What is cotton? Discover what advantages Cotton fabric has?

Cotton is a very popular fabric today, and when it comes to it, we all know about this material. But not everyone knows the origin and characteristics of cotton fabric. Let’s find out in detail through the article below.

What is cotton fabric?

Learn about cotton fabric

Cotton fabric is a natural fabric made from the main raw material cotton fiber and chemicals. With many advantages such as: good sweat absorption, ventilation, effective abrasion resistance, easy to dye and resistant to the penetration of stains and mold. Raw materials for production are abundant and available from nature. So cotton fabric is used a lot in the garment industry, with key products such as blankets, pillows, clothes… Besides, it also promotes the development of the agricultural industry today.

Source

Since ancient times, when the farming industry developed, cotton was grown widely and popularly. People collect cotton, then use it to spin and weave fabric to make clothes.

To this day, science and technology have developed, and the textile industry has also been heavily technologicalized. People used cotton fibers through chemical treatment. With features such as: reducing fabric rot and mold. From there, cotton fabric was formed, and has become popular today.

Cotton fabric production process

Harvesting cotton fibers and sorting

The cotton fiber harvesting process takes place in 3 phases

Normally the cotton harvest season will fall in November-December of the year.

Phase 1: autumn or the cotton balls at the base have bloomed.

Phase 2: after 1 – 15 days, take the cotton balls from the middle part of the plant.

Phase 3: harvest all the bloomed cotton balls at the top of the tree.

After harvesting, the cotton fiber will be classified; if the quality is not guaranteed, it will be discarded. The remaining quality cotton fibers will be dried in a clean, cool and free of impurities place.

Refining cotton fiber

This is an important process in the production of cotton yarn. Refining cotton fiber is the step of removing other impurities in the fiber, separating and cleaning the fiber. As follows:

After drying the cotton fibers, the factories will transport them back for refining. Cotton is torn gently, helping to separate the fibers but still ensuring that the quality of the single fibers is not affected.

Then the cotton fibers are put into the boiler to cook and filter many times, to remove some impurities such as nitrogen, pectin, organic acids or natural colors.

Dissolving and spinning

After being refined, cotton fiber will turn into liquid and will be dissolved with a special solution to form a mixture. This mixture is put into the spinning machine and pressed through small holes to gradually stretch to form cotton fibers.

Weaving

This is the chemical treatment of cotton fabric. The weft and warp threads will be woven to form fabrics.

During the weaving process, the fabrics continue to be polished so that the cotton fibers swell, increasing the water absorption and color retention of the dyed fibers. Next will be bleaching the fabric to make the fabric lose its natural color, remove grease stains and have the required whiteness to enter the fabric dyeing process.

Dyeing cloth

Is the final process to perfect cotton fabric. The fabric fibers will be treated with dyes and solutions of organic additives to make the fabric easy to color.

The fabric dyeing process uses synthetic dyes and many other auxiliary chemicals to facilitate the color of the dye. After each dyeing session, the fabric will be washed many times. To separate compounds, fabric fibers, and dirt still clinging to the fabric surface.

Drugs for dyeing fabrics

Finally, the fabric will be subjected to a fabric washing phase to soften the fabric, increase durability, prevent shrinkage, color fading… of the fabric. So we have soft, standard cotton fabrics.

Advantages and disadvantages of cotton fabric

Every type of fabric will have advantages and disadvantages, find out what the advantages and disadvantages of cotton fabric are.

Advantage of fabric fiber

Bringing a cool and comfortable feeling to the wearer because of its high moisture absorption and good absorbency, Cotton is often used to produce men’s underwear and women’s underwear.

High durability, quick drying when washed, can be used in the same washing machine and can be used with detergents

The price of cotton fabric is cheaper than other types of fiber blends, because the raw materials are easy to find and available.

Disadvantages of fabric fiber

100% cotton is quite stiff so it is suitable for men to use. And the price of this 100% cotton fabric is quite high, so it is not really popular with everyone. To overcome this, people use cotton mixed with Spandex fibers to make the fabric softer. Suitable for women, and the price is not too high.

Properties of fabric fibers

Physical properties

Soft and smooth so it easily wrinkles when rubbing or wringing clothes.

Chemical properties

When burned, cotton fabric lasts a long time, does not smell like plastic, but evaporates like wood when burned. The charcoal will be pink in color, and when the astringency is gone, squeeze it and it will feel smooth and completely dissolved.

Classify

Cotton USA

Cotton USA is known as a fabric with an exceptionally long and tough fiber structure. This material has perfected the existing advantages of traditional cotton. High absorbency, good heat resistance, durable color retention; At the same time, it overcomes most of the old disadvantages such as shrinkage and easy wrinkling.

With many of these advantages, USA cotton is used to produce underwear. Even children’s underwear, when used, does not cause skin irritation.

Cotton Poly

Cotton Poly is a synthetic fiber created from the process of synthesizing pure cotton fibers with other synthetic fibers. Each manufacturer will mix different ratios of cotton and Poly. The higher the cotton ratio, the softer and more breathable the poly cotton fabric is.

Poly cotton has superior features such as: lighter weight, higher durability, cheaper price, extremely high elasticity as well as a particularly sustainable lifespan with the surrounding environment.

Cotton Satin

Cotton Satin is essentially a traditional cotton fabric but is woven and shaped in a satin style. To produce this type of fabric, people will mix the glossiness of satin with the softness and airiness of cotton. The advantage of this type of fabric is that it does not wrinkle or crease when rubbed or washed. The product is highly durable because the fabric fibers are very small and dense. Good absorbency, friendly to the user’s skin. People often use this fabric to produce duvet covers and pillowcases.

Silk cotton

This is a synthetic fabric, a perfect combination of natural cotton and premium silk fibers. The mixing ratio between cotton and silk will depend on each manufacturer. Usually the ratio of 90% cotton and 10% silk is perfect. This material is a cheap version of pure silk fabric.

Cotton Borip

Cotton Borip is woven from 100% cotton without any added materials, providing great elasticity. The advantage of this fabric is that it is soft, absorbs sweat absolutely, and has rich patterns and colors. Used a lot in the production of children’s and newborn clothes.

Cotton pha Spandex

Cotton mixed with spandex fibers creates a fabric with good elasticity and rich and diverse colors. The characteristic of this type of fabric is its extremely good absorbency, and when burned, it has a burning smell similar to the smell of burning paper. Has high color fastness, softness and antibacterial properties.

Cotton velvet

The combination of cotton and velvet creates a fabric with a soft, airy surface, less wrinkled, less ruffled and difficult to fade. The advantage is the ability to absorb sweat well, regulate body temperature perfectly and cool the body extremely quickly on hot summer days. However, the price of this fabric is quite high.

Egyptian Cotton

From the name, we can guess that this fabric originates from Egypt. Considered the “king” of cotton thanks to its absolute softness and durability compared to regular cotton. In particular, the natural shine of Egyptian Cotton also creates extremely delicate value for this product. This material is very shiny, soft and suitable for all types of weather. Egyptian cotton fabric does not shrink and does not fade when washed.

Cotton 100%

Through preliminary processing and chemical treatment to prevent mold and rot, without adding any chemicals. From there, 100% cotton is created. With good sweat absorption properties, providing ventilation. Very suitable for the weather conditions in our country. However, the fabric is quite stiff and more suitable for men than women. The price of 100% cotton fabric is quite high on the market today.

Cotton 65/35 (CVC)

It is a combination of two types of PE and Cotton fibers in the ratio of 35% PE and 65% Cotton. Should be called 65/35 cotton. Thanks to this combination, Cotton 65/35 is quite durable, elastic and absorbs sweat very well.

Cotton 35/65 (Tixi)

In contrast to 65/35 cotton, in this Tixi fabric, the combination of cotton and PE in the ratio is: 65 Cotton and 35% PE. With this blend, the fabric becomes softer, suitable for use in sewing t-shirts.

Cotton application in life

Cotton fabric is used a lot in today’s life. So what are the common applications of cotton fabric?

Production of fashion items

Because of its outstanding advantages, cotton fabric is used in the fashion industry. Production of fashion clothing items (T-shirt, 3D Hoodie,…) Many famous fashion brands today use cotton as raw material.

Production of bedding and pillows

Bedding item and pillows to use, giving users the deepest, most comfortable sleep. After hours of hard work and stress. Because of its soft, smooth, and airy characteristics, cotton is used to make blankets and pillowcases.

How to identify cotton fabric

Recognize with the naked eye

Standard cotton elastic fabric

Because it’s made of cotton, when you touch it, it feels soft, cool, absorbs extremely quickly, and wrinkles easily when rubbed.

Blended Elastic Fabric

When rubbing, it will not cause fabric wrinkles. Look at the beautiful shine and even fabric grain. Feels durable

Use thermodynamic methods

With this method, we will take a sample of cotton fabric and burn it.

With 100% cotton fabric

Because it is completely natural, when the fabric burns, the smell of wood will disappear without the smell of plastic. Charcoal will be pink, squeeze will be soft and will disappear

Cotton blend fabric

Detailed table to identify cotton blend fabric

The fabric is mixed with PE, so when it burns, you will hear a faint smell of plastic. The stronger the smell of plastic is, the stronger the fabric is mixed with Poly Poly. When burned, it will partially clump and the proportion of clumps is the mixing ratio.

Distinguished by water permeability

With 100% cotton fabric

The fabric absorbs water very quickly and evenly across the surface.

Cotton blended fabric

Added PE so water absorption is slow and uneven on the fabric surface.

Instructions for cleaning and preserving cotton products

Do not soak in soap for too long

If soaked for too long, the color of the fabric as well as the patterns on the fabric will fade. Therefore, we should only leave it underground for a few minutes, or we can wash it immediately.

Sort before washing

This is a necessary and important step before washing clothes. White clothes should be kept separate from other colored clothes. Avoid washing clothes as the colors will fade together, ruining your outfit.

Do not use too strong a detergent

Use washing powder with neutral PH level. If you use too strong chemicals, the durability of the fabric will be reduced. Damages quickly, rots, clothes color easily fades and becomes patchy.

Especially for men’s underwear and women’s underwear made from cotton, do not soak in strong detergents for more than 30 minutes. This action can damage the product but also cause the detergent to stay on the underwear for a long time. When worn, it will affect the skin and genitals.

Dry in a well-ventilated place, away from strong sunlight

Dry clothes in cool places to ensure your clothes reach maximum durability.

Above is some information about cotton fabric: what is cotton, what is cotton fabric, cotton’s applications in life and fashion – a commonly used fabric today. When shopping, you can know how to recognize the right type of fabric to buy the right product at the best price. Please choose the most comfortable outfit for yourself.