NEW YORK — Thinking of giving a cotton, tailored man’s shirt as a holiday gift this year? Consumer Reports recently issued a warning that wrinkle-free finishes on garments (i.e. no-iron shirts) “reduce the life span of a cotton garment by 20 to 25 percent.”
The warning echoes the long-time concerns of the National Cleaners Association (NCA).
“The drycleaning and laundry industry has been issuing alerts on this problem for a number of years,” says Nora Nealis, NCA’s executive director. “We’ve advised consumers that the serviceability issues they are having with their shirts is largely the result of the no-iron finishes. Today, we are very pleased that this illustrious consumer advocacy group is bringing it to the public’s attention as well.”
The formaldehyde resin finish used to create the wrinkle-free feature stiffens the yarns, says Technical Director Alan Spielvogel, who’s responsible for NCA’s garment analysis laboratory service. When the fabric bends, flexes or is abraded during wear, it’s weakened to the point where it cannot safely withstand the laundering process.
Spielvogel has also seen evidence of the resin trapping chlorinated bleaching agents and acids used on the fabric in the dyeing process. Hot water in the laundry wash cycle and heat in ironing or pressing activates and accelerates the harmful effects, lessening tensile strength. Random holes and rips may occur after only a few launderings.
“When I go shopping, I always check out the shirt department, and I’ve found that most stores stock very few untreated cotton shirts; I’ve learned to shop online for them,” says Nealis. “I think consumers need to be aware of all the ramifications of their shirt selection. If they want to optimize the useful life of the shirts they buy,” shoppers should let the retailers know they want the resin-free, not wrinkle-free, option.
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