The better you maintain your cottons, the fresher they will look. Here are some tips
How can you pack cotton clothes so that they won't get all crumpled?
Cotton knit sweaters and tee-shirts can be rolled and placed in your suitcase to prevent wrinkling. Garments made from woven cotton fabrics such as button-down shirts and trousers should first be folded along their natural creases.
Then drape each garment across the suitcase so that the ends hang over the sides. Alternatively, put the top of each garment on the right and left side so that the thickness remains uniform. Next, fold each item around the other, alternating the overhang from right and left sides. By following the "inter-folding" method of packing, your clothes cushion each other and are less likely to get crumpled.
Does cotton clothing have to be dry cleaned?
Cotton is easily laundered at home, but some fabrics and garments may be dry cleaned instead. Watch out for: embossed designs, loose knit weaves that snag easily, delicate embellished fabrics, linings, shoulder pads and inner construction, special finishes that come out in the wash, and garments that require professional pressing and finishing, such as starched oxford shirts.
Why do cotton and wool shrink when you wash them?
There are two kinds of shrinkage. Progressive shrinkage occurs when the fibre itself shrinks. Wool fibre shrinks a little more each time it is washed, which is why wool is usually dry cleaned. Relaxation shrinkage is when the fabric shrinks. It is caused by the tension applied to yarns and fabrics during construction. The tension is released when the fabric is washed or steam pressed, causing it to shrink to its natural size. Most cotton fabric shrinkage occurs during the first wash.
What makes cotton wrinkle?
During wearing and cleaning, fabrics are temporarily distorted to accommodate the stress of use. If the fabric does not recover its original shape, the results are described as wrinkling. Untreated cotton fibres do not have a permanent memory.
Courtesy:
Cotton Council
