Modal fabric: what is it, advantages and disadvantages, rules of care

Modal is a unique environmentally friendly material and is widely used when sewing clothes. It owes its growing popularity to high performance and the optimal combination of the properties of artificial and natural fibers.

Modal belongs to the category of semi-synthetic viscose fabrics and has been known since the 30s of the last century. However, at that time the material was used exclusively for industrial purposes and was not used for sewing clothes. But around the 50s, pragmatic Japan became interested in the production of the modal, and in the late 60s, Austria joined the production of the modal. Today, many enterprises around the world are engaged in fabric manufacturing, supplying the market with high-quality and very practical material.

In its composition, modal is one of the varieties of viscose, the production of which uses exclusively raw chlorine-free pulp of beech, eucalyptus or pine. The modal production process consists in processing wood chips by the method of extracting cellulose fibers from it, followed by chemical treatment of the resulting substance.

The essence of this treatment is to pass the pulp through the dies - perforated forms of high strength, followed by dipping in a special solution. As a result of this technology, it is possible to obtain strong fibers, characterized by extraordinary lightness and subtlety.Thanks to such production features, modal can be attributed to artificial materials based on natural fibers.

At the next stage of production, thin threads are fed to looms, where, in fact, the production of the fabric takes place. The weaving of fibers in the manufacture of the modal can be performed in two ways, giving two completely different types of fabric.

• First view The fabric is made using one-sided weaving and is a thin and smooth material, remotely resembling silk.
• Second viewon the contrary, it has a terry, similar to a velvet surface and looks like soft knitwear. Such canvases are made by means of double-sided weaving and have a wider scope of application than fabric with single-sided weaving.

In addition to the weaving technique, the modal can be classified according to two more signs: the composition and structure of the fibers. According to these criteria, micromodal and mixed fabrics are isolated.

The micromodal is a sophisticated version of a traditional modal and is characterized by increased strength and an even longer life than its prototype. The thickness of one strand of micromodal is almost 40 times thinner than a human hair, which makes the fabric unusually elastic and light. So, a thread with a length of 10,000 meters weighs only 1 gram.

This modal modification is widely used for sewing underwear, clothes for sports, as well as for the manufacture of women's tights and leggings.

In addition, such products are easy to wash and do not require ironing.

Blended fabrics are made by adding spandex, wool and cotton to cellulose fibers. This significantly reduces the cost of the material and gives it additional qualities of its constituent fibers. The most popular is the modal-cotton combination, where the proportion of the natural component can reach 50%. This ratio significantly improves the operational characteristics of the modal, makes it pleasant to the touch and improves air exchange.

Another popular combination is a mixture of modal, viscose and wool. The result is a warm and soft-touch material that is perfectly suited for the manufacture of winter jumpers and tights. For sewing home clothes, a modal with the addition of spandex is often used: such things are well washed, absolutely do not wrinkle, and for a long time retain their original appearance.

High consumer demand for clothes made from modal, due to a number of important advantages of this material.

• An important operational property of the material is the absence of deformation and shrinkage during wear and after washing. Due to this quality, modal and micromodal are often used for sewing sports trousers and tights and do not allow knees to stretch.
• The material is characterized by high wear resistance, does not roll and does not rub.
• The fabric has a pronounced dirt-repellent property, and is also easy to wash and does not require soaking.
• The hypoallergenicity of the material, due to the absence of toxic substances and harmful impurities in its composition, allows people with especially sensitive and problematic skin to use it.

• Due to the special structure of cellulose filaments and modern dyeing technologies, the dye penetrates deep enough into the fibers of the fabric and does not wash off after numerous washes.
• Modal has a pronounced hygroscopicity: the fibers quickly absorb sweat and evaporate it just as quickly. In addition, the modal is very well ventilated and promotes proper air exchange between the human body and the environment.
• The fabric has high decorative characteristics, which allows you to use it not only for home and sports, but also for everyday wear. Modal items are soft and unusually light.

Along with a lot of obvious benefits, modal weaknesses still have:

• the minuses include the likelihood of skin irritation, which can manifest as itching and redness;
• in addition, the cost of products from modal is slightly higher than the cost of things from other synthetic materials with similar properties;
• The disadvantages include a rather high flammability of the fabric, which is why it is strictly forbidden to be in such clothing near an open flame.

By itself, a 100% modal is not used very often and is quite expensive. Mostly mixed fabrics are used, having, in addition to modal, other materials. Such linens are used for sewing bed sets, home clothes, household textiles, including napkins for wet and dry cleaning, and underwear.

Socks and tights are made from modal, as well as sewing skirts, blouses, bathrobes, T-shirts, t-shirts, tracksuits, night shirts and pajamas. Such a wide distribution of the modal is due to its high hygienic properties and the ability to thermoregulate.

Modal does not apply to capricious fabrics and does not require specialized care.

• You can wash the material both on hand and in the car at a water temperature of no higher than 40 degrees. If automatic washing is used, then the most optimal mode will be delicate washing or any other mode with the same number of turns. As a detergent, you can use any type of powder, except for bleaching. Spin clothing should be performed at medium speeds, and when washing things manually, squeeze things slightly, dab with a towel and hang on a coat hanger or rope.
• In no case should you leave a wet thing in a crumpled state. The material dries quickly enough, and if the clothes dry in this form, then smoothing creases and folds will be problematic. In order to correct the situation and bring the thing into a neat appearance, you will have to wet and re-dry it again. However, if the product is dried according to all the rules, then it does not need ironing. The fibers are self-expanding and do not require additional measures to smooth them.

• If you still have to iron clothes, then this should be done on medium heat, steaming the fabric through cheesecloth. You can stroke without gauze. To do this, turn the product off, lower the temperature to the “silk” mode, which corresponds to one point on the iron regulator and gently smooth it. If other fibers are present in the modal, then their properties must be taken into account when ironing. Ironing recommendations are always indicated on the product label, therefore, before taking on the iron, you must carefully read them.
• A number of manufacturers, in general, do not recommend washing products from modal and allow only dry cleaning. This requirement also needs to be taken into account and in no case should it be neglected.

If we compare modal with other fabrics, we can note the following: the material is much superior to cotton in its ability to preserve color and, unlike a natural fabric, practically does not crease. In addition, it dissipates sweat much better and dries faster. Also, in comparison with a cotton cloth, the modal is more pleasant to the touch and is able to last much longer than cotton. In terms of its effect on the skin, it loses noticeably to cotton products and, in contrast to them, can cause local allergic reactions.

However, its elasticity is slightly lower than that of a viscose fabric, so viscose wins here. In addition, in its strength and silkiness, the modal is much superior to bamboo similar to it, and in terms of smoothness and shiny surface it can compete on equal terms only with silk.

In general, consumers highly value the working qualities of the modal. Among the advantages, good moisture absorption is noted, which makes towels and bath sheets made of this material very convenient to use. Attention is drawn to the fact that modal is often used when sewing clothes for pregnant women, which indicates its safety and environmental safety. Not ignored is the fact that the fabric practically does not need ironing, and things from it can be worn immediately after drying, which, by the way, also happens quite quickly.

However, several people who left reviews about the modal are embarrassed by its flammability. But for the sake of justice, it is worth noting that this is perhaps the only drawback that consumers attribute to the modal. In general, the modal is assessed as a convenient, wearable and practical material that quickly and easily washes, does not stretch and does not roll, and also retains its original appearance throughout the entire time of wear and pleases owners with the brightness of colors.

An overview of several types of modal is presented in the video below.