Whether you're a buyer or a seller of vintage clothing, you've probably come across plenty of items that don't have a care label or fiber content label. Sometimes the previous owner removed the labels, or perhaps there never was a label. Garment manufacturers in the USA were not required to disclose the fabric content of their products before the passage of the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act on March 3, 1960. Whatever the reason, having a "mystery fabric" on your hands can make things tricky if you'd like to save money by caring for the garment at home (very gently!) rather than sending it to the dry cleaners. It can also leave eBay vintage sellers in doubt as to how to describe and price garments in their listings--is all wool or a wool blend?, for example. That can make a big difference. Often a fabric's identity is obvious from the look and feel, but sometimes we have to dig deeper.
We've found several scientific tests for identifying common fabrics and share them with you here. Tests of this type were routinely taught to girls in home economics classes in the 1950s and 1960s, so they're simple tests that you can do at home. We've tried these tests and they work. Just be sure to observe common-sense safety practices, especially for the burn test and the alkali test!
THREAD TEST. Look at the insides of the seams, where the thread ends stick out, using a magnifying glass if possible. If you can, pull out a piece of thread that's long enough to break, and break it. The way a broken thread looks will tell you a lot:
- Cotton threads break easily and have uneven fuzzy ends.
- Linen threads snap when broken and the ends are pointed and uneven.
- Wool fibers have curly ends when broken.
- Silk yarn has uneven ends when broken.
BURN TEST. For this you'll need to cut off a tiny piece of fabric. If there's a generous seam allowance in the garment, snip off a piece there. Place the piece of fabric on a clean fireproof surface or hold it over the clean fireproof surface with tweezers or forceps. Wear eye protection. Put a flame to the fabric. The way it burns will tell you a lot:
- Cotton burns with a flash, leaves a gray ash and smells of burning paper.
- Linen burns with a yellow flame, leaves a light ash and also smells of burning paper.
- Wool burns slowly, smoldering, bubbling and giving off an odor of burning hair.
- Silk burns differently depending on its finish. Pure dye silk burns rapidly, curling into a crisp black ball, and doesn't really give off an odor. Weighted silk gets hot, smolders slowly and usually retains its shape.
- Rayon, being made of cellulose from trees, burns similarly to the vegetable fibers. It burns quickly with a flash, leaving a small amount of gray ash and smelling of burning paper.
- Acetate and most other synthetics will burn with a plastic odor, curling into a hard black lump. If you don't touch the flame to the fabric but hold it very close, it will melt.
ALKALI TEST. Once again, you'll need a snippet of fabric as well as eye protection, a clean heatproof and chemical-proof container (such as a saucepan), protective gloves and some household lye. Observe the precautions on the container of lye when you handle it. Make a solution of one tablespoon lye and two cups of water. Boil the piece of fabric in the solution for 10 minutes.
- Cotton and linen are both unharmed by alkali.
- Wool dissolves in alkali. A wool-cotton blend put in an alkali solution will partially dissolve, leaving the cotton fibers.
- Silk will dissolve in alkali.
- Rayon is undamaged by alkali.
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