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fabric Care Guide
SECTION 2
PERMANENT PRESS FABRICS
Permanent Press or Durable Press is
a special finish applied during manu-
facturing to help a garment keep its
_hape without ironing.
Fabrics with a permanent press finish
must be "softened" by heat to remove
wrinkles that occur during wearing
and laundering. When properly
laundered and tumble dried with heat,
most permanent press fabrics will
need no ironing.
How to buy permanent press
• Don't buy clothes with puckered seams
and pressed-in wrinkles.
• Be sure trims and lining can be washed
the same way as the rest of the
garment.
• Buy clothes that don't need to be let
out. Alteration creases won't iron out.
How to wash permanent press
• Sort correctly.
• Wash small to medium size loads in
plenty of water.
Jse cold rinse to prevent wrinkling.
How to dry permanent press
• Dry small to medium size loads.
• Dry permanent press clothes together.
Set controls as instructed for permanent
press.
• Take clothes from dryer as soon as it
stops. This keeps wrinkles from
forming.
KNIT FABRICS
Knits have stretch and "give" which
make them comfortable to wear.
Stretch can be a problem to clothes
manufacturers. During cutting,
sewing, and handling, the knit cloth
stretches larger than its original size.
The first time a stretched knitted
ga_c_es wet, the fabric
tends to relax or shrink to its original
size. This happens whether the
garment is wet by rain, hand wash-
ing, or machine washing. Some
knitted fabrics stretch and shrink less
than others. Knitted cellulose fabrics
such as cotton and rayon tend to
stretch and shrink easily. These
cellulose fabrics tend to shrink less
when they are blended with a
synthetic such as polyester.
How to buy knits
• Read the label. Know what fibers are
used. Synthetics and blends using
synthetics hold their size and shape
better than 100% cotton, rayon, etc.
• Buy the right size. If the garment might
shrink, get a larger size.
• Look for strong construction.
• Look for machine wash/tumble dry
instructions.
• See that linings and trim can be washed
the same way as the knit garment.
How to wash knits
• Sort correctly.
• Follow garment care label instructions.
• Use correct cycle and water
temperature.
• Use cold rinse to prevent wrinkles.
How to dry knits.
• Dry lightweight fabrics and heavy
fabrics in separate loads.
• Use a "less dry" setting to prevent
overdrying, shrinkage, harsh feel, and
static electricity.
• Turn knits inside out to prevent
snagging and pilling.
• Take clothes from dryer as soon as it
stops. This keeps wrinkles from
forming.
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