Abrasion and washing tests tell about the quality of the materials

We have strict criteria for the quality of the materials we use. We always test fabrics with washing tests before they enter our production. This is how we make sure that the materials of our clothes are of truly high quality. We also don't sell anything we can't wear ourselves. For example, acrylic is not found in our products due to its poor wear resistance and sensitive pilling.

After getting the maternity kit for the first time, it became timely to officially test the materials from which we make the pants. So, a black monochrome elastic sweatshirt and a patterned tricot with a black and white Lazy pattern went to be tested. The testing was done in the textile laboratory of the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, where it was possible to carry out rubbing and washing tests impartially with standardized methods. The testing also met our washing instructions: machine wash at 40 degrees, no tumble drying (drying in the test was done as hang drying, we also recommend this drying method for our own clothes).

Test results

The test results can be seen in the attached pictures (elastic sweatshirt above this text, leotard below). On the rating scale, 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. Half grades, such as 3-4 are also used.

The test results corresponded well to the tests we did ourselves. Elastic sweatshirt shrinks more in the first wash than tricot (tricot not much). This is also one of the reasons why we do not recommend a tumble dryer for our clothes. A garment bought in the correct size may be far too small to wear after the dryer. In this case, valuable natural materials and sewing work done in Finland are wasted, when the garment remains unused.

With the right washing methods, staining or graying does not occur and the abrasion resistance of the colors is very good when the fabric is dry. Wet fabric should never be rubbed or excessively stretched, as it is at its most fragile then. This can also be seen in the test results: when dry, both fabrics received the best rating for color abrasion resistance (5), but when wet, the result was poor, especially with tricot (2). After washing, however, the garment can be slightly straightened before hanging on the clothesline.

Our washing instructions

In our washing instructions, you can always find instructions according to these tests as well. Especially for digitally printed fabrics - such as our patterned fabrics - the right washing temperature and avoiding the tumble dryer are important. A single-colored, through-dyed fabric (like that black stretchy sweatshirt or, say, the mole-colored stretchy sweatshirt chosen for the 2023 maternity pack) can also be washed at 60 degrees. However, hotter washing can shrink the garment more than washing at 40 degrees, so it is good to take this into account when choosing the washing temperature. According to our own tests, a hotter wash is not necessary even for single-colored fabrics, because they do not lose their colors at a lower temperature.

However, pointless washing should be avoided both for the durability of the garment and for the environment. Often, airing or local stain removal is enough to refresh the garment. After each use, we do not recommend washing clothes unless they are significantly soiled or washing is necessary due to sweat, for example.

Quality control

We constantly monitor the quality of our fabrics and react to changes quickly. Sometimes the quality that comes from our factory does not meet our normal criteria and in that case we sell the lot as second quality.

We also don't worry about our selection of fabrics whose quality we can't trust. Because of this, new materials rarely come into our selection: we really want to make sure of the quality and its durability before we accept it as part of the ehta by Dream Circus collection.