How can you keep clothes shiny new? - YouLookFab Forum

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How can you keep clothes shiny new?

ocean-girl

Member

You know when you buy new clothes, they have that shine, like I get these cotton leggings, they're only $5 or less than $10 but when you buy them they have this great shine! I wonder what you can add to the washing machine to keep the shine? Vinegar? I was thinking vinegar, wonder if anyone might know. I've put lemon juice in. Even just washing these once, dulls the fabric!! I even literally hand wash in the sink in a bucket or in a small portable washing machine on the counter, wonder how to keep that new shine.
I had a great sweater, a silver cotton buckly cotton cardigan, it was the best sweater ever, someone gave it to me, was from Gap, it had this great shine to it! Put it in a washing machine and it was gone, brand new and I washed it once, the machine ripped the fabric to ugly proportions. It was just an ordinary washing machine that opens at the top.
Thanks! There's got to be a way. Like a shine rinse.
I think vinegar or lemon juice will boost the color, I forget which is which. I'm talking about the shine though, it's just a subtle shine that new clothes have. Very subtle but beautiful!!

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2 replies

Latest reply was from deb

ocean-girl

Member

An article I found online is saying distilled white vinegar???

deb

Veteran

I think that shine you see is most likely sizing on the fabric.

Textile warp sizing

Sizing the warp
Sizing of the warp yarn is essential to reduce breakage of the yarn and thus production stops on the weaving machine. On the weaving machine, the warp yarns are subjected to several types of actions i.e. cyclic strain, flexing, abrasion at various loom parts and inter yarn friction.

With sizing, the strength — abrasion resistance — of the yarn will improve and the hairiness of yarn will decrease. The degree of improvement of strength depends on adhesion force between fiber and size, size penetration as well as encapsulation of yarn. Different types of water soluble polymers called textile sizing agents/chemicals such as modified starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), acrylates are used to protect the yarn. Also wax is added to reduce the abrasiveness of the warp yarns. The type of yarn material (e.g. cotton, polyester, linen), the thickness of the yarn, type of weaving machinery will determine the sizing recipe.

The sizing liquor is applied on warp yarn with a warp sizing machine. After the weaving process the fabric is desized (washed).

Sizing may be done by hand, or in a sizing machine.[12]

I also found this.

Definition of Laundry Sizing for Ironing

Sizing is a resinous solution that adds body to fabric, creates soil resistance and ease of soil removal in the wash and makes ironing easier. The solution can be vegetable or petroleum based. It is often applied by the textile manufacturer during weaving or knitting and by the clothing manufacturer during construction of garments. Some textile companies use formaldehyde as a fabric sizer which is another good reason to launder all new clothes before wearing.