We are surrounded by things made from cotton, whether it’s the sheets on our beds to the bandages used in hospitals. It is a wonder material – loved for its softness, versatility, comfort, and durability. There are many things made from cotton that you probably don’t realize even contain the material and it’s not just found in homeware and clothing. Even other materials are made from cotton, such as jersey, flannel, velvet, corduroy, and velour. Here are some more cotton facts that might surprise you:
- The fiber from cotton is used to make fishing nets, coffee filters, paper and even the bindings of books.
- It is both a fiber and a food source. The seed from the plant is used to feed cattle, while the seeds are crushed and used to make oil for margarine, cooking, soap, plastics, and pharmaceuticals.
- Leftovers produced are known as interns and are put to good use in the manufacture of bandages, swabs, cotton buds, x-rays, and bank notes.
- The fruit of a cotton plant is known as a ‘boll’
- There are no parts wasted – the seed, lint, linters, stalks and even hulls are all taken and used for an important purpose.
- The material is so popular thanks to its qualities of being hypo-allergenic, breathable, super-soft and absorbent. This is why cotton is used to make baby’s nappies, clothing, and undergarments that sit directly against the skin.
- Cotton is easy to change into any color through the use of dye. It looks great when dyed due to its natural bright white color and strong absorbency rate.
- Amazingly, cotton is able to absorb as much as 27 times its own weight in moisture. It gets stronger the wetter it is.
- Static electricity is not something you’ll ever feel when wearing cotton as it cannot hold an electric charge.
- Thanks to incredible strength and absorbency, it is the perfect material for manufacturing many thousands of products such as towels, sheets, medical supplies, underwear, nappies, sanitary products, tents, astronaut’s space suits, and even pharmaceuticals.
- Approximately 60% of the world’s total cotton is used in the clothing industry, with the remainder going to home furnishing and industrial uses.
- Incredibly, the lint from one single 227kg cotton bale can make over 200 pairs of jeans, 750 shirts, 3000 nappies, 680,000 cotton buds, 4,300 pairs of socks and 2,100 boxer shorts. Cotton shirts have long been the most desired for their comfort and absorbency. Treat yourself to a designer 100% cotton shirt, such as a Mens Bugatti Short Sleeve Shirt from https://www.ejmenswear.com/men/bugatti/short-sleeve-shirts
- Other materials like velour, jersey, and flannel are made when the lint is woven or knitted.
- Cotton is so versatile that it can be used to make many different materials and can be blended with other natural fibres, as well as synthetic ones like polyester.
- Linters are the thin, short fibres that are left on the cotton seed after the ginning process. They are short, curly and on average, less than 3mm long. They are used to make many things, including paper, bank notes and as a raw material in making cellulose plastics. They are also found in medical supplies.
