Manufacturers use sizings on cotton, linen,
rayon, ramie and silk. Manufacturers impregnate yarns or fabrics with
finishing agents to give characteristics wanted by the consumer —
luster and sheen, hand or feel, added body, weight or stiffness,
wrinkle or crease resistance, stabilization of the fabric against
shrinkage, and stain, soil or water repellency properties.
The substances used to finish fabrics are part of
two major categories known as sizings and resins.
Sizings are water-soluble substances and include
starch and gelatin. Sizings are similar to starch used at home on
fabrics and shirts except that manufacturers also use softeners to
avoid a stiff and boardy condition.
Resins are thermoset substances that are usually
water resistant and are used on satin, taffeta, glazed or polished
cotton and chintz, polyester and nylon.
Resins and sizings are used in fabrics made for
wearing apparel and home furnishing fabrics, e.g., draperies and
slipcovers.
Fabric problems
Common customer complaints associated with loss
of sizing or resin are loss of body in the garment, limpness and that
proper feel is no longer present in the garment.
Other problems associated with sizing and resin
breakdown are:
• Rings and swales.
• Discolorations and dark areas.
• Harsh feel.
• Loss of luster and sheen.
• Yellowing.
• Weak areas due to abrasion of the sizing
on the fabric.
• Odor. A breakdown of a finishing agent in
manufacture can result in a fishy or foul odor. Customers frequently
associate this with solvent odor.
• Graying. Some sizings and resins are soil
retentive, which means that soil or impurities dispersed in the solvent
are attracted to and held by the finish. This can also occur on shirts
when laundered.
• Shrinkage. Resin and sizing are used to
stabilize garments against shrinkage. A breakdown or loss of sizing
results in relaxation shrinkage.
Inspection
Check the garment for rings and swales due to
breakdown of finish caused by food, perspiration, moisture and general
wear.
Check white garments that might have yellowed or
oxidized from heat and age. Examine linens and cottons for weakness due
to abrasion of the sizing on the fabric.
Drycleaning
Dryclean according to fabric and color. Generally
wool and silk are cleaned three to five minutes, no moisture, with
solvent temperature at 75° to 80°F and dried at no higher than
140°F.
Cleaning white linens and cottons requires
excellent solvent and filtering to prevent redeposition of soil,
especially on soil retentive resin finishes.
Spotting
The use of leveling agents will prevent rings on
most garments where sizing has dissolved due to wetside spotting
procedures.
Spotting procedures on rayon matte jersey should
be curtailed due to the high cost of the garment and the problem of
sizing rings occurring. Limit spotting to the steam gun and fast drying
with the air gun.
Many satins, taffetas, linens and cottons will
form difficult rings from dryside spotting agents.
After using dryside agents, such as oily type
paint remover and amyl acetate, the garments should be cleaned
immediately to prevent sizing or resin breakdown.
Wetcleaning
Problems can occur with sizing during
wetcleaning. Wetcleaning should be attempted when necessary. This can
be used to remove soil, excessive staining or when attempting
correction procedures.
Corrective procedures
Stiffness of body. The
drycleaner can add sizing to fabric by various methods:
1. Charge system: Percentage of sizing added to
solvent.
2. Batch or wheel system: Sizing is added to a
load of garments during the last three minutes of cleaning with the
filtering system bypassing the basket.
3. Spray: Wetside sizing can be applied in the
finishing department. This is recommended for cotton, linen and ramie.
Wetside rings and discoloration. These can occur on rayon, silk, wool, linen,
cotton and ramie.
1. Fogging: This is recommended for silk and
rayon. Hold the steam gun 12 inches from the fabric and steam the
affected area. Dry with air gun.
2. Levelling: Wet the affected area with a steam
gun and apply a levelling agent. Hang to dry and dryclean.
3. Soak in cool water or spray entire garment
with water.
4. Extract after soaking.
5. Dry by placing garment on steam air finishers
using air only.
Dryside rings and swales. This frequently occurs on satins, taffetas, nylons and
polyester.
1. Prespot with amyl acetate and dryclean.
Sometimes soaking in a bucket of amyl acetate and then drycleaning may
be necessary. Use safety precautions due to excessive fumes.
Harsh feel on wool
1. Soak in cool water with a fabric
softener.
2. Extract.
3. Dry no more than 2 minutes.
Yellowing due to oxidation of sizing. Soak in water with a mild oxidizing bleach such
as sodium perborate or safety bleach such as Clorox TI.
Odor. Wetclean
using an alkaline based synthetic detergent or add ammonia during
washing in a commercial or domestic washing machine.
Graying due to soil-retentive resin.
1. Soak overnight in the cleaning machine with a
low level of solvent. Add 10 ounces of drycleaning detergent per gallon
of solvent.
2. Reclean.
3. Use oxidizing bleach as outlined above in
"Yellowing."
