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As with any specialty industry, professional clothes care specialists, clothing designers, and manufacturers have a language all their own. Just as gigabytes, RAM, and Java are part of a computer professional's lingo and slants, blitzes, and three-step drops are common terms used by football coaches, people involved in the clothes care or clothing design industry have their own terminology for fibers and fabrics, fabric conditions, and cleaning methods.
Sometimes the linguistics of drycleaning get lost in the translation when cleaners correspond with their customers. While it is important for cleaners to explain a situation to customers as simply and accurately as possible, having a rudimentary understanding of drycleaning terminology could help you as a customer understand your cleaner better as well.
To that end, the following is a glossary of common fabric terms and other drycleaning terminology. In addition to defining the terms, the strengths and limitations of some of the fabrics are explained.
Acetate – A synthetic fiber that is used for luxurious fabrics such as taffeta and satin. It is often blended with rayon.
Acrylic – The generic name for a synthetic fiber derived from polyacrylonitrile. Acrylic is typically used as a substitute for wool.
Angora – A hair fiber from the angora rabbit. It may be blended with rayon or wool fibers for a novelty effect.
Aramid – A generic name for a synthetic fiber that is very strong and highly flame resistant. Trade names are Nomex and Kevlar.
Bias – The diagonal of a woven fabric between the warp (lengthwise) and the filling (crosswire) threads. This part of the fabric has the greatest amount of stretch and can easily be distorted in the cleaning and pressing process. view picture
Bleeding – The running of dyes that aren't colorfast in solvent or water. When the color runs it can stain other materials.
Blend – A fabric made from two or more fibers that will have the performance characteristics of both fibers (i.e., a cotton and polyester blend).
Bouclé – A rough, fairly thick, stubborn yarn that gives a fabric a tufted or knotted texture. view picture
Brocade – A heavy jacquard weave fabric with a design, such as leaves and flowers, woven into it. Metallic threads are often used in brocades.
Bugle Beads – Tube-shaped beads, originally made of glass although often man-made. They are sewn on dresses and blouses as decoration. These beads may contain a coating on the inside that can be removed in drycleaning, giving the bead a translucent appearance, or can discolor during long-term storage. view picture
Cashmere – A fine, soft wool obtained from goats native to Kashmir and Tibet.
Cellulose – Fibers that come from a plant source, such as cotton, linen, ramie, and rayon.
Chenille – From the French word for caterpillar. A fuzzy pile yarn that resembles a caterpillar or pipe cleaner. Commonly found in rugs, bedspreads, and bathroom accessories, but also used in sweaters, blouses, and dresses.
Chiffon – A sheer, lightweight, drapable, woven fabric originally made of silk but usually made from man-made fibers today.
Chintz – Any closely woven, plain weave fabric with a shiny lustrous finish, often printed in bright floral designs.
Colorfast – A term which implies that the color in a fabric will not be removed in the recommended procedure and will not wash out or fade upon exposure to sunlight or other atmospheric elements.
Corduroy – A pile corded fabric in which the rib has been sheared or woven to produce a smooth, velvet-like nap.
Crepe – A fabric with an overall crinkled surface that is made from yarns with such a high twist that the yarn actually kinks.
Denim – A twill weave fabric with a colored warp and white filling thread.
Faille – A woven fabric that has a very narrow, crosswire rib.
Fake fur – A common term for synthetic fabrics used to imitate animal pelts.
Felt – A fabric made from wool, fur, or hair fibers that mesh together when heat, moisture, and mechanical action are applied.
Flocked Fabric – small pieces of fiber glued or bonded to the surface of a fabric.
Fusible Fabric – A fabric with an adhesive coating that can be joined to another fabric by applying heat, moisture and pressure.
Interfacing – A fabric used to give additional body and strength to certain parts of garments. Some areas that usually contain interfacing include front opening edges, collars, and pocket flaps. Some interfacing material may not compatible with the shell fabric and may cause a bubbling or puckering of the shell fabric.
Jersey – A single-knit fabric with plain stitches on the right side and purl stitches on the back. The word jersey is often used to describe any knit.
Knit – A method of making fabrics through the interlacing of yarns. These fabrics tend to mold and fit body shapes and are characterized by their ability to stretch and recover to the original size.
Lace – Knotted, twisted or looped yarns that produce a fragile, sheer fabric, usually with intricate design patterns.
Metallic Fibers – Man-made mineral fibers composed of metal, plastic-coated metal, metal-coated plastic, or a core completely covered with metal. Metallic fibers are primarily used to create shiny, decorative yarns.
Nap – A fuzzy or soft down-like surface produced by brushing the fabric, usually with wire brushes.
Non-woven Fabrics – Fabrics made from fibers that are held together in a web by mechanical or chemical means or through heat. Some examples include felt and Ultrasuede.
Oxford – A fabric woven in a basket weave and made of cotton or a cotton blend. It often has a thin, colored warp and a thick, white filling.
Pile – A woven fabric containing an extra set of yarns woven into the base of the fabric to produce the "hairlike" surface texture. Velvet, velveteen, corduroy, and fake fur are the most common pile fabrics.
Pilling – The tendency of fibers to pill or roll up. Pilling occurs when the loose end of a fiber is rubbed and collected on the surface of the fabric. The length of the fiber and twist of the yarn will affect pilling.
Rayon – The generic name for a cellulose-based man-made fiber. Rayon has characteristics similar to those of cotton, linen, and ramie.
Satin – Satin weave fabrics are characterized by yarns that usually float over four to seven yarns before being interlaced with yarns laid in the opposite direction. The floating yarns along the surface reflect light, which gives the fabric its luster. Satin fabrics can be made from silk or man-made fibers like acetate or polyester.
Shell Fabric – The outer fabric of a garment or household item.
Silk – A natural filament fiber produced by silk worms when spinning their cocoons.
Sizing – A term used for materials used to give a fabric stiffness, luster, or firmness. Different types of material are used on different fabrics.
Velvet – A fabric with a short, closely woven pile. It is usually made of rayon, acetate, silk, nylon, or a blend of these fibers.
Weave – Yarns interlacing at right angles. There are three basic weave types: plain, twill, and satin. All other weaves are variations of these. Some of the more common variations include basket, rib, and jacquard.
Woolen – A wool fabric made from loosely twisted yarns that has a somewhat fuzzy surface.
Worsted – A wool fabric with a clean, smooth surface made from tightly twisted yarns.
Yarn – A continuous strand spun from short (staple) fibers or long (filament) fibers. Yarns can be of low twist (lofty) or high twist (tight).
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