What Is the Material of Rayon Fabric

What is rayon?

The discovery of rayon dates to as far back as 1924 when it was officially renamed “rayon” from artificial silk. It was the very first semi-artificial fabric to be created by man. As a way of definition, rayon is a super soft fabric which comes with a luscious fall and better absorbing qualities than cotton. This fabric although synthetic can serve as a perfect or better replacement for the naturally made cotton. Rayon fabric is quite tough and can be easily dyed due to its color absorbing qualities. 

How is Rayon made?

Despite the fact that the entire production of rayon involves chemical processes, it utilizes natural raw materials at all stages of production. The primary source where rayon is extracted is wood. The entire production process takes place in the following ways:

A solution of caustic soda is used to treat the wood and this transforms it into a compound known as cellulose. A lot of people are unaware that rayon is a biodegradable fabric and thus can be more eco-friendly as compared with other synthetic textile materials in the market.

After the cellulose is fully formed, it is further converted into a unique viscose solution. This solution is forced to pass through a spinning machine which forms it into filaments that are further treated with sulphuric acid solutions. The treatment with the acid solidifies the viscose and the filaments formed are referred to as “regenerative cellulose”.

Use of Rayon

Rayon is widely known for its unequaled softness, strength and absorbency power. It has found use as the perfect fabric which has been utilized in the creation of summer garments such as flowing dresses, kurtas, blouses, shirts and other forms of active wears.

Caring for Rayon Fabric

It is less durable than cotton thus it is more likely to get weak when wet. Most of the fabric experts recommend that you give your rayon clothes a gentle hand wash with a mild detergent. Do not use warm or hot water for washing rayon.

Use a delicate setting on the washing machine while washing your rayon clothes or fabric. Utmost care must be taken while using a washing machine for your rayon dresses before this can damage them.

Acquaint yourself with the label on you rayon garment before using it on any washing machine or technique. The label might read “dry clean only”. In such cases, we will suggest you simply avoid anything that has to do with washing the garment at home because it may shrink or damage it.

Do not hang your rayon clothes for drying since they may tend to lose their original shape very easily. The most recommended drying for rayon fabric is flat or line drying.

Conclusion

If you are interested in wearing a free-flowing rayon fabric without having much concern about care, it is very important that you use a blend of rayon rather than the pure rayon. You can easily come across different forms of rayon combined with various fabrics such as cotton, wool or polyester.