Confusion about new clothes: Why do clothes become harder the more they are washed?

Have you ever had this experience: the newly bought clothes feel great, but after several washes, they gradually become dry and hard, and the warmth retention is not as good as before?

What is the reason behind this?

Is it a water quality problem? Or is the laundry detergent bad?

In fact, in addition to these external factors, one of the reasons why clothes become hard is related to the silicone softener added during the clothing process. After multiple washes, the silicone softener in the clothes will gradually disappear, causing its texture to gradually harden, and the feel will be greatly reduced, and it will no longer be as soft, comfortable and fluffy as new clothes.

In addition, during the washing process, mechanical forces such as scrubbing and stirring will have a certain impact on the fabric fibers. The fibers are easily entangled with each other under the action of mechanical force. This entanglement phenomenon will not only reduce the elasticity of the clothes, but also further aggravate their hardening trend.

Water hardness is also one of the key factors affecting the hardness of clothes. In hard water areas, such as northern my country, the water is rich in salt substances such as calcium and magnesium. These salt substances are difficult to completely evaporate during the drying process of clothes, but will remain and accumulate inside the fabric fibers. As the number of washes increases, the content of calcium and magnesium salts in the fibers continues to rise, eventually causing the clothes to become harder.

Revealing the secret of softeners: the secret weapon for comfortable clothing

When it comes to softeners, you may first think of fabric softeners used for washing clothes. But today, we want to take a deeper look at the more professional-organic silicone softeners. Textile silicone oil, also known as organic silicone oil or amino silicone oil, has occupied a place in the textile industry with its multiple "superpowers" such as softness, hydrophobicity, defoaming, and lubricity, plus the advantages of non-toxicity, environmental protection, and low cost. It is known as the "king of softeners" and is an indispensable softener for various fibers and fabrics.

Softener Competition: Cationic VS Silicone Oil

In the world of softeners, cationic softeners and silicone oil softeners are two "star players". Cationic softeners mainly rely on hydrophobic agents to attach to fibers and reduce friction by repelling the cationic charges on the hydrophilic base. Silicone softener is even better. The energy required for the rotation of its Si-O silicon oxygen bond is almost zero. The two methyl groups on dimethyl silicone oil occupy enough space, which increases the distance between fibers and significantly improves the softness.

Silicone softener: the magician of fabric softening

Silicone softener can not only make fabrics softer, smoother and fuller, but also improve the overall softness of textiles. Its particle size has an important influence on the shear and temperature stability of emulsion foam, so it is widely used in textile, leather and daily chemical industries. However, silicone softeners also have a "small disadvantage": they do not form a strong binding force with the fiber itself. After multiple washings, the softener will gradually be diluted, and the clothes will become harder.

Warm Tips: The "moderation principle" of clothing washing

Since silicone softener will be diluted with water washing, how can we alleviate the current situation that clothes become harder and harder after washing?

Appropriate washing is the key to maintaining a good feel and wearing comfort of clothes. Too frequent washing or using too much detergent will accelerate the loss of softener and cause clothes to become hard. At the same time, we can add fabric softener when washing clothes, which can make clothes softer after washing. The main component of softener is cationic surfactant, which can reduce the friction coefficient between fibers and increase the mobility of fibers, so that the surface of clothes is smooth, and the extension and compression properties are restored, making the fabric softer, fluffy and elastic. In addition, softener can also reduce static electricity, making clothes easier to take care of, and it has antistatic function to reduce static electricity caused by friction.

Therefore, while enjoying the new experience of a better life brought by silicone softener, you should also pay attention to the way of washing clothes!