Viscose: fabric properties, resistance to creasing and pilling

What fabrics should you choose from to avoid looking wrinkled?
For evening walks in Prague, I bought a light summer dress in boho style. The trip around Europe was planned by bus, and in small hotels I had to run around looking for an iron, wasting precious time on ironing. After returning from the trip, I started thinking about what fabrics don’t wrinkle and what to do so that dresses don’t wrinkle so much.

What determines the wrinkleability of fabric?

First I studied the theory. It turns out that the property of creasing and wrinkling is inherent in most fabrics. But the homogeneous structure of synthetic fiber allows it to quickly restore its shape after mechanical stress. Fine? Yes, but in return we get the inability to absorb moisture and let air through.

Threads created by nature from silk, linen, cotton and wool are loose in structure. They have air-filled cavities, which, on the one hand, create comfort for our body. On the other hand, they deform under loads and the smoothness and evenness of the surface are disrupted.

Thick, dense materials wrinkle less than thin and airy materials. The way of weaving the weft and warp threads is also important: jacquard wrinkles more difficult than satin and crepe de Chine, which wrinkle less than simple linen.

Life hack: how to fold a shirt correctly so it doesn’t wrinkle.

Fabric Crease Rating

Almost all fabrics have the ability to wrinkle. Of course, the structure of synthetic fibers contributes to their recovery after the cessation of mechanical stress, but the flip side of this phenomenon is the lack of air exchange, moisture absorption and thermoregulation.

The structure of natural linen, cotton, silk and wool threads is not as uniform as synthesized materials. They have air-filled cavities that create comfort upon contact with the skin, but deform under load, thereby disrupting the smooth and beautiful appearance of the surface.

As a rule, dense and thick fabric wrinkles much less than thin and airy fabric. Much also depends on the method of weaving the threads - jacquard retains a smooth surface better than satin and satin, and they, in turn, are much inferior to simple linen texture. Thus, in order for clothes and bedding to look impeccable, you have to spend a lot of time and effort on ironing them. Therefore, the problem of what to do if the fabric is very wrinkled, and whether there are any means to correct this defect, concerns many people.

How to shrink viscose fiber

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When is the bruise almost invisible?

Crease test


When purchasing a new item or material for its manufacture, you should always check how much it wrinkles. To do this, squeeze the edge of the fabric tightly in the palm of your hand and hold it for at least 10 seconds . If the resulting creases do not straighten out, you will need special means to maintain the product in decent shape.

To make the fabric wrinkle less, crush it yourself

Companies producing high-quality natural fabrics use selected raw materials with increased thread twist and high weaving technologies. In this case, a slight wrinkle in the suit looks very elegant and is a sign that its owner wears luxury, expensive items

Crash fabrics with specially industrially applied creases also look very stylish. This operation can also be done at home.

Stages of a “home crash”:

From such fabric you can sew a crinkled straight skirt or dress that will withstand several washes, after which the “home crash” operation can be repeated.

Manufacturing process

The production of artificial fabrics began at the end of the 19th century. And it has remained virtually unchanged to this day. The raw materials are crushed, boiled in alkali, bleached and pressed. Next, the resulting substance is transported to factories to form the final product.

The thread production process includes four stages:

  • Obtaining a spinning solution.
  • Pressing the substance through a special plate (spinneret) into an acid bath - this is how threads are formed.
  • Next comes the finishing stage.
  • The drying stage is the final one.

Good old starch - and more


Ways to make clothes wrinkle less and bed linen sparkling clean have been known for several centuries - iron and starch.
When exposed to high temperatures, starch emulsion forms a hard but breathable film that not only looks beautiful, but also protects against dirt and also extends the life of the product. In addition, ironing starched material is much easier, methods for starching fabric.

For traditional starch, use a teaspoon or tablespoon of starch per liter of water. To prevent dark fabric from wrinkles, use a gelatin solution; It is also recommended for silk and viscose. However, for most modern women, washing by hand is an unaffordable waste of time, which only has to be done for particularly valuable items. For regular machine washing, there are many modern starching products available on the market, made on various bases.

A starch spray that is sprayed onto fabrics before ironing is very convenient to use . Its basis is a specially selected finishing material. Various sprays can contain both natural starch and synthetic resins, which create a long-lasting crease-resistant effect, as well as surfactants that make ironing easier, borax, which gives a beautiful shine, and other substances.

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How to wash and care for viscose

Since this fabric is especially vulnerable when wet, it needs to be washed carefully in a neutral detergent. Avoid using bleaches. It is best to wash viscose items by hand, especially if it is important to maintain their shape. After washing, wrap especially delicate items in a terry towel, wring them lightly, and dry them by laying them flat.

You can also resort to machine washing. Choose a gentle mode designed for delicate fabrics, since wet material loses its strength by 40%. Set the minimum spin speed. Temperature regime – +30 ºС.

To improve the performance properties of viscose, synthetic fibers are added to its composition. At the same time, the material becomes more wear-resistant and practically does not wrinkle. If there are fewer synthetic additives in the fabric than viscose itself, then the material retains all the advantages of natural materials.

Attention! Do not dry laundry in direct sunlight. This causes the dyed fabric to fade.

Viscose is a serious competitor to cotton, both in its performance properties, appearance, and price. Feel free to purchase products made from this material, because they are made from natural raw materials and are not capable of harming your health!

What to do if clothes are very wrinkled

When updating our wardrobe for summer, we all mostly give preference to natural fabrics. They have a number of undoubted advantages over synthetic ones: they perfectly absorb moisture and allow air to pass through, which gives a comfortable feeling while wearing. However, they also have one drawback, which sometimes brings a lot of inconvenience - great creasing. You can iron your dress perfectly in the morning, sit down on public transport and... it will lose its neat appearance. The thing is that threads made of linen, cotton and wool have a loose structure: their cavities are filled with air (due to which the skin “breathes” in them) and are easily deformed under load - the surface of the fabric loses its smoothness and evenness. What should you do to ensure that the item does not wrinkle and remains presentable throughout the day?

Rating of wrinkle-resistant fabrics

Before purchasing any item, check whether it is wrinkled. To do this, just squeeze the material tightly in your hand and hold it for 10 seconds. As a result, you will see which tissues are restored and which ones remain damaged. Note that linen, cotton and natural silk wrinkle the most. Viscose fabric - a staple - noticeably wrinkles (in order not to struggle with wrinkles, you can choose a variegated color of the fabric). Satin and chiffon may wrinkle, but to a lesser extent. But fabrics based on polyester or with a small addition of it are completely wrinkle-resistant.

Viscose carpets


Viscose carpets come in a huge variety of colors, sizes and shapes.
They are cheaper than carpets made from natural threads, and their advantages and disadvantages are the same as those of viscose fiber. Cellulose carpets are non-allergenic, do not accumulate static electricity, are light, soft and pleasant to the touch. The disadvantages of such coverings are the complex process of getting rid of dirt - experts recommend cleaning them in a dry cleaner, where they will select a special gentle cleaning agent for your carpet. In addition, these carpets are resistant to moisture and wet spots.

Even if plain water is spilled on the carpet, the stain will be very noticeable after drying.

Viscose coatings are fire hazardous. They have low fire resistance and can easily ignite.

As an alternative to viscose, polypropylene carpets are produced. They do not cause allergies, are more resistant to stains, are not afraid of moisture and are easier to clean. Unlike viscose ones, they can be used in the bathroom and hallway. However, they are less resistant to deformation and their service life is significantly shorter than that of cellulose. Dyes in polypropylene are not afraid of ultraviolet radiation.

Both carpet options are acceptable in price, quality and appearance. However, viscose requires more thoughtful care and cleaning.

The most wrinkled fabrics

Let's start with the fact that all fabrics wrinkle: some more, some less, some are even specially processed to create a wrinkled effect. Synthetic fibers in the materials help to more easily restore the shape of things after any mechanical stress.

But natural fabrics are more prone to deformation, and to varying degrees:

Fine wool is also “friendly” with creases and is very difficult to part with.

Subtleties of hand washing

Washing viscose by hand is not difficult at all if you follow the recommendations.

You should start with soaking. Prepare water t=30-35° with washing or suitable detergent. Hot water negatively affects the structure of the fabric and it shrinks. Immerse the items in the soapy solution, then gently wrinkle and iron the fabric. Avoid rough impact, do not rub, twist or squeeze into a ball. Wet viscose fibers are very fragile and vulnerable. They are highly prone to deformation. Shaking will help remove excess water.

Things that look harmonious with folds

There are a number of fabrics and things that, having a wrinkled appearance, do not look sloppy, but on the contrary, will highlight your style. But remember: this method is not suitable for all materials and cannot be used in every situation.

The following things can be done without ironing:

Whatever one may say, not ironing clothes is not an option. Often, unpleasant and deeply structured creases are discovered at the most inopportune time, when there is absolutely no way to thoroughly deal with them. And what to do if a very wrinkled fabric does not allow the ironing process? You may not know, but an iron is not the only assistant that can smooth out wrinkled fabric.

Correct iron

The iron plays an important role in this process. It must meet the following criteria.

  • Pen. It is better to buy an iron in a store, then you can take it in your hand and try to see if it will be comfortable for ironing.
  • Weight. It is better to choose heavier models - then you won’t have to lean your whole body to iron the linen fabric.
  • Steaming system. If there is a lack of moisture, linen is almost impossible to iron. With a constant supply of hot steam, the folds can be easily removed.
  • Sole. Irons with ceramic soles or non-stick coatings have proven themselves to be excellent. Then you won’t need to remove rust stains from your clothes.

If you follow all the tips for washing and ironing, linen items will delight you for a long time and will not cause much trouble.

What to do to prevent dress fabric from wrinkles

For evening walks in Prague, I bought a light summer dress in boho style. The trip around Europe was planned by bus, and in small hotels I had to run around looking for an iron, wasting precious time on ironing. After returning from the trip, I started thinking about what fabrics don’t wrinkle and what to do so that dresses don’t wrinkle so much.

What determines the wrinkleability of fabric?

First I studied the theory. It turns out that the property of creasing and wrinkling is inherent in most fabrics. But the homogeneous structure of synthetic fiber allows it to quickly restore its shape after mechanical stress. Fine? Yes, but in return we get the inability to absorb moisture and let air through.

Threads created by nature from silk, linen, cotton and wool are loose in structure. They have air-filled cavities, which, on the one hand, create comfort for our body. On the other hand, they deform under loads and the smoothness and evenness of the surface are disrupted.

Wrinkle or not

I spent the next part of the study in the fabric department, checking the creaseability of individual samples. To do this, I squeezed the edge of the material tightly in my palm, counted to 10, then evaluated the effect. On some fabrics, creases disappeared right before our eyes, while others formed deep folds.

Does natural silk wrinkle? Yes, this is one of the most wrinkle-resistant fabrics

Natural silk and linen turned out to be the clear leaders in the company of highly wrinkled fabrics.

The multifunctional and inexpensive viscose material - staple - wrinkles well and noticeably.

Thin cotton fabrics popular in hot weather (gauze, cambric, chiffon, muslin) also formed strong, numerous creases.

Satin, chiffon and Indian fabric - bengalin - were in no way inferior to competitors in the formation of folds and creases. But their edges are not as sharp as those of cotton fabrics.

At the next stand, my attention was drawn to a fabric with the strange name lyocell. It turned out that this mixed viscose fabric has all the properties of natural materials. Surprisingly, when I opened my fist, I saw that all the folds were slowly straightened out, the surface remained smooth.

Also, polyester-based fabrics turned out to be practically wrinkle-resistant. Knitted fabric, elastane, stretch polyester.

Ways to solve the problem

I figured out the creasing of fabrics. It's time to solve the next problem. What should I do to prevent the fabric on trousers, skirts, and shirts from becoming wrinkled? The third part turned out to be experimental. In practice, home and store-bought remedies were tested. The experiment involved a staple dress, a snow-white cambric shirt and six linen napkins.

Good old starch

The first remedy that came to my mind was starch. I diluted a tablespoon in a liter of cold water and soaked napkins in the solution. Then I ironed them with a hot iron, the process went without a hitch. A thin glossy film has formed on the surface of the napkins. Grandma said that this way the napkins not only look more beautiful, but also get dirty less and last longer. In her youth, bed linen, valances, and formal linen tablecloths were starched. Well, the result is good, the napkins passed the family dinner test.

Store-bought starch-based products

I washed the staple dress with liquid starch from EuroNOVA. I poured the measuring cup into the rinse compartment and started the machine. The slightly damp dress was easily ironed, the fabric looked natural after all the procedures, the folds lay in light waves. I was pleased with the result.

Starching spray

When I took a closer look at the starch products at the household chemicals store, it turned out that there was plenty to choose from. For a cambric shirt I chose Luxus starching spray. Sprayed it on my blouse. It did not leave any stains, did not stick to the sole of the iron, and left a pleasant impression. During wear, the shirt wrinkled, but at the same time it looked quite presentable.

Girls, wear clothes made from natural fabrics and look flawless.

Watch the video on how to fold clothes so they don't wrinkle.

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What makes denim and cotton coarse?

First of all, this comes from the water in which you wash the item. A trivial situation - the content of salts and chalk leads to the fact that natural fabric becomes very hard. The housewife can puzzle over this issue for a long time, changing the washing powder, but not achieving the desired effect. If your system has a centralized water supply, the cause may be salt deposits in the pipes. Well water may contain excess chalk. The solution to the problem is very simple - you need to install a cleaning and softening filter at the inlet of the washing machine, and the problem will disappear by itself.

Washing denim and cotton fabrics in water that is too hot will cause shrinkage as the fibers become compressed. Therefore, they should be washed at a temperature of no more than 50 °C. But if this unpleasant situation occurs, soak the item in cool water, wait for 15 minutes, dry, and then steam without touching the sole of the iron to the surface of the fabric. For this purpose it is better to use a steam generator.

Women have long learned to soften fabrics made from cotton fibers (and jeans are woven from them) with a soda solution. Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to an 8-liter bowl of water, leave for 20 minutes and rinse with conditioner. You can twist with effort to soften the fibers. Place the denim items in the washing machine and put in special wash balls, turn on the intensive spin mode. This will help eliminate stiffness.

Possible consequences of improper washing

  • Violation of the temperature regime leads to the fact that viscose shrinks after washing. This most often happens with items that contain wool or acrylic fibers.
  • Proper drying of viscose is no less important for maintaining the original condition of clothing. When you don’t have time to dry your favorite dress and have to wear it wet, there is a high probability that the product will stretch, increasing in volume by a couple of sizes.
  • Viscose with the addition of polyester thread is prone to the formation of pills, spoiling the appearance of clothes. One of the reasons for their appearance is washing in a machine drum. Therefore, you need to use a laundry bag.
  • For viscose items, do not use steamers or hang them on a line to dry. The material stretches from its own weight and cannot be restored.

Even synthetics will become soft

Many synthetic fabrics have properties that can be safely put on the same scale as natural ones. This is about technical characteristics. And if we talk about the possibilities of creating a unique design, then sometimes they have no equal. All girls now sew dresses and skirts from neoprene, they are at the peak of popularity.

Your wardrobe probably contains clothes made from materials that contain unnatural fibers:

One way or another, things made from synthetic fabrics have firmly entered our lives, so it is necessary to know how to handle them in order to ensure comfortable wearing.

To make this material soft, you need to use a conditioner and be sure to follow the rules indicated on the clothing label. Some housewives use vinegar or prepare the mixture themselves. But why resort to such methods if specialized products are sold in stores.

To make linen clothes pleasant to wear

Linen is a fabric from which people have been sewing clothes since time immemorial. Manufacturing technology involves the use of natural fibers, which are obtained in factories in several stages. Due to this, the fabric is soft. But sometimes you discover that the purchased item is itchy and unpleasant to wear.

Don't despair; the fibers may not have softened during one of the processing steps. You can make it softer at home. To do this, you should boil the thing that is pricking in water with the addition of a soap-soda solution. Please note that this can only be done if you are sure that the fabric is natural - synthetic fibers cannot withstand high temperatures and curl up.

Try steaming the item with a hot iron, after washing and rinsing the item using conditioner. Another effective option is to contact a tailor to have a lining sewn onto your product.

How to prepare things for washing

  • Start by studying the label, which indicates the temperature and washing method. For different products, care requirements may vary depending on the composition and type of fibers.
  • Wash items strictly by type: light, black and colored.
  • When machine washing, use a mesh bag in which the material will not rub against the walls of the drum. It will protect the fabric from snagging and pilling.
  • Hooks, zippers and buttons on clothing should be fastened to avoid damaging delicate fibers.
  • Wash all viscose items inside out.
  • If heavily soiled, clothes should be pre-soaked. Dilute the powder or liquid preparation in a bowl of warm water (30-35°). Place the clothes there for 30-40 minutes. After this, squeeze lightly and start washing.
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