Polyester fabric is a synthetic man-made fabric made from polyester fibers which are manufactured from a category of polymers made from oil. It is the most frequently used fabric in the fashion industry today. There are understandably many questions about the safety of the fabric. Safe or not, all of us have a lot of polyester clothes in out wardrobes.
“What percentage of clothing is made from polyester?”
“Polyester is found in approximately 60 percent of garments on retail shelves today. That equates to approximately 21.3 million tons of polyester—a 157 percent increase between 2000 and 2015”.
therobinreport.com
The polyester fabric is one of the strongest fabrics with many qualities that make it suitable for manufacturing apparel and home furnishing and many items for industrial purposes. It may be knit or woven to make silk-like fabrics.
Reference: Production of polyester
How to tell if fabric is polyester?
You can use a burn test to differentiate polyester fabric. As you can see in this post on fabric burn tests – “Polyester fabric will burn with the smell of chemical vinegar or burnt plastic. There will be small hard lumps in the ashes”
Polyester fabric test
When you try to burn polyester the fabric will shrink from the flame at first. But then it will burn slowly giving off black smoke. The fibers will give out a chemical odor. The residue will look like a hard cream-colored bead at first but then it will turn to a darker color.
Major types of polyester fabrics used in fashion industry today
Microfiber
Microfiber fabric, produced with polyester fibers, has properties like moisture-wicking and moisture resistance which makes them ideal for making sports apparel. They are very lightweight and comfortable to wear. They can also be water repellent and can be worn to resist rain and wind conditions. Microfiber can also be a blend of polyester and nylon fibers. Learn more about microfiber fabric here.
Polar fleece
PET polyester is used to produce polar fleece fabric, after combining it with acrylic, nylon, or virgin polyester fiber to add strength. Learn more about the nature of different fleece fabrics
Spun polyester
Spun polyester is a woven or knitted polyester fabric with a soft feel, as it is made with fibers which are softened by agitation. It is a nice comfortable dressmaking fabric. It is also durable.
Polyester fabric – blends
Polyester yarns are woven or knitted as they are or combined with other fibers forming blended fabrics. Cotton, linen, ramie, rayon and wool fibers are blended this way.
These blended fabrics have qualities that belong to the extra fibers combined with the properties of polyester fibers. When blended with cotton the fabric takes on qualities like wrinkle-resistance and low shrinkage and breathability to a degree. But the bad qualities may also be inherited like a tendency to melt with high heat and a bad case of pilling.
Velvet is a cotton/polyester blend fabric and it is one of the most used fabric for making clothes and upholstery. Broadcloth is a blend of cotton and polyester and it is very popular as a dressmaking fabric. Rayon and polyester blends (Rayon challis) are great as dressmaking fabric as they are very soft and drapey. Polyester/spandex blend is used to make fitting figure-hugging clothes
Many polyester fabrics are woven or treated with fabric finishes that make them look like natural fabrics- this fabric may look like raw silk but is really polyester. Plisse is a cotton-polyester blend with a wrinkled look. There is a polyester-cotton fabric which looks a lot like linen. Read more about blended textiles.
Minky fabric (Plush)
Minky is a type of polyester fabric that has been knitted with a special process to create its a soft, plush, velvety texture. This texture mimics the feel of mink fur, hence the name minky. There are different kinds of minky fabrics.
List of fabrics which may also be made of polyester fibers – Lame, a lot of laces, a lot of nets, organza.
Uses of Polyester Fabric for clothing
Today polyester fabric is used to make affordable, functional, easily maintainable garments.
A blend of cotton and polyester is used to make shirts, blouses and other clothes; the polyester /wool blend is good as suit fabric. 100% polyester is used to make upholstery cloth, awning fabric, jackets, lining. Polyester fiberfill is used as stuffing in cushions, comforters, mattresses, quilts, and pillows. I sew a lot with polyester or polyester blends because it is so readily available and so cheap.
Monofilament thread used in sewing and embroidery is made with polyester fiber. Sewing thread made with polyester is very strong.
Polar fleece made with polyester fibers is used to make outdoor clothes. Pleated fabrics are almost always polyester
Characteristic qualities of the Polyester fabric.
Polyester is inexpensive
The topmost quality that trumps everything for the textile industry is the fact that polyester fabric is cheap compared to any other fabric. It is cheaper to produce. Polyester is made from crude oil and the decreased price of oil means that the production cost of polyester is low. Polyester/cotton-blended fabric is cheaper than 100% cotton.
Polyester is very strong and durable
Polyester fiber is counted as a very strong fiber. Straps made of polyester are said to be stronger than steel. It is not easily damaged by most chemicals/alcohol/oil. It is also resistant to stretching and shrinking when washed. It remains strong even when it is wet, unlike natural fibers. A major quality that I read everywhere about polyester is its abrasion resistance. It is also not damaged by sunlight.
How does polyester material look like?
Polyester fabric is available in many textures and looks . It all depends on the fabric the fiber is made into and the fabric finishes it ends up with. A crepe fabric made of polyester will be different in look and feel than a satin made of polyester fibers. Some polyester fabrics look like wool, some like silk
Polyester is lightweight and flexible
Though polyester is strong the fabric is very fine and lightweight. It also has some elasticity, though it is stable enough.
Polyester is easy to maintain
Polyester is easy to wash and clean and dries very quickly. It does not wrinkle easily and also may not need ironing if taken out from the washing machine immediately after washing/drying. In fact, during the early days of Polyester discovery, this was one of the selling points that Dupont company used – a fabric that does not need ironing.
It also resists mildew, moths, fungi and rot and cannot be damaged by insects. Polyester is somewhat stain resistant. Polyester clothing can also be dry cleaned.
You can learn more about details like whether Polyester will shrink.
Related post: Know whether the fabric is really polyester or something else with the post on Burn test for fibers.
Polyester retains creases when heat pressed
Polyester is the fabric most often used to make pre-pleated fabrics as it can be pressed into heat-set pleats without the use of chemicals. The quality of polyester to retain creases is called thermoplasticity.The best thing about pleated polyester fabric is that it remains soft even when heat is applied, unlike other fabrics.
More and more advances in technology result in polyester fabric with many desirable qualities that one would expect from a high quality highly used fabric -like sweat-wicking, the addition of anti-static fibers, and flame-retardant fibers.
Polyester is recyclable
The polyester can be recycled to form new fibers. Polyester fiber, yarn and fabric can be recycled.
Polyester has a high melting point
Polyester shows high resistance to heat. It does not burn with high heat till about 200-degree Celsius, even then it only softens and never burns, which is in contrast with natural fabrics which can burn easily with heat and hence they are reported to be unsuitable for making sleepwear for kids.
Polyester is non-absorbent
This quality is useful in making athletic apparel as it will manage moisture /sweat by wicking it away from the body during strenuous activity, keeping the body comfortable. Polyester microfiber is such a fabric that allows moisture to wick to the surface and quickly evaporate.
Disadvantages of Polyester fabric as a dressmaking fabric
If you are looking at polyester fabric as a dressmaking material the disadvantage is that it retains oil stains.
There are many other more serious disquietening things about polyester – especially the fact that the production of this fabric involves high energy consumption and toxic emissions. The fact that the oil required for making Polyester is a non-recoverable resource is something to think about.
Dye carrier used to dye polyester fabrics is supposed to be toxic to humans. Polyester is dyed with disperse dyes and the process uses a carrier which facilitates better dye absorbtion – this is supposed to be toxic. You can read about dyeing polyester here.
When cotton is blended with polyester the resultant fabric pills a great deal. This is also true for other blends of polyester like rayon/polyester blends. Read more about tips to prevent pilling here.
Another disadvantage of polyester as a dressmaking fabric is that it is not breathable like natural fabrics. So when you wear a polyester garment you will not be as comfortable. But newer innovations like Polyester microfiber are changing this aspect. Microfiber fabric can wick moisture and is breathable and comfortable
The worst thing about Polyester is that it does not decompose, but remains in the soil for many many years.
So is Polyester a bad fabric?
I have been wary of buying anything in polyester because of this ethical conscience thought lingering in my mind that maybe I am doing something good to the landfills in not buying polyester fabric.
But now I ease my mind by saying that if the production process of polyester is bad, then this is so for all processes in the textile industry, even for natural fabrics. And Polyester can be recycled, which cannot be said about any other fiber.
Today polyester has replaced even cotton as the most popular fabric made on this earth – and I know I cannot take a vow ‘not-to-buy-polyester-ever’ anymore. It is already there in many of our clothes and accessories – as a lining material, as straps, as trims, or masked after being blended with natural fibers.
You may not ‘love-or-dislike’ Polyester but you cannot ignore it anymore.
“Polyester is a non-biodegradable fabric which can take up to 20-200 years to decompose”. This statement that I recently read in a science book has colored all my subsequent clothing purchases. But my conviction, wrong or otherwise, does not matter to the world and Polyester today is one of the top fabrics for making clothes.
Reference: Chemical knowledge of Polyester
Quick questions on Polyester
Is polyester breathable? Is it comfortable to wear in summer?
No, Polyester fabric is not breathable. It is not a summer friendly fabric. You can read about wearability of polyester and more on summer-friendly fabrics here.
When it comes to our family, especially our babies, we are hyper-sensitive about everything. We are very vigilant and have a million questions on anything and everything that we buy. And one persistent question is about the use of polyester on a lot of things around us- beddings, clothes, wraps…
As one of the most widely used fibers on earth, polyester sure has us in its sway. Everywhere we look, we see something made of polyester, PET, PL, whatever we call it. Plastic bottles, decorative ballons, computers, ropes, recording tapes, that fiberfill inside stuffed toys and several industrial uses we have never heard of.
And polyester fabric made fully or partially of polyester is everywhere. Fleece is a very popularly used material in many homes – very insulating and soft. But it can be made of polyester. Most clothes which are a blend of many fibers in your wardrobe have a quantity of polyester in them.
Polyester is a petroleum-derived synthetic textile manufactured from a mixture of acids and alcohols. Polyester is a combination of words -poly(meaning many) and ester (an organic chemical compound). Generally speaking, polyester is a form of plastic that has been modified. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the polyester most used in textile production.
Polyester is a popular material for making clothes and accessories because it is soft, machine washable, wrinkle-resistant, and mostly stain resistant. On top of everything, it is low-cost and long-lasting.
At one time it was considered too cheap a material and not worthy to be made into clothes. But that has changed with the advent of many specialized polyester materials with a lot of superior qualities.
Polyester is sometimes combined with different fibers to create richer textiles with the qualities and characteristics of these combinations. Polyester is generally combined with natural fibers to make fabrics with better longevity, wrinkle resistance, and light weight. A Poly-blend material is a mixture of two or more poly components resulting in new material.
Polyester’s ‘wash and wear’ property is the major draw of polyester fabrics. It does not form or retain wrinkles are does other materials. The microfiber variety of polyester fabrics is very soft and absorbent. No need to elaborate. It is almost as if there is a polyester dominance in the world fashion scene, and it is not coming down anytime soon
There are many concerns about polyester?
Is polyester toxic?
This is the number one concern of young mothers and other health-conscious adults. Is polyester safe for babies to wear? Is it toxic for everyday wear?
Basically, polyester fabric is a form of plastic.
Other than that, these fabrics are treated with various chemicals on the surface as add-ons.
If there is any coating given on your polyester, this can be done with coating chemicals which are carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and immune system disruptors. So if you see labels like water-resistant, stain-resistant, and fire-resistant, they may come at a cost, especially to our health.
‘Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are highly fluorinated, inert organic compounds that can dissolve large volumes of respiratory gases’ says an article on scientdirect.com. And this compound is used in treated/coated polyester fabrics.
So use these coated materials sparingly, especially around kids.
Other than that, polyester is generally as safe or toxic as any other material because dyes and chemicals used in the textile manufacturing processes are all problematic. Most fabrics, including natural fabrics, undergo these harmful manufacturing processes that can endanger the health of generations.
These processes produce toxic emissions and chemical waste that are very harmful. Polyester fabrics are a little ahead among the fabrics that pollute because of the toxic disperse dyes with which they are dyed.
If you are looking for low impact fabrics (on environment) go for organic fabrics or Silk, hemp, linen, and wool.
One thing that you should definitely avoid is baby toys made of plastic/PVC – they should also be avoided as much as possible, especially if they have a tendency to keep things in their mouths; of course, they do. You don’t want children to eat any plastic particles or toxins.
Is polyester breathable?
Polyester fabrics are not generally breathable. But then, this can be variable according to the yarn type and loose or tight weave construction of the fabric. New generation of polyester fabrics is designed so that they have better breathability.
But generally, polyesters, though they have the advantage of being lightweight, are not considered breathable. So young mothers should think twice before swaddling small kids in polyester cloth covers like fleece swaddling blankets. Your baby might be feeling suffocated and not able to tell this to you.
Polyester fabrics do not enable the skin to breathe, trapping heat and moisture and creating skin irritations. It also causes one to sweat more.
Is polyester absorbent?
No, polyester is one of the least absorbent of all fabrics. (unless you count microfibers) ; it is considered very uncomfortable to wear in hot and humid climates.
But this can be looked at in a good light – when you are performing some vigorous exercise or doing some sports, you sweat a lot. This sweat evaporates fast when you are wearing polyester clothes, so the body stays dry better in polyester than in other natural fabrics, which can remain soggy when sweat is absorbed by it. Polyester, being lightweight, dries fast; when polyester is blended with natural fabrics, the absorbency of fabrics increases.
Is polyester moisture wicking?
Yes. Polyester is generally moisture-wicking. High-quality Moisture-wicking polyester fabrics are used to make sleepwear or pajamas. These fabrics will be labeled “moisture-wicking polyester” or “performance polyester.”
Polyester textiles are perfect for athletic, outdoor, and professional apparel because of their moisture-wicking quality. If you get night sweats or simply want to stay cool, the proper moisture-wicking fabric can help you sleep comfortably and dry. Add to this the longevity of the fabric, do you wonder why it is so widely used.
Does polyester cause skin irritations?
Skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, etc., can have a lot of reasons – I do not think that anyone in the world has been able to pinpoint a single reason why these diseases and many other autoimmune diseases exist; I mean the root cause.
We can only guess at the causes and try to reduce inflammation of our lymphatic system, which controls our immunity, and take some precautions – if you have irritated skin, any small thing can exacerbate them. Like being in touch with polyester may – I do not know. But just like people take any remedy they can find for these problems, including staying life long away from bread (gluten), I would guess it is a small sacrifice to forgo polyester fabric in lieu of more natural and organic fabrics like organic cotton.
GOTS-certified (organic) does not have the hazardous chemicals commonly used in cotton processing. Read more about different options in eco-friendly organic materials here.
Why is polyester fabric considered bad for the environment?
Polyester is not exceptionally environmentally friendly due to the chemicals used in its production. You can argue that it is so for a lot of textiles. But furthermore, when polyester garments are laundered, microscopic plastic beads are released. This results in these microplastics poisoning our waters.
Are polyester good for making pajamas and other sleepwear?
In the US of A, sleepwear that is sold should pass the flammability test of The Federal Trade Commission (FTC); Death from burns due to clothes catching fire is a major threat to the safety of kids everywhere. So fire retardant clothes are preferred as sleepwear for small kids. Here polyester wins because polyester is considered slow-burning; Linen, cotton rayon and silk are considered fast burning.
There is another caveat according to law- kids’ clothes should be tight-fitting. Clothing that is too tight is less prone to catch fire. There is very little oxygen between your baby’s skin and the garment when it is tight. And because fire requires air to keep burning, without a layer of oxygen, the clothes are less likely to catch fire. Even if pajamas are made of natural fibers, if they are tight-fitting, they can be considered fire-resistant.
Polyester fabrics have a tendency to static cling. This may also deter some. And it pills badly.
Conclusion
Other than the safety of wearing polyester clothes (it is almost as if there is no escape from them, especially if you are on a budget), it is the ethicality of using a material that pollutes the earth so extensively that bothers me. Then I think about textile manufacturing generally, and I am back to where I was.
Let us not forget the good qualities of polyester. It is easy to wash and easy to dry, abrasion resistant, mildew resistant, wrinkle-free, do not shrink or stretch and can I outlive me and you. Also, I guess sales drive the market.
Related posts:
I would like to know if constant exposure to polyester can cause an allergic reaction for some people. Could it cause skin itching and maybe a slight rash? Thanks Buck
Hi Vilas.
Polyester is not a breathable fabric so wearing it in summer can trap sweat and if you do not change clothes often it can cause some skin problems. There are many people with problems from Polyester as you can read from this page medhelp.org/posts/Allergy/Anyone-allergic-to-polyester-I-am-and-can-help/show/1106458
Contact dermetitis is the name I think. No doctor here : )