Section Three
Washing & Care
清洗与养护
Four control variables in the decline of fabric performance, and how they should be handled by material. The aim of this page is to keep a garment in use for more years, not to have it washed more often.
§ 1Definition and Scope
Definition
Care denotes household practice that slows the decline of fabric performance by controlling four variables: temperature, mechanical action, chemical agents and drying method. This page considers only those four variables, and does not cover professional dry cleaning or industrial finishing.
One point should be made first: the decline of fabric performance is in most cases irreversible. Care slows it; it does not repair it. Elastane that has lost its recovery, lace that has been snagged, and mulberry silk that has lost its lustre cannot be restored by any household means.
§ 2The Four Control Variables
| Variable | Principal effect | Direction of risk |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Affects the degree of fibre softening and the rate at which soil dissolves | Excess damages elastomeric and protein fibres, irreversibly |
| Mechanical action | Removes soil and particulate matter | Excess causes distortion, pilling, snagging and seam fatigue |
| Chemical agents | Dissolve oily and protein soils | Excessive alkalinity damages silk, wool and some elastomeric fibres |
| Drying method | Determines residual moisture and the duration of heat exposure | High-temperature tumble drying is the leading cause of loss of elasticity |
Of the four variables, drying method is the most easily overlooked and has the greatest effect on service life. Most judgements that a garment has been washed to death in fact concern the drying stage.
§ 3Handling by Material
- Articles containing elastane: low temperature, neutral or mildly alkaline chemistry, and no high-temperature drying. The loss of recovery in elastane arises mainly from heat exposure and sustained stress, and it is irreversible. The lower the washing temperature the better, and tumble drying should be avoided wherever possible.
- Mulberry silk: neutral or mildly acidic detergent; no alkali, no chlorine bleach, no direct sun. Protein fibres lose lustre markedly and decline in strength under alkaline conditions. Drying should avoid direct light, since ultraviolet radiation accelerates the ageing of protein fibres.
- Lace and mesh: use a laundry bag, and avoid washing with metal components. Once a snag has formed it cannot be repaired, only prevented. Washing together with garments carrying zips, hooks or metal trim is the most common cause of damage.
- Knitted cotton: machine washing is acceptable, but avoid high temperatures and high-speed spinning. Collars and cuffs lose their shape mainly through the centrifugal force of the spin stage rather than through washing itself.
- Washing dark and light colours separately is not only about dye transfer. Dye released into the wash liquor from dark fabric deposits on light fabric, and this deposition is particularly evident on fabrics containing elastane.
§ 4Common Misconceptions
| Misconception | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Hand washing is always cleaner than machine washing | Soil removal depends on mechanical action. Inefficient hand washing may leave detergent residue, and the residue absorbs moisture and in fact accelerates the ageing of the fibre. The more accurate statement is that the risk in machine washing lies in spinning and in mixed loads rather than in washing itself. |
| More detergent means cleaner | Excess detergent is difficult to rinse out. Residue absorbs moisture, supports micro-organisms, and may cause skin irritation. Using the quantity stated on the product is sufficient, and is usually less than the quantity added by feel. |
| Hot water kills bacteria, so it is better | Household hot water generally does not reach the temperature and duration required for effective sanitisation, yet it is sufficient to damage elastomeric and protein fibres. If sanitisation is genuinely required, another method should be chosen. |
| Lace must be washed by hand | Placing lace in a fine-mesh laundry bag and using a gentle programme is equally workable; what matters is avoiding direct mechanical friction. Whether to wash by hand depends on the structural strength of the fabric, not on whether it is called lace. |
| Line drying is slow, so tumble drying is better | Line drying avoids heat exposure and is kinder to elastomeric and protein fibres. In the context of care, slowness is not a disadvantage; tumble drying is the stage to avoid. |
§ 5Editorial Note and Outstanding Work
Not yet completed
- The specific effect of detergent composition, including surfactant type, enzymes and bleaching system, on each class of fibre
- Data on the decline of elastane recovery over successive wash cycles
- The quantitative relation between spin speed and loss of shape in knitted cotton collars
- The order in which common soil types, such as oil, protein and pigment, should be treated
Notes on This Page
- Editorial principle: this page states general regularities concerning fabric performance and does not replace the care label of any particular product.
- The care instructions on a product take precedence over the general advice on this page. Where the two conflict, the product label governs.
- The mechanisms of temperature and mechanical action follow general conclusions in textile materials science. Because the numerical ranges vary considerably with equipment, this page does not give a single set of figures.
- Factual errors may be reported to hello@beyiji.com.