Ever wondered what the fabric care tags on soft furnishing actually meant? What is acetate anyway? Learn how to identify fabric types including acetate, acrylic, cotton, linen, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, satin, velvet, denim, felt, flannel, microfiber, and much more. Find out what fabric types you have in order to learn to care for your fabrics more effectively.
Cotton
Cotton is probably one of the most common fabrics you're likely to have in your home as clothing. Cotton is a natural fiber and is used in a wide variety of clothing and home furnishings. Cotton is easily washed and/or dry cleaned. Cotton is a good strong fabric that is absorbent, and easy to work with. Cotton has a tendency to wrinkle very easily, so cotton/polyester blends began to be popular. Many people prefer the year-round "breathing" and lack of pilling of one hundred percent cotton.
Polyester
Polyester is a strong and durable synthetic fabric. Polyester dries quickly and can be washable or dry clean only, so check your tags. Polyester is often used as a blend with other fabrics to lend wrinkle resistance. It is not the easiest fabric to remove stains from, and doesn't breathe as well as other fabrics may.
Linen
Linen is a natural fiber that is very strong and comfortable. Linen can be hand washed and/or dry clean only. It irons nicely to a nice crisp fabric. Linen is often used for tablecloths, sheets, and curtains. Linen also has a nice comfortable shape and feel that make it a popular choice for clothing.
Nylon
Nylon is a synthetic fabric that is strong and lightweight. Nylon is easy to wash and take care of. Because nylon resists absorbing moisture and dries easily, it is often used for swimwear and activewear.
Acrylic
Acrylic is a synthetic or manufactured fiber that is both soft and lightweight. It dries easily and is machine washable. Acrylics are popular because of their ability to retain their shape and texture after washing and drying, however they can pill easily. Static cling also happens frequently with acrylics.
Acetate
Acetate is a synthetic or manufactured fiber with a silky luxurious appearance. It dries easily and resists absorbing moisture. Most acetate fabrics will need to be dry cleaned for their care. Some newer pieces of clothing are being made with acetate knits. Some of these newer pieces are able to be washed. Acetate is a frequently used fabric in clothing and home furnishing uses.
Rayon
Rayon is a soft and comfortable fabric that absorbs well and has few static and pilling problems. Rayon can have problems with shrinking. There are both dry clean only and washable rayon fabrics on the market today. The only difference in these rayon fabrics is their finishing stages. Watch care labels closely to know what type your clothing is. Although rayon has many characteristics that make it a great fabric, it can also be easily ruined by disregarding care labels.
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