How to determine viscose by burning. How to distinguish natural fabric from synthetic
Everyone knows that fabrics come in different compositions. They can be combined into three groups - natural, non-natural, mixed. Fabrics made from natural fibers are made from natural raw materials - cotton, linen, silk, wool, etc. Also, viscose can be attributed to natural fabrics.
Non-natural fabrics are made from chemically obtained fibers - these are acetate, polyester, nylon, lavsan, nylon, etc. Blended fabrics may contain several fibers of different origin. Thanks to the latest technology synthetic fabrics they do not differ appearance from natural fabrics, but knowing the composition of the fabric is very important in order to know how the fabric will behave in the product and what kind of care it needs. Today we will talk about how to determine the composition of the fabric by burning.
Cotton and linen. Vegetable fibers. Cotton from cotton, linen from flax. The fibers burn quickly, with a bright flame followed by a glow and a small amount of white smoke. After fading, the flames smolder for a long time, with the formation of dark gray ash and the smell of burnt paper. Flax smolders worse and fades faster, leaving almost no ash and a strong odor.
Cotton
Linen
natural viscose .
They are made from wood, or rather from cellulose, and already viscose is obtained from it. This fiber has all the properties of cotton, although it is produced chemically, viscose can be safely attributed to natural fabrics. So, it burns very quickly. When the flame dies out, it smolders for a very long time, forming a pungent thick smell of burnt cotton wool, leaving gray smoke and ash, which easily crumbles in the hands.
Viscose
Wool and silk. fibers of animal origin. Wool is made from the hair of animals, and in the production of silk, threads produced by the silkworm are used. When burning, these fibers behave in the same way. They burn slowly, the fibers seem to coagulate. Silk without flame immediately goes out. Wool, after attenuation, does not smolder. The resulting coal can be easily crushed with your fingers. The smell of burning wool is scorched hair or feathers, while burning silk is a burnt horn.
Wool
Silk
Synthetic materials. The raw materials for production are oil and gas processing materials (types of fibers - polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, etc.). Obtained chemically. They are united by the fact that they melt during combustion, forming black smoke and an influx, sintering into a lump that cannot be crushed with fingers after attenuation. Spread the sour smell of synthetics.
Polyester
Acetate and acrylic fabrics. They burn and melt both in the flame and out of the flame. Also after leaving a dark influx and a hard lump. For example, acetate fiber also dissolves in acetone.
Mixed fabrics. They will burn as the predominant fiber in the composition burns. For example, if the fabric is woolen with the addition of lavsan, then it will smell like wool, but the lump does not crumble after attenuation.
When we go shopping for a new dress, shirt or any other piece of clothing, we want to buy a quality item that can be worn for a long time and that will keep its shape. But in reality, clothes shrink and tear after the first wash.
So that you can recognize a poor quality item right in the store, here are 10 tips for you that will help you not to waste your money.
1. Check the quality of cotton by squeezing it in a fist
Take a piece of fabric and squeeze it tightly in your fist for a few seconds, then release. If the fabric has become like crumpled paper, it means that it was treated with a special substance so that the thing kept its shape. Such clothes will lose their appearance and turn into a rag after the first wash.
2. Pull the seams to see the gaps
Products good quality have frequent stitches and tight seams. Try to slightly pull the sewn parts: if the seam is spreading, then you have a hack.
3. Avoid open zippers
Try to buy clothes from metal zippers, closed bar: they are the most reliable and durable. Exposed plastic zippers often break and are a sign of poor quality in almost any product.
4. Check that the clothes have a sufficient hem
Pants and skirts should have a large hem, up to 4 cm. On blouses, shirts and T-shirts - a little less (about 2 cm). If there is no hem at all, or its place is simply stitched with a stitch, then most likely you have a poor quality product.
5. Lightly pull the fabric
Again, quality fabric always holds its shape. Take the stretchy section of the dress or skirt and pull it, then let it go. If the fabric has lost its shape, then you have a cheap and low-quality material.
6. Make sure the length of the zippers matches
Fasteners on dresses, skirts or any other clothing should be of the same length, be even and match each other in color.
7. Pay attention to the label
Natural fabrics such as cotton, silk and wool are durable and resist wear better than synthetic ones. But 100% cotton can shrink quickly after washing. Therefore, it is worth choosing clothes with an admixture (5-30%) of artificial fabrics (viscose, polyester, nylon, etc.). Such things will not stretch out and will last you much longer.
8. Make sure the seams and threads match
Carefully inspect the patterns and color of the threads. If the drawings and patterns on the clothes do not match, and the seams are made with threads of a different color, then this is a clear sign that the clothes were hastily sewn. In the production of such a product, most likely, they thought not about quality, but about quantity.
9. Check buttons and buttonholes
In the production of a fake or low-quality item, small details are often not paid attention to. Therefore, before buying, be sure to inspect the buttons and loops. Make sure the buttons are securely sewn on and the threads are not sticking out. Holes should be tightly overcast and carefully, with an even seam, cut.
If the paint on the handles, straps or clasps looks faded or imprinted on the bends, then this is a sign of poor quality. The same is true if one part of the product looks lighter or darker than the rest. Such paint will gradually shed and lose its color after several washes.
Clothes made of linen fabric are especially appreciated by wearers due to breathability, wear resistance, smooth surface, hygroscopicity and rather high strength. best method to verify the authenticity of the material is laboratory research. But this method requires a lot of time and money. Therefore, when buying clothes or household items, it is better to resort to offline methods.
Methods for determining linen fabric
Visual. Linen material has a shiny look, while cotton fabrics have a matte surface.
Tactile. Linen fabrics are quite stiff and cause a slight chill when in contact with the body.
Breaking. To conduct the study, it is necessary to remove the thread and break it. The thread of linen origin will get a pointed look. In the case of cotton, a fluffy brush of short and even fibers remains at the end of the thread.
Collapse. Take the thread in your hand and close it into a fist for a few seconds. Linen thread has more wrinkles than cotton thread.
Combustion. Ignite the fabric and wait a few seconds. Linen-based material is practically odorless, while cotton smokes and has a pungent odor.
Color. Natural linen fabrics without dyes are available in three variations - ivory, light brown bark and shades of gray.
Find out more information about the properties of flax, as well as other natural materials, you can from the specialists of the company " Volcano».
How to distinguish natural fabric from synthetics? Especially often this problem arises when buying bed linen. People out of habit believe that if it is coarse calico, then it must be pure cotton. But, whether it is 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 you can weave, as you understand, from any thread, even from wire.
Therefore, in order not to feel deceived, you need to know how to check what fiber the product is made of.
The first test is the tactile sensation. Even if the fabric is natural, you don't have to like it. And this factor plays an important role in the choice. For example, for many, pure flax fiber seems coarse, just as often they talk about thick and high-quality calico.
Satin seems thin to many, although it is completely opaque like coarse 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 home way to check the naturalness of the thread - you need to set it on fire.
If you buy clothes, then, as a rule, there is a spare piece of fabric, you can experiment on it.
WITH bed linen more difficult, a fabric sample is not applied to it, so you will 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. To do this, we need a safe place, matches, the ability to ventilate the room.
How to distinguish natural fabric from synthetic
- Cotton fiber burns with a light flame, burns out very quickly and does not leave a strong smell, someone 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 odor.
- A pure woolen thread burns very slowly and reluctantly, eventually shrinking into a ball, filling the space bad smell resembling burnt hair or feathers.
- Artificial wool burns very quickly and beautifully - the flame is blue, and the smell will be like burning paper.
- Viscose obtained artificially from wood, i.e. cellulose is considered a natural tissue. Viscose burns very quickly, but smolders for a long time, actively smoking and releasing the smell of burnt cotton wool. The remaining gray ash crumbles well.
How to distinguish natural silk from artificial
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 remotely resembles burnt keratinization (nails, claws, horns), if you have ever heard such a smell.
Artificial silk is very easy to distinguish from natural silk. 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, open your fist after a while and see if the fabric is wrinkled. Artificial silk will have noticeable creases, natural silk wrinkle quite a bit.
A characteristic feature of all burnt natural samples is the ability to easily crumble the remains of combustion. An artificial thread does not provide such an opportunity, in addition, an artificial material emits an odor with an admixture of sourness when burned.
Acetate silk can melt in acetone, which cannot be said about natural silk.
IN Lately a lot of mixed fabrics appeared, containing a natural thread in combination with an artificial one. The manufacturer is obliged to indicate the percentage of all types of threads - these can be acrylic, acetate fiber, lavsan and other artificial additives. If you set fire to such a fabric, then the flame will be according to the type of the thread, which is the most in the composition. The smell will also determine the composition, but the remains of combustion cannot be easily crushed.
Blended fabrics used in the production of bed linen, as a rule, are very pleasant to the touch, have a strong color, practically do not wrinkle and serve for a long time with proper use.
Be able to distinguish natural from artificial You also need to properly care for the product.
It is easiest to determine what fiber the purchased fabric is made of using a combustion test. Natural fibers burn and char, turning into ash. Synthetic - melt, leaving a solid lump. Cotton and linen fabrics (from vegetable fibers), as well as wool and silk (from animal fibers) burn the same way.
Acetate and acrylic fabrics
They burn and melt in the flame and outside it, when they have already been removed from the flame. After burning, a solid lump remains. Acetate fabric is easy to identify if you place a piece in nail polish remover: the acetate will dissolve in it.
Polyester, nylon and other synthetic materials
They do not burn, but only melt in a flame or a short time after being removed from it with a chemical smell, leaving a hard lump.
Wool and silk
They burn slowly, charring and curling up into rings. Sometimes they burn only while in flames. They smell strong and not very pleasant, like singed hair or feathers, and leave brittle ash.
Cotton and linen
They burn quickly with a subsequent glow. Burning - they smell like burnt paper, forming soft gray ash.
