Getting washing right is important if you want to wear your favorite clothes again and again. But, while some items can be simply thrown in the washing machine and will survive almost any washing cycle, others, especially blended fabrics, need a little more care.
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What Are Blended Fabrics
Blended fabrics are exactly what they sound like, items of clothing that are made with more than one type of material, once blended they create a new, unique material that blends the qualities of all the fabrics.
Because the item is unique and made of two different fabrics, you’ll find it’s difficult to know what washing cycle you should use.
You can simply follow the instructions for the material that makes up most of the garment. For example, if it’s 30% cotton and 70% polyester, then wash it in the same way as you would a polyester garment.
However, while this is a good guideline it cannot always be adhered to. If the smaller material is the more delicate one then it may still be damaged when washing the item.
Getting The Wash Right
In fact, the first step should be to identify which of the fabrics are more delicate. Even if this is the lowest quantity of material you should start the washing process by following the instructions for the most delicate fabric.
To wash items made of blended fabrics, soak them in a basin of cold water with and add this detergent and let it sit for 30 minutes. You can also wash it in the washing machine with the same detergent by putting the item in a mesh washing bag and on a delicate cycle with cool water.
But, it’s also important to check what other garments are being washed with it. You should avoid washing it with bright colored items, these are likely to run and damage your delicate blended item.
You then need to consider the drying process. The heat of a dryer can damage blended fabrics, making air-drying a better option, if possible. If you lay the item flat or even hand it outside on the line, it shouldn’t need to be ironed. But, if you do need to iron it, you should keep the iron on a cool setting.
The Most Popular Blended Fabrics
While you can find a wide variety of different fabrics blended together, there are several types that are the most common/popular.
Cotton/Polyester
Usually either 50/50 or 65/35 in favor of cotton. Polyester doesn’t change shape when washed which means you can actually wash this blend in the same way as you would a cotton item.
Polyester/cotton/Rayon
This is usually done as 50:25:25 with polyester being the majority shareholder. Items made from this blend are usually very soft and the clothing is normally loose fit.
This is one item that definitely needs to be handled with care.
Polyester/Spandex
This is usually 85% polyester and the blend is often used in fitness apparel as it is stretchy and soft, as well as durable.
Again, your best option is to treat this as delicate, you’re much less likely to damage it.
