Guide to Common Textile Fabrics: What You're Wearing

Most clothing care mistakes stem from not knowing what fabric a garment is made of and how that fabric behaves. A quick guide to the most common fabrics — what they are, their properties, and their care requirements.

Natural Fibers

Cotton: Cellulose fiber from the cotton boll. Properties: breathable, absorbent, durable, comfortable. Weakness: shrinks with heat, wrinkles easily. Care: machine washable in most cases; cool to warm water to minimize shrinkage; iron with steam while slightly damp.

Linen: Cellulose fiber from flax stalks. Properties: highly breathable, stronger than cotton, cool in heat. Weakness: wrinkles very easily, can shrink with heat. Care: machine washable many versions; iron while damp for best results; dry clean for structured linen garments. Ideal for Houston's heat.

Wool: Protein fiber from sheep. Properties: naturally temperature-regulating, resilient, resistant to wrinkles, naturally flame-resistant. Weakness: can shrink and felt with heat and agitation in water; attracts clothing moths. Care: dry clean for structured garments; hand wash or gentle cycle in cool water for knits; lay flat to dry.

Cashmere: Ultra-fine protein fiber from cashmere goats. Properties: exceptionally soft, very warm for its weight, luxurious appearance. Weakness: delicate, pills more easily than standard wool, requires careful cleaning. Care: dry clean or careful hand wash in cool water; lay flat to dry; never machine wash or tumble dry.

Silk: Protein fiber from silkworm cocoons. Properties: natural luster, lightweight, smooth, temperature-regulating. Weakness: weakens when wet, dye-sensitive, shows water spots, requires gentle cleaning. Care: dry clean for most silk garments; careful hand wash in cool water with silk-specific detergent for some pieces.

Synthetic Fibers

Polyester: Petroleum-derived synthetic. Properties: durable, wrinkle-resistant, holds color well, quick-drying, affordable. Weakness: traps heat, holds odor, subject to pilling, static-prone. Care: machine washable most versions; cool to warm water; avoid high heat drying which can set wrinkles and degrade the fiber; fabric softener impairs moisture-wicking properties in performance polyester.

Nylon: Petroleum-derived synthetic. Properties: very strong, lightweight, abrasion-resistant, quick-drying. Care: machine washable; cool water; low heat drying.

Spandex/Lycra/Elastane: Synthetic elastic fiber. Properties: exceptional stretch (up to 600% of its length) and recovery, shape-retaining. Weakness: degrades with heat, chlorine, and UV exposure. Care: cool water only; no dryer or low heat only; never iron directly.

Fabric Blends

Most modern clothing uses blended fabrics combining two or more fiber types to balance properties:

• Poly-cotton: cotton's comfort with polyester's wrinkle-resistance
• Wool-synthetic: wool's appearance with improved durability
• Cotton-spandex: cotton's breathability with stretch

For blended fabrics, care requirements generally follow the most sensitive fiber in the blend — a 95% cotton / 5% spandex garment should be treated with the cool water and no-high-heat requirements of the spandex, not just the standard cotton approach.

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River Oaks Cleaners has expertise in all fabric types. When in doubt about care, bring your garment to us. Free pickup and delivery in Houston. Call (713) 523-7474.