Many people love to wear clothes made of 100% polyester in their daily life. But! Most of us have a common question, does 100% polyester shrink? You have already found the answer in the title, but the key question is, how does it happen? If we know the reason behind it, many of us can improve the availability of our favorite polyester clothes for a long time to come.
One of the main reasons for the widespread acceptance of wearing polyester clothes is that they are easy to use, especially after washing. They automatically unfold without the need for ironing and do not form wrinkles. This is because polyester dries faster and does not leave any wrinkle marks compared to any other type of fabric.
Another reason for using polyester clothes in daily use is that you will hardly face any fading-related problems using high-quality materials. Not only limited to these, cloth made of polyester is also resistant to insect infestation and mildew compared to cotton.
What is polyester?
Polyester fibers are thermosensitive or thermoplastic. These are man-made fabrics made using synthetic or polyester fibers. They are also known as artificial polymers (polyethylene terephthalate, PET). The fiber is made from a mixture of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.
Polyester belongs to the class of polymers. These include naturally occurring chemicals found in insects and plants, as well as synthetics such as polybutyrate. Synthetic polymers are mainly used in the production of clothing. Most synthetic polyesters, except natural polyester, are not biodegradable.
100% polyester fabrics can be given decorative shapes and permanent pleats, and the patterns are cut with a laser. They are easy to clean due to their high stain resistance. Pure polyester clothing may generate static electricity.
Polyester clothing feels almost silky to the touch. The cloth is made from knitted or woven fibers. Its fabric is naturally bright and can be easily changed for various uses. 100% polyester is extremely flammable!
How to care for 100% polyester fabrics?
Here are some tips to take better care of polyester garments:-
- Avoid leaving polyester fabrics in overheated areas, otherwise the material will become hard and start to shrink.
- Keep your polyester garments away from oils as the fabric absorbs oils. Likewise, you need to be extra careful not to wash polyester with other clothes that are stained with oil or grease.
- For white garments, soaking in warm water with some automatic dishwasher detergent is required to whiten them.
- Low temperature dryer heat and cold water are best for protecting polyester from any risks.
- To be safe, avoid using a hot iron on damp polyester.
How to wash polyester materials regularly?
As we have discussed before, one of the properties of polyester fabrics is that they are resistant to shrinkage, however. In some cases, they fail. Therefore, you need to be more careful when washing 100% polyester to extend its life. Here are some helpful tips
- Do not wash polyester with harsh detergents.
- Soaking in hot water (especially 140°F) for too long can harm it.
- Never try to wring it out.
- Always dry it in a cool place, out of direct sunlight.
- Do not try to bleach it.
- Do not soak polyester materials for too long.
- Avoid using a hot dryer.
- Use only the wrong side of a cold iron.
- Stay away from the dryer.
How to clean polyester fabrics without causing damage?
The best practices for cleaning 100% polyester fabrics are
- Read the use and wash care instructions on the polyester garment label carefully.
- Soaking polyester fabrics for too long will cause them to age faster and deteriorate in appearance.
- Normal water (warm or cold) and mild detergents are best for washing.
- It is best to hand wash.
- Do not bleach.
- It is always best to wash polyester fabrics separately.
- If using a washing machine, make sure to wash on the gentle cycle.
- Hang polyester fabrics immediately after washing to smooth out their wrinkles.
- Air dry them naturally.
- If wrinkles still appear after natural drying, use a steam iron on the gentlest setting to iron the polyester material placed under the ironing cloth.
- When ironing polyester, iron from the inside out and do not let the fabric touch the ironing board to preserve its shine.
- Do not put polyester fabrics in the dryer multiple times to avoid wrinkles, which will save energy and time in ironing.
- Your iron may come with a polyester option in its settings. Otherwise, it is better to set it to nylon. This way, the iron will not deliver too much heat to the fabric, thus protecting your fabric. Thus, this process avoids the possibility of the fabric becoming hard, melting, and shrinking.
- Use ironing only if you do not have time to hang your polyester clothing during the cleaning process.
