is checked and it is prepared for spinning. The wool is spun into
long strands.Then the strands are woven into fabric.
ADVANTAGES: It holds moisture without feeling wet, plus it is a great
thermal insulator.
DISADVANTAGES: It can be scratchy and uncomfortable to wear, and
heat and moisture can cause it to felt.
Soak wool in cold water, and then gently rub out anywhere that needs
extra cleaning. You can wash it in the washing machine, but use cold
water, and air dry it.

Type of fiber Cellulose (%) Lignin (%) Hemicellulose (%) Pectin (%) Ash (%)

Fiber flax 71 2.2 18.6 – 20.6 2.3 –

Seed flax 43–47 21–23 24–26 – 5

Kenaf 31–57 15–19 21.5–23 – 2–5

Bast fiber
Jute 45–71.5 12–26 13.6–21 0.2 0.5–2

Hemp 57–77 3.7–13 14–22.4 0.9 0.8

Ramie 68.6–91 0.6–0.7 5–16.7 1.9 –

Kenaf 37–49 15–21 18–24 – 2–4

Core fiber
Jute 41–48 21–24 18–22 – 0.8

Abaca 56–63 7–9 15–17 – 3

Leaf fiber Sisal 47–78 7–11 10–24 10 0.6–1

Henequen 77.6 13.1 4–8 – –

Synthetic Material
 Nylon
Nylon is made by forcing molten nylon through very small holes in a
device called a spinneret. The streams of nylon harden into filament once
they come in contact with air.They are then wound onto bobbins. These
fibres are drawn stretched after they cool.Further treatment is usually
given to give it a different texture or bulk.
ADVANTAGES: Is versatile, has good wear resistance, and can handle
excessive temperatures.
DISADVANTAGES: It does not absorb water very well, and it lacks
dimensional stability.Wash nylons separate from other fabrics.
Use the cold water setting and cycle according to what the tag says on
your garment. When drying, only use the lowest temperature possible.
Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic fiber derived from coal, air, water, and petroleum.
Polyester fibers are formed from a chemical reaction between an acid and
alcohol. In this reaction, two or more molecules combine to make a large
molecule whose structure repeats throughout its length.
ADVANTAGES: It’s hard to stain, it holds its shape, and it
doesn’twrinkle.
DISADVANTAGES: It doesn’t absorb dyes, it doesn’t feel as soft as
cotton does, and it is highly shrinkable.You can wash polyester in your
washing machine with either cold or warm water, and then you can dry it
in your machine as well.
Acrylic
Acrylic can either be wet or dry spun. They use solvents to dissolve the
polymer and then solidify them for their spinning process.
ADVANTAGES: Retains color well, has a woollike texture, and is
resistant to wrinkling.
DISADVANTAGES: Relatively poor insulation,and it melts as it burns.
You should wash acrylic fabric either by hand, or have it dry cleaned.
Wash in warm water, then squeeze out excess water gently.
Rayon
Polyesters are generally manufactured from petroleum from which the
constituent acids and alcohols are derived. Once the polyester fiber is
ready it is used to make filament and spun yarns. The yarns can be
blended with other fibers to make various blended fabrics.
ADVANTAGES: Is environmentally friendly,more absorbent than cotton,
and can withstand high temperatures.
DISADVANTAGES: Wrinkles easily, is prone to shrinking, and the fabric
fades in the sun expoure.
Spandex
ADVANTAGES: Lightweight and comfortable to wear, resistant to
perspiration, has great elasticity, and is durable and strong.
DISADVANTAGES: Sticks to your body, doesn’t allow your skin to
breathe easily, and is sensitive to heat.
You can hand or machine wash spandex garments using warm water.
Tumble dry on low temperature setting.
Unless on the tag it says machine washable, either wash garment by hand,
or have dry cleaned. For hand washing use lukewarm water.
● Acetate is made from biodegrading and naturally occurring substances
especially wood shaving. It is one of the man-made fabrics and has an
appearance almost same to silk. It is one of the most versatile of
fabrics and can resist wrinkling.
ADVANTAGES: Has a silky look to it, and a luxurious feel.
DISADVANTAGES: The dyes can fade or bleed, is heat sensitive, and is
a relatively weak fiber.You should hand wash acetate garments with
warm water and only a light-duty detergent. Line dry- don’t dry in dryer.

Advantages of Synthetic Fibers.

Synthetic fibers are more durable than most natural fibers and will readily pick-up
different dyes. In addition, many synthetic fibers offer consumer-friendly functions
such as stretching, waterproofing and stain resistance. Sunlight, moisture, and oils
from human skin cause all fibers to break down and wear away. Natural fibers tend to
be much more sensitive than synthetic blends. This is mainly because natural products
are biodegradable. Natural fibers are susceptible to larval insect infestation; synthetic
fibers are not a good food source for fabric-damaging insects.
Compared to natural fibers, many synthetic fibers are more water resistant and stain
resistant. Some are even specially enhanced to withstand damage from water or stains.
Some fabrics are also designed to stretch in specific ways, which makes them more
comfortable to wear.
Cotton production is resource intensive: it takes significant amounts of water to farm
cotton. Wool producing sheep also need water and grazing land in order to survive.
Thus it is claimed by some that although synthetic fiber production does involve some
carbon emissions, the environmental footprint of many fibers is much lower.

Disadvantages
A device for spinning Viscose Rayon dating from 1901

Most of synthetic fibers' disadvantages are related to their low melting temperature:

 Synthetic fibers do not burn more readily than natural.

 Prone to heat damage. Melt relatively easily.

 Prone to damage by hot washing.

 More electrostatic charge is generated by rubbing than with natural fibers.

 Not skin friendly, so it is uncomfortable for long wearing.

 Allergenic to some people.

 Non-biodegradable in comparison to natural fibers.

Proteins Fibres

 Natural protein fibres are of animal origin. These are those fibres in which the
fundamental chemical structure is composed of amino-acids joined in poly
peptide chain. All protein fibres comprise the elements, carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, and nitrogen. Wool comprises sulphur as well. In each protein fibre
these elements are combined in diverse arrangements. As a result properties of
the various protein fibres may show some striking differences.
 However, these share so many of common properties –
 Strength: Except silk, tend to be weaker than cellulose fibres and they are
weaker when wet than dry. Therefore they have to be handled attentively.
During washing wool looses 40% of its strength.
 Density and specific gravity: Their density and specific gravity tend to be
lower than that of cellulose. Fabrics made from these strands are felt lighter in
weight than comparable fabrics made from cellulose.
 Resiliency: These strands have greater resiliency than cellulosic. They are
more resistant to wrinkling and hold their shape.
 Thermo chemical properties: These strands do not burn easily. When set a
flame they may extinguish themselves. Burned strands smell like burning hair,
flesh or feathers. They form a black crushable ash.
 Heat resistant properties: These strands tend to be destroyed by dry heat.
Wool becomes harsh, brittle and scorches readily with dry heat. It should be
ironed as in the case of silk, with a press cloth or steam. White silk and wool
turn yellow. They need lower ironing temperature than cotton and linen, with
recommended temperatures around 5000F.
 Hydroscopic nature: These strands have excellent moisture absorbency and
they absorb extra moisture at the saturation point.
 Therefore they are easy in wet damp climate though they tend to be warmer
than cellulose fibres. Moisture prohibits brittleness in carpets.
 Static electricity: They are poor conductors and hence build up static charge,
so the resulting yarns and fabrics tend to be release much static electricity,
although this problem is subsided in presence of moisture.
 Alkali: Natural protein strands have poor resistance to alkalis and can be
dissolved in 5% solution of NaOH at low boiling point. When washing neutral
or little alkaline soap or detergent should be utilized. Perspiration weakens the
strands.
 Bleaching: Chlorine bleaches destroy fibre and therefore should not be used.
Fabrics can be bleached safety with hydrogen peroxide.
 Sunlight: Sunlight discolors fabrics made from protein fibres, turning yellow
after extended exposure. Although wool has better resistance to sunlight than
cotton, it will degrade prolonged exposure to sunlight.