Clothes Care Labels and Fabrics

Contributed by Sue Stansby of Pippa Dee Fashions in the UK.

Many people care enough about their health to check the ingredients listed on the side of the packet. But do you care enough about your clothes to read their labels? Same thing applies to your washing powder.

The care labels on clothes and household fabrics are put there for a reason. If you don't adhere to the advice on those labels and something goes wrong, you'll lose your rights to a refund or exchange. Many clothing retailers now have specialized equipment which enables them to test returned fabrics for misuse.

If you see a washing powder advertised which claims that it will get your washing whiter than white, it will almost certainly contain O.B.A. (Optical Brightening Agent). This is a brightening agent which will coat your clothing to make it look a bright white. They work by converting some of the ultra violet rays of the sun into visible light, thus giving that "whiter than white" effect. However, this kind of powder should only be used on whites as the OBA can strip the colour from your coloured fabrics. This may not be visible to the human eye but can be detected under ultra violet light in a fabric retailer's laboratory. This is one of the tests used by a number of manufacturers to test for fabric misuse.

For instance, if you put a new towel, a washed towel, and a soaked towel under the ultra violet lamp, there will be very visible differences between them. The soaked towel will be patchy where the powder has sat on it, and the washed towel will be stripped of some of its colour. That's why it's recommended that an ULTRA powder or liquid is used only on whites, and a colour-safe product used on coloureds.

The manufacturer's laboratories also have ways of testing fabrics for abrasion, such as that caused between the legs when wearing trousers. Tests exist to detect bubbling, woollens bursting, and the condition of seams, by using specialized equipment. Your chances of a refund will not be helped if you've ignored the all-important label. Make sure you've selected the right washing powder before you subject your favourite clothes to a mauling on washing day.