When purchasing bedding products, cotton is the first choice for most people. Cotton, like other products, has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, as we all know, long-staple cotton is better than ordinary cotton, combed cotton is better than carded cotton, and fabrics with a count of 60 or more are better than those with a count of 40 or 32…
But except for e-commerce products, most products may not be marked in such detail, showing all types and counts of cotton. For ordinary consumers, in addition to listening to the shopping guide’s introduction, the appearance, touch and information displayed on the wash label of the fabric are the only ways to judge the quality of the fabric.
Today we will talk about how to judge the quality of cotton through this limited information.
01-
Good cotton The appearance is smooth and delicate
Ordinary cotton fibers have a lot of short velvet, messy strands, and hairiness on the surface. They are mostly woven with a plain weave structure. After being woven into cloth, the surface has no luster and is not sensitive to light. When you look at it, the fabric will have floating lint or some hair balls. These characteristics are more obvious on inferior cotton.
However, fabrics made of high-quality cotton fiber, such as combed cotton, combed cotton and other textiles, are mostly made of twill, Weaved with a satin weave structure, the fabric is shiny. Mercerized cotton treated with mercerization will have a stronger luster and be as smooth and bright as silk.
When the fabric is viewed against the light, there will be very little floating hair and miscellaneous hair on the surface of high-quality cotton, and the luster will be strong.
02-
Good cotton feels smooth and soft
Ordinary cotton fibers are short, making it difficult to weave high-count fabrics. After ordinary cotton is combed, it can generally only spin 40-count yarn. More than 50 pieces must be spun with long-staple cotton.
I believe most people have come into contact with the old coarse cloth when they were children. Although it is comfortable and breathable, it feels hard and thick and has high touch resistance. The yarn used in old coarse cloth is generally 21-count cotton.
Ordinary cotton fabrics such as 32-count cotton have a lot of short velvet fibers, a lot of hairiness, and relatively thick yarns, so the fabrics woven into them are slightly rough, and are not as good as cotton with a count of 60 or more. Soft to the touch, smooth and skin-friendly. High-quality cotton treated with mercerization is not only soft but also feels as smooth as silk.
03-
High-end cotton is mostly solid color
In order to meet the diverse aesthetic needs of the market, the bedding will be printed on the set through a printing process, but the printing During the process, the pigments will adhere to the fibers, thus affecting the luster of the fabric and the original silky feel of the fabric.
So the colorful and bright fabrics on the market are generally less than 40 thread count. Long-staple cotton bedding products are basically solid colors, with only a small proportion of printing. Just add a small amount of jacquard and embroidery to increase the richness of product styles.
04-
Not only 100% cotton is good cotton
The percentage of cotton content is one of the few pieces of information about cotton that can be read from the wash label. Remember, don’t listen to the saying that if the content is more than 75%, it is “pure cotton”. Only cotton with 100% content can be called “pure cotton” or “whole cotton”. If you want to buy pure cotton/all-round clothes or bedding, look for the value “100%”.
But that doesn’t mean that cotton blended fabrics are bad. On the contrary, blending with a small amount of strong chemical fibers such as polyester (polyester fiber) can enhance the wrinkle resistance of the fabric, improve durability, and reduce shrinkage; and blending with silk, linen, and regenerated cellulose fibers can improve its water absorption. Breathable, delicate texture. For example, the following Yuanmeng brand kit is made of recycled fiber + cotton blend, and the fabric texture is smoother than pure cotton.
Cotton blended with chemical fiber, it is recommended to choose cotton accounting for more than 75%, blended with natural fiber and regenerated cellulose fiber, accounting for more than 50%.
The summary is that we can judge the quality of cotton bedding by looking at the gloss and fineness of the cotton. Good cotton has a delicate and shiny feel, a flat and smooth surface, and few impurities and lint. High-end cotton bedding products are mostly solid colors. If you want to buy pure cotton products, pay attention to the proportion of ingredients on the label. 100% is pure cotton. Remember Yet?
