How to distinguish synthetics from cotton. How to distinguish natural from synthetic fabric

12.10.2019

Quite often in stores you can find linens of inadequate quality, in other words, a fake. The packaging may indicate one fabric composition, for example, "100% cotton", but in reality the bed linen will be made from cheap synthetic fabric. Sometimes unscrupulous manufacturers are cunning and do not indicate the composition of the fabric at all - not all buyers, unfortunately, pay attention to this.

How to distinguish natural bedding from synthetics:

The first method is not very accurate, but it will allow you to avoid buying a low-quality fake already at the stage of selection. Synthetic bedding weighs 1.5-2 times lighter than a similar one made from natural cotton or flax. Just compare the weight of the package, and if the laundry is suspiciously light - refrain from buying.

The second method is associated with the properties of synthetics to be highly electrified. If you rub a synthetic fabric, it can crackle and glow in the dark - surely everyone has encountered such phenomena at some time in their life. WITH natural fabric made of cotton, linen or bamboo this will never happen.

The third method is to check for crease. Synthetic fabrics, as a rule, do not wrinkle at all and recover their shape very quickly. Natural bed linen fabric will definitely doubt, to a greater or lesser extent, since this is a property of all natural fabrics.

The fourth method is to determine synthetics by the sheen of the fabric. Synthetic fabrics have a characteristic shine, because of this they often look more beautiful than natural. But don't fall for this unnatural beauty. This method is not suitable for satin and silk, as these natural fabrics can also have a smooth, shiny surface.

The fifth method is very accurate, but it can only be applied after purchase. If you remove the thread from the fabric, from the seamy side, and set it on fire, then natural fabric burns, smells of burnt paper and leaves ash. Synthetics either smolder or melt, do not leave ash and the smell is completely different.

The sixth method is to check fabric rollability. If during operation on bed linen there are "pellets", then, most likely, the fabric is artificial. Think of your old cotton clothes - even if they are badly worn out, they will never have the characteristic "spools" of synthetics.

The seventh method is the drying rate of the bed linen. Synthetics dries very quickly, sometimes even after spinning in the washing machine, it is almost dry. ani will take much longer to dry.

We hope these methods will help you avoid a bad purchase. Although, of course, not all of them are applicable at the stage of choosing a bed set.

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Bed linen Satin Zebra, SL6191 / 13
Material:
Satin
1,5-bed
Pillowcase:
1 850 R
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100% COTTON

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Bed linen Poplin New York, SL623 / 33

Material:

Poplin

Pillowcase:

2 200 R

Hello everyone. I very often heard questions of the following kind: is this calico made of natural cotton or is this cotton fabric natural? Of course, these questions do not arise out of nowhere, especially in our difficult time, where on every corner they offer a fake at the prices of a natural product. After such questions, there was a desire to write an article, thanks to which the attackers will have much less chance of deceiving you.

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A little about cotton and cotton fabrics.

Cotton is an environmentally friendly product.

Cotton, and, as a result, natural cotton fabric is in itself a natural and environmentally friendly product. Such famous types of fabrics as coarse calico are made of cotton, and, at the same time, they may differ in price. It's all about the varying complexity of production. The cost can vary from 1,000 rubles to 10,000 thousand or more. Agree, I would not want to buy satin for 5-6 thousand rubles, which is made of synthetics and is not even worth a fifth of this money. That is why we read on and gain useful knowledge. By the way, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that cotton and cotton fabric are one and the same.

9 ways to identify natural cotton products from synthetic counterfeits.

Now let's talk directly about how to distinguish synthetics from quality cotton. There are various methods, some are quite easy to use, we will analyze them first of all, some are more complicated.Regardless of the method, I advise you to first look at the product tag. According to all the rules and laws, the manufacturer is obliged to write the truth on the product label. However, if you have any doubts about the authenticity of the product, we proceed to check.

Easy ways to identify a fake "on the spot":

1st way: definition product weight ... Any cotton product is heavy enough. Everything here is hidden in cotton fibers, they are much heavier than synthetic ones. If you take a set of bedding, the same density, then linen made of natural cotton will be much heavier than synthetics. Pay close attention to this, the usual weight of a set of cotton bedding ranges from 1.9 - 2.5 kg, while a set of synthetics weighs 0.5 - 1 kg.
2nd way: electrification... Electrification is the property of a material to accumulate a static charge. Simply put, if you rub a synthetic fabric, it will crackle and glows in the dark. Cotton fabric will never behave like this, from the point of view of electrification, it is neutral.
3rd way: definition by touch. Cotton fabrics are very soft to the touch and quickly take on body temperature, i.e. become warm. In turn, synthetic fabrics always stay cool.
4th way: shine... Cotton fabrics are naturally non-shiny. This property is inherent in synthetic fabrics. However, there is an exception in the form of satin; for this fabric, this advice will not be relevant. Due to its weaving and twisting of threads, there is still a slight sheen on it, however, other types of fabrics are coarse calico, poplin, etc. do not shine and you can safely use this method.
5th way: wrinkle. Crumple a piece of fabric, if it turns out to be cotton, it will crumple up enough, synthetic fabric practically does not wrinkle and very quickly recovers its shape.
6th way: price... The cost indicator can provide an excellent hint when choosing a quality cotton product. If you see a cotton sateen bedding set for 600 - 800 rubles in a store, you should know that this is a fake. High-quality satin bedding cannot cost so much. The correct decision would be to compare the price in two or three different stores and form an average price for yourself for a certain type of fabric. After that, take into account the average cost indicator, and do not chase the "super"cheap price. Remember, the miser pays twice!

The beauty of the above methods is that they allow you to identify a fake at the purchase stage. Remember them and don't forget to apply.Now let's talk about more complex methods. By themselves, they are certainly not difficult, but at the stage of purchase they most likely will not work.

7th way: combustion... Cotton fabrics, when burned, give off the smell of burnt paper, and after burning they leave ash. Synthetic fabrics, in turn, do not burn, but smolder and leave their own specific smell.
8th way: pellets... Cotton fabric never forms unpleasant pellets during use, which cannot be said about synthetics. Look at your old cotton clothes and you will be convinced of it. By the way, you can try this method at the stage of purchase, even a new synthetic fabric forms a few spools if you stroke it a little and take a good look.
9th way: drying after washing... Bed linen made of natural cotton after washing dries much longer than any synthetics.

The last two methods are 100% in determining the naturalness of the product, but, most likely, no seller will allow you to use them at the purchase stage. And as a rule, you can use them after purchase.

Summing up the results.

On this I will finish my article. Be careful when choosing bedding or cotton fabrics. Use all the voiced methods, choose the best. If you have a lot of experience in defining natural cotton fabric, I and all readers will be glad to hear them. Leave your tips in the comments. Don't forget to repost.Best regards, Victoria Morozova.

Usually, it is not difficult to distinguish synthetic fabric from natural in a store. It is enough to read the composition of the material on the price tag, or ask the seller. In addition, natural fabrics are often much more expensive than synthetics. Nevertheless, there are many situations where the composition of the tissue is unknown. How do you find out what the fabric is made of? Read under the cut.

Serious doubts about the composition of the fabric can arise if you buy a cut from your hands, or if you find at home large deposits of fabric of an already unknown origin. :) Sometimes I doubt the composition of the fabric, even in the store. For example, if the cotton seems too silky or stretchy. Or if he doesn't wrinkle at all.

But why so scrupulously find out the true composition of the material? First, to understand the fabric of your choice. And secondly, . I am among them. I'm hot in synthetics, but the worst thing is allergic reactions. Of course, there should be an integrated approach, and food, as well as cosmetics, should also be as natural as possible. But clothing can be a big factor in combating unpleasant skin reactions.

In my opinion, with experience, you can learn to identify many fabrics by touch. For example, natural wool has a very recognizable smell, but it is easy to recognize by touch. But, of course, you can always run into a very well-made synthetic fabric. How to determine the composition of the fabric? For this we need ... Matches or a lighter. Yes, yes, we will check the composition of the fabric in this old-fashioned way.

For my experiment, I selected:

Viscose lining.

An unnamed fabric, which I feel is synthetic.

Nameless chiffon, similar to synthetics.

Let's start experimenting. The general rule for all natural fabrics is that the ash should be ground into powder. Ashes from mixed fabrics cannot be ground into powder; lumps will still remain between the fingers.

How should wool behave?

The wool curls up into a ball and gives off the smell of burnt pile.

Result: I confess that it was the hardest thing for me with wool. Since almost all wool was added, this slightly changed the reaction of the fabric to fire. And, as you can see, the ash was not ground into powder.

Cotton should burn like paper.

Result: a piece of cloth caught fire like paper, the ash was perfectly ground into powder. It was very easy to confirm the composition of the cotton.

The burning silk should "bounce" over the match and not emit any smell.

How to distinguish natural fabric from synthetics? This problem occurs especially often when buying bed linen. People out of habit believe that if it is coarse calico, then it is necessarily pure cotton. But, be it coarse calico or poplin, this definition does not refer to the quality of the thread from which the fabric is woven, this is the name of the weaving technology. And weave, as you know, from any thread, even from wire.
Therefore, in order not to feel deceived, you need to know how to check which fiber the product is made of.

The first test is tactile sensation. Even if the fabric is natural, you don't have to like it. And this factor plays an important role when choosing. For example, for many, pure flax fiber seems coarse, just as they often talk about thick and high-quality coarse calico.

Satin seems thin to many, although it is completely opaque like calico, comfortable, it is pleasant to sleep on it. Therefore, relying only on tactile sensations, you can just buy soft, pleasant, velvety, but synthetic underwear.

There is a simple homemade way to test the naturalness of the thread - you need to set fire to it.

If you buy clothes, then, as a rule, you have a spare piece of fabric on which you can experiment.

It is more difficult with bed linen, a sample of fabric is not applied to it, so you have to be smart about how to check whether the fabric is actually natural, as stated by the manufacturer.

So, if you have a piece of fabric or at least a thread, let's start doing research. For this we need a safe place, matches, the ability to ventilate the room.

How to distinguish natural from synthetic fabric

Cotton fiber burns with a light flame, burns out very quickly and does not leave a strong odor, to someone it slightly resembles the smell of burnt paper. There is very little ash left, and it is completely weightless.
Flax also burns quickly, leaving very little bright gray ash, but leaves no smell.
A pure woolen thread burns very slowly and reluctantly, eventually shrinking into a ball, filling the space with an unpleasant odor resembling burnt hair or feathers.
Artificial wool burns very quickly and beautifully - the flame is blue, and the smell will be, as if paper was set on fire.
Viscose obtained artificially from wood, i.e. cellulose is considered a natural fabric. Viscose burns very quickly, but smolders for a long time, actively smoking and giving off the smell of burnt cotton wool. The remaining gray ash crumbles well.

How to distinguish natural from artificial silk

Natural silk does not want to burn at all, no matter how hard you try. The thread will shrink into a black knot, and the flame will immediately go out. The smell vaguely resembles burnt keratinization (nails, claws, horns), if you've ever heard such a smell.

It is very easy to distinguish artificial silk from natural. It burns well and quickly, without crackling or odor.

Buying a silk item, you will not start a fire in the store, so just squeeze the fabric in your hand, after a while unclench your fist and see if the fabric is badly wrinkled. Artificial silk will have noticeable creases, natural silk will wrinkle quite a bit.

A characteristic difference between all burnt natural samples is the ability to easily crumble the remnants of combustion. Artificial thread does not provide such an opportunity, in addition, when the artificial material burns, it emits a smell with an admixture of acidity.

Acetate silk can melt in acetone, which cannot be said about natural.

Recently, a lot of mixed fabrics have appeared, containing natural thread in combination with artificial one. The manufacturer is obliged to indicate the percentage of all types of threads - it can be acrylic, acetate fiber, lavsan and other artificial additives. If you set fire to such a fabric, then the flame will be like the thread, which is the most in the composition. The smell will also determine the composition, but the combustion residues cannot be easily crumbled.

The blended fabrics used in the production of bedding are usually very pleasant to the touch, have a durable color, practically do not wrinkle and serve for a long time if used correctly.

Be able to distinguish natural from artificial fabric it is also necessary in order to properly care for the product.

In retail stores, you can see an inscription on almost every second scarf or scarf made of translucent fabric. In this case, the price can be from 150 rubles to 10,000 rubles. Is the price range too wide? And what REALLY is hidden behind this label?

Since not every woman can visually determine whether it is real silk, manufacturers often use this. As a result, 100% silk is very often behind the label, rayon, viscose or, even worse, pure synthetics. At the same time, shops selling such scarves, as a rule, themselves do not know how to distinguish the material for authenticity and do not want to bother with it, because the main thing for them is to sell the goods, and not to take care of the buyer. Unfortunately, among today's abundance of shopping centers, there are very few shops that really care what they sell and value the quality of the goods and, most importantly, their customers. Therefore, if you are looking for a shawl, a natural silk scarf, and not a silk label, if you want to be sure of the authenticity of the material, you need a little knowledge and practice.

In fact, a professional can distinguish natural silk only by touching the fabric, but everything comes with experience ...

FEELING IN THE PROCESS OF SOCKS

You can only fully understand and feel the difference between natural and synthetic materials while wearing them. A scarf even made of the highest quality viscose will not protect from the cold, will not provide sufficient air access and comfortable conditions. A scarf or stole made of synthetics (including acrylic) is the most unreasonable purchase. Synthetics do not breathe at all. Therefore, in warm weather you will be stuffy and hot, sweating will intensify, and in cool weather, on the contrary, you will freeze.

A scarf or shawl made of natural silk really "caresses" your skin. Such a scarf "breathes", it is comfortable in it in any weather. Silk has amazing and incomparable natural properties. The main one is thermoregulation, that is, maintaining the optimal body temperature for a person. Just as the silk cocoon protects the butterfly from the elements and maintains the optimal temperature for ripening, silk will also protect you. Having put on a silk scarf, you will no longer want to take it off. You will immediately feel the difference! Also, silk does not cause allergies and slows down the aging process. And do not forget the main beauty of natural silk - how delightfully it shimmers in the sun! It shimmers, and does not shine like viscose. will serve you for many years (5-7 years), while retaining its rich color and play. Over time, it will become a favorite part of your wardrobe.

One of the simplest and most reliable ways to determine a material for naturalness is a combustion test. Pay attention to two key points. HOW it burns and WHAT it smells like.

COMBUSTION TEST

SILK

Take the stole by the fringe or brush and light it. A natural silk scarf hardly burns - it smolders only weakly without a flame. If you remove the source of fire, real silk stops burning- this is the main difference between natural silk and viscose or rayon. At the same time, a specific smell is felt - the same as that of singed hair, singed horn, wool, skin. A charred ball can be seen at the tip of the silk thread set on fire - it is fragile and easily rubbed between the fingers.

The hardest thing to distinguish between silk and viscose or "rayon". After all, these materials were created specifically to imitate silk.

VISCOSE

Viscose was created to imitate silk. These are cheap artificial raw materials. Viscose burns well, forming a flame. If you remove the source of fire, the viscose continues to burn. The smell of burnt paper is distinctly audible. After the thread burns out, an ember remains in the form of ash of a white-gray hue, which is also easily rubbed between the fingers.

SYNTHETICS (POLYESTER, POLYACRYL, ETC.)

Any synthetic fiber burns quickly and melts like plastic. A plastic mass slowly forms at the end of the burning synthetic thread. As it cools, it transforms into a hard ball that cannot be rubbed.

Also, one of the common tricks of manufacturers is to use half-and-half natural silk with synthetics or viscose, while 100% silk is also written on the label, but the cost of the scarf is sharply reduced, which is good for the manufacturer, while the retail price remains the same. However, such a shawl or scarf is much inferior to a natural silk scarf in all its properties. This is the same if a synthetic lining is sewn onto a silk dress. It is beautiful outside, but the whole meaning of silk disappears, since synthetics absolutely do not breathe and you will be very uncomfortable in warm weather, besides this, profuse sweating has not adorned anyone yet. Any scarf or shawl consists of longitudinal and transverse threads. Therefore, a combustion test is best done for both types of filaments.

WOOL OR SYNTHETICS?

WOOL

Most often, acrylic or high-quality polyester imitating wool is given out for wool. The easiest way to test wool for naturalness is with a combustion test.

Take the stole by the fringe or brush and light it. Pay attention to two key points. HOW it burns and WHAT it smells like. Wool burns weakly, practically without flame. If you remove the source of fire, the wool immediately stops burning. There is a specific smell of burnt skin. At the end of the burnt thread, an ember is formed, which is easily rubbed between the fingers.

Remember that wool is a fiber created by nature itself for warmth and weather protection.

ACRYLIC, POLYESTER - SYNTHETICS

Acrylic and high quality polyester are 100% synthetic designed to simulate wool. However, only tactile sensations are imitated; in terms of properties, synthetics remain synthetic and cannot be compared with natural wool. This means that in cold weather or in dank weather, a stole made of acrylic or polyester will not warm you, the wind and cold will make its way through the stole. At the same time, in warm weather, you will become sharply hot and uncomfortable, since synthetics do not allow oxygen to pass through. Also synthetics can cause itching, irritation, allergies if you have sensitive skin.

It is very easy to recognize acrylic or polyester. Take the stole by the fringe or brush and light it. Any synthetic fiber burns quickly and melts like plastic. A plastic mass is formed at the end of the burning synthetic thread. As it cools, it transforms into a hard plastic ball that cannot be rubbed.

COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF MATERIALS

Material properties	Silk	Wool	Synthetics	Viscose
Hygroscopicity. The ability to absorb moisture. The parameter affects the wearing comfort and the degree of warmth / coolness retention.	high, up to 40% of its own weight	high, up to 33% of its own weight. neutralizes toxic substances released along with human sweat	low, no more than 5% of its own weight	moderate, 12-14% of its own weight
Air permeability. The ability to pass air, that is, breathe	increased	increased	low	average
Hypoallergenic. Does not cause allergies even with sensitive skin		May cause irritation in people prone to wool allergies	may cause allergies, depending on the composition of the material. With sensitive skin, it causes irritation and redness.	chemical composition can cause allergies
Strength	high strength, does not stretch, does not deform	high	average strength	high strength, but when wet it is lost
Aesthetics	Silk is distinguished not only by its shine, but by its overflows (they are especially well visible when draping and in sunlight), which no other natural or synthetic material possesses anymore. Overflows of silk are not retained for the entire period of wear, including after washing	High-quality wool, with proper care, will retain its appearance for a long time	Loses its appearance very quickly.	visually resembles silk, it can shine, but does not shimmer.
Antibacterial	antibacterial, hygienic, does not attract dust, destroys bacteria. Can be used for babies.	Possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory properties. Wool contains healthy lanolin, which is an excellent natural antiseptic.	bacteriostatic, prevents the growth of bacteria, but does not destroy them	resistant to chemicals and microorganisms
Electrification	not electrified	not electrified	build up static electricity	high electrification during wear
thermoregulation(Warmth / Cool)	Silk is a fiber created by nature to provide and maintain a comfortable body temperature for a living organism. Does not release a person's own warmth.	Wool fibers have a very low thermal conductivity, i.e. neither frost nor heat pass through the woolen barrier to the body (in a sauna, for example) and, at the same time, wool does not release our own heat and maintains a very comfortable body temperature.	Will not warm in cold weather, in hot weather causes severe sweating and itching	Average thermal insulation. Does not withstand low temperatures
Wearing comfort	High. On the body as a "second skin"	High. Keeps you warm and comfortable for a long time	Low. Itching, irritation	Average