Fleece: composition description, pros and cons

The modern choice of different fabrics allows for each case to choose a material that suits him perfectly. The same fleece today seems to be an integral attribute of human civilization, because many would be surprised to find out that this material has not even turned half a century. Nevertheless, already now he has become so firmly entrenched in everyday life that he deserves much more attention.

The very name of the fleece specifically indicates what effect its creators sought to achieve - from English fleece translates as pile or wool. However, the original material was a natural product, but the fleece material is made of polyester and some other synthetic threads. The beginning of the production of this matter was laid in 1979.

A brief description usually states that fleece is as warm a material as wool, which does not interfere with the body "breathing", which is a very useful addition.

The fleece looks a little unusual, its surface is dotted with small lumps, which additionally help to keep warm. High heat-saving properties determine the scope of this material, but its unusual appearance often makes manufacturers use it more as a lining.However, the same sweatshirts quite often are made from the fleece itself, and it is the example of such clothes that is easiest to imagine how it looks.

Despite the abundant presence in the structure of the fabric of cavities and spaces between synthetic fibers, the fleece never sits down and does not allow clothes to change their original shape, which greatly simplifies sewing various things from it. In addition, the fleece fabric dyes well in any color and does not fade even under the influence of a large amount of moisture. In pure form, this material stretches well, which further prevents the appearance of gaps.

If we talk about the positive features that have led to the rapid spread of fleece around the world in a matter of decades, then we can not help but highlight a few points.

• Light weight. Such material involves sewing warm, but rather light clothing, which is especially true in the case of children or people who find themselves in difficult conditions.
• Elasticity. Clothing made of fleece is well suited for activity of any kind, because it is often chosen by athletes and those who are not alien to daily exercise. If the garment requires strict observance of the original form, then only a warming lining is made of fleece material, and because of its lightness and elasticity, it does not interfere with the regular use of such a suit.

• Ease of care. Fleece is machine washable, because all the advantages of modern technology can be used to simplify the care of it.
• High drying speed. Due to the abundance of cavities, the fleece material is not able to absorb too much water, therefore, products from it dry very quickly after washing. This allows you to not overload the wardrobe, using a small number of things.
• Strength and wear resistance. According to these two indicators that determine the durability of clothing, fleece does not belong to unequivocal leaders - on the contrary, its indicators are rather average. Another thing is that most of the analogues with comparable positive qualities, against the background of fleece matter, turn out to be fragile and easily torn, therefore even average strength can be considered an advantage.

• The ability to retain heat. What is interesting is that this parameter, for which fleece is usually praised, is also estimated by experts as average, since there are much warmer types of fabrics. Another thing is that for conditions of a temperate climatic zone the heat-saving abilities of the fleece are just enough - in the cool season, it can effectively protect against cold, without leading to overheating of the body. Warmer materials are also needed in certain conditions, but there are not many people in the world who are constantly confronted with such low temperatures, but fleece is a kind of middle ground.

• Biological stability. The big problem with almost all tissues of natural origin is that they can be a comfortable environment for the living and reproduction of various microorganisms. In the best case, this leads to rapid deterioration of clothing, in the worst - it can become a problem for the owner if uninvited guests provoke a disease. Fleece is made from fibers that can be of no interest to bacteria; therefore, they do not linger on its surface.
• The ability to retain heat even when wet. Getting wet clothes always becomes a huge problem - as a rule, after collecting water with its high thermal conductivity, it loses all its warming abilities. Fleece fabric even in wet form copes with this task better than competitors, moreover, it dries very quickly.

• Hypoallergenicity. Many natural materials can cause rejection in a certain group of people, because of which any contact with a provoking substance is fraught with an acute manifestation of the disease.The fleece fibers contain exclusively proven hypoallergenic materials, which is why clothes and blankets for children are often made from it - the most allergic category of people.

With all the advantages among the characteristics of fleece, there was a place for disadvantages. There are relatively few of them, but you need to know about them - perhaps they will make them refuse to use this material.

• Combustibility The original fleece, introduced in 1979, was still that fire hazardous material. By itself, it remains so today, however, manufacturers have long invented a processing method that eliminates this drawback. Another thing is that the buyer cannot know in advance whether it was his thing that underwent such processing, and therefore the risk always remains.
• Electrification. Fleece things quite easily and quickly collect current on themselves, which in the modern world is increasingly considered a sign of low-quality clothing.
• The ability to collect dust. The static charge collected on fleece matter contributes to the attraction of dust, and a large number of cavities in the fabric structure only contributes to its accumulation. If a person is not particularly susceptible to it, then there will not be a big problem in this, however, for some people it causes bright allergy attacks.

Fleece is not so much a specific material, but rather a group of different types of fabrics, each of which has its own characteristics and may be more or less suitable for specific tasks. The classification criteria can be the texture (one-sided or two-sided) and many other parameters, but we will consider only two main ones.

Fleece matter does not imply certain standard indicators, each manufacturer can change the same density at its discretion. As a result of such manipulations, virtually different fabrics with a different degree of heat conservation appear, therefore, from the same matter (judging by the name), things can be made for fundamentally different needs. This is best seen on the example of a specific classification.

• Thin fleece weighs only 100-200 grams per square meter. Sewing clothes from it is not entirely justified, since the material does not retain heat so well to be used independently, without other clothes. The main field of application of such a fabric is sewing thermal underwear, and it is also possible to make a lining for light spring and autumn jackets from it.

• Medium density fleece is already heavier - 200-300 g / m2. It is this kind of material that is usually used for sewing children's clothes, since with a relatively small weight of things they provide decent protection from the cold in combination with other clothes. The same material is most often used for sewing gloves and hats.

• Thick fleece weighing up to 400 grams per square meter is designed to solve serious problems with low temperatures, because it is notable for its significant thickness and heat-saving ability. Winter outerwear is often sewn from this type of fabric, and it is most suitable for sewing warm rugs - underneath, even in a relatively cold apartment, you can sleep naked.

• A very dense fleece material is called whose density exceeded 400 grams per square meter (The maximum figure is considered to be 600 grams). In our area, this material is not found everywhere - it is designed for rather harsh conditions, because clothes are sewn from it either for a very harsh climate, or for a long stay in the cold. In the middle zone, the main consumers of such products are usually tourists traveling to the mountains or on winter trips with an overnight stay in a tent.

Based on the same significant differences in density, we can conclude that the fleece production technology is described only in general terms - each manufacturer can introduce their own features into the procedure in order to achieve the optimal result. Many companies have done so over the past four decades, as a result of which they have begun to single out several specific types of fleece fabrics, whose names are often known much more widely than the term “fleece” itself. It is difficult to list them all, because the problem is even to simply count them, therefore we will select only the most famous ones and emphasize their fundamental characteristics.

• Microfiber, or velsoft - A type of fleece with increased strength and softness, the density is usually in the range of 250-310 g / m2. A key feature of microfiber is an elongated pile, due to which it can absorb significant amounts of water, and dries very quickly. Such characteristics make it possible to use it for the production of various tourist towels and rags for wiping glasses.

• Mahra, also known as frote, consists mainly of cotton or flax, and although the percentage of their exact content may vary, this material is more often considered natural than synthetic. The pile is double-sided, it is formed due to small loops of individual threads. The density of the terry is 160-180 g / m2, and although it does not differ in outstanding heat-insulating properties, it is often used for sewing lightweight rugs due to its pleasant to the touch.

• Footer it is produced with a certain amount of cotton, so manufacturers get more durable material with increased ability to absorb water. The fleece of the footer is observed only on one side, which reduces its thickness, practically without affecting the ability to retain heat.

• Velours among all the above fabrics is the most dense and, accordingly, warm. The density of this material varies greatly - from 220 to 420 g / m2, which affects the width of the layer of villi (3-7 mm). Velor is valued for being not prone to creasing and wrinkling, while it is highly resistant to wear.

The positive properties of the fleece as a whole, as well as the abundance of varieties, to one degree or another suitable for diverse tasks, determines the widespread use of this fabric in the modern clothing industry. There is practically no such category of consumers that would be completely unrelated to fleece things, and in all countries of the world that differ in the presence of the cool season, fleece fabric is very in demand.

Hunters and fishermen highly value this material, which is able to protect it from severe winter frosts. Thanks to the latter, it is also in demand in the casual clothing sector, and of a completely different type - from thermal underwear and socks through house robes to “weekend” sweatshirts and vests.

Fleece fabric was also very popular in the field of children's clothing, although here it is appreciated mainly for other reasons. The main factor is the impressive softness of things sewn from fleece, which children really like, as well as the complete hypoallergenicity of such material, which completely deprives parents of the need to look for the reasons for the sudden “cold” of the child. If the child is well dressed in several layers of clothing, a fleece jumpsuit in combination with a hat and gloves made of the same material will complete the warming of the baby. Despite the carelessness of children, fleece clothing is also a safety criterion for them, because bacteria do not like to settle in it, which prevents the risk of various diseases.

Since we are talking about products for children, it should be noted that soft toys are also produced using fleece. The advantages of this use are the same - softness, hypoallergenicity and antibacterial environment, however, the plus is added the ability to dye fleece items in any bright colors, and the product will not be molted.

At the same time, the unpretentiousness of fleece fabric and its ability to pass moisture without absorption leads to the active use of the same fabric as upholstery for upholstered furniture - sofas and armchairs. At the same time, it is possible to make upholstery for mattresses and pillows from the same fleece.

The positive side of using fleece items is the ability to wash them in a washing machine, but not everything is so simple. First of all, synthetic fibers do not like heat, therefore it is not recommended to iron them at temperatures above 40 degrees, moreover, ironing is not recommended - after this, you should not be surprised if the fabric has sat down or started to show any other negative signs that were originally not typical for it . Often, the fabric sits down after washing, and because the temperature was maintained during washing, but then the owner “guessed” to hang the product for drying on a hot heater.

All useful characteristics of fleece fabric are relevant only as long as all the components individually remain intact, therefore when washing it is very important not to use anything that could harm delicate fabrics. For this reason, fleece is usually washed in the gentle washing mode, the use of various chemical softeners and bleaches is strictly prohibited.

After washing, fleece products are not recommended to be twisted - they dry quickly even without it. Drying and storing them is usually recommended on ordinary coat hanger, if there are none, or there is no place to hang them, the clothes can even be folded neatly.

Toys in fleece upholstery cannot be washed, but if they are small in size, they can be effectively cleaned in a dry way. To do this, put the toy in a whole and rather thick plastic bag, after which they add about a quarter of a glass of ordinary baking soda there. Then the bag is tightly knotted and shake intensively - it takes at least a minute, it is assumed that the soda should touch the surface of the product everywhere, and even penetrate in some places. Upon contact with dirt, soda should bind the latter and pull it to the surface, therefore, the product removed from the bag at the end of the procedure is carefully wiped with a dry brush.

See how to take care of fleece clothing in the video below.