A Quick Guide To Home Textile

What are Home Textiles?

Home textiles are products made of different fabrics and clothes and used especially for home furnishing. These products can be purely decorative as well as functional in general. Home textile products enhance the interior design of the house, make the home life cozy and comfortable, and bring aesthetics to the interior.

Types, Producing, and Testing Methods of Home Textile Fabrics

Home textiles can be produced of natural or synthetic fabrics or a mixture of both. These natural and synthetic fabrics can include mineral fibers, animal fibers, synthetic fibers, polymer fibers, vegetable fibers, or a combination of these to manufacture the textile.

Satin, alpaca, local fabrics, linen, goblen tapestry, silk, tulle, cotton, wool, viscose, embossed,  trevira cs, cashmere, damask, artificial leather, jacquard, viscose, bamboo, and polyester are used fabric types for home textile products commonly. Home textiles are produced by knitting, weaving, crocheting, or pressing fibers together.

The fabric types and usage areas of home textile products are extensive, as well as their production and testing methods are very diverse. These fabrics are generally put the following tests:

• Mechanical tests like tensile, tensile and burst strength, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, flexibility, and recovery at elongation.
• Flammability tests to protect the users against fire hazards.
• Chemical tests against hazardous chemical substances to comply with the chemical regulations.
• Antimicrobial and antifungal tests for the health issues.

Uses Of Home Textiles

  1. Bedroom

• Bedspreads: Mostly, they are made of cotton. Some bedspreads made of embroidered guipure fabrics are very suitable for decorative coves. They bring color and style to the bedroom and definitely affect the mood.
  
  
• Sheets: Cotton and sweat absorbent features are sought in these products. Fabrics, colors, and sizes play an essential role while selecting sheets.
  
  
• Blankets: Cotton, wool, polyester, fleece, and acrylic are the most preferred materials for blankets.
  
  
• Comforters: Cotton, wool, silk, bamboo, and polyester are the standard fabric types for comforters. It’s an important and sought feature that the comforter is produced of soft and smooth fabric as well as absorbing sweat and moisture.
  
  
• Pillows: Apart from supporting the head, pillows can also be showy in the bedroom during the day, changing the aura and reflecting your mood. They are the most used home textile products for their purpose and are made of %100 cotton for health.
  
  
• Pillow Covers / Cushion Covers: They’re one of the most functional and decorative home textile products. Pillow covers protect the pillows and cushions from sweat, stains, and dust while bringing a colorful and themed look to the house.
  
  
• Duvets: Originally, the European product duvet is textile filled with feathers, down, or wool, and consists of two pieces and is generally thicker than a comforter.

  2. Kitchen

• Kitchen Hand Towels: Their purpose is to dry hands and dishes (these hand towels for the dishes, also called dishcloths) and clean the counters, but the kitchen hand towels are also perfect house decoration products with their colors and patterns. Cotton, linen, polyester, microfiber, and a mixture of these can be used on these house textiles.
  
  
  
  
  
• Potholders: These cold and hot holding textile products are generally made up of polyester or a mix of polyester and cotton.
  
  
• Aprons: Aprons are the outer garment to protect the clothes from dirt while cooking, washing the dishes, or cleaning the kitchen. A themed according to the importance of the occasion and colorful apron may bring joy to your kitchen. They are primarily made of cotton, nylon, and leather. There’re also plastic ones for just single-use.

  3. Living Room / Dining Room

• Tablecloths: Although they’re manufactured in various materials, the best fabrics for the tablecloths are cotton, vinyl, polyester, silk, and linen. 
  Decorative tablecloths are one of the basic requirements for the dining room, living room, and also kitchens for those who like to eat where it’s cooked.
  
  
  
  
  
• Table Runners: Table runners are decorative house textile products that can be a focal point by adding detail to the table. They can serve as a placemat as well. The fabrics are also various in manufacturing table runners, but some are satin, cotton, linen, polyester, and silk.
  
  
• Throw Pillows / Cushions: They’re indispensable decorative accessories for the living room as well as bedrooms.
  
  
• Placemats: They protect the table and improve the dining with their stylish touch. Since one of the important features of a placemat is being easy-cleaned, washable fabrics are the best choice for placemats. Polyester and its blends are mostly preferred, but reeds and wicker can also be chosen because of their coziness.
  
  
  
• Curtain and Draperies: They cover the windows, provide heat isolation and light absorption, and bring an aesthetic look to the houses. They are mainly produced from woven fabric, a mix of cotton and polyester. However, we listed curtain and draperies in the use of the living and dining room, but of course, not limited to, especially drapes are better complying with the bedrooms while they block out the light better.
  
  
  

  4. Bathroom

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  Bath Towels: They draw the moisture from the body after the shower. Because of this primary feature, they are made of absorbent fabric, generally cotton. Turkish and Egyptian cotton are the most popular because of their softness and well absorbency.
  
  
• Bath Rugs: A bare floor in the bathroom or a colorful and in accordance with your bath wall bath rug? Bath rugs are in standard sizes in general, and waterproof, cozy, hygienic, synthetic, and trendy fabrics should be selected.
  
  
• Washcloths: Smaller than a towel, mostly in handkerchief sizes, and made of soft terrycloth, they’re absorbent textiles to clean the body. They can be good gifts to the family with a newborn baby.
  
  
• Towels: The purpose is drying the face, but when a guest comes, they become a decorative home textile in the bathroom or the guest room until it’s used. Cotton is the most used fabric, but bamboo is a trendy alternative.

  5. Floor 

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  Carpets and Rugs: Carpets are fixed on the floor from wall to wall, while rugs are used for partial cover ad movable. But both words can be used interchangeably. Carpets and rugs are among the essential house decore textiles since curtains, carpets, and rugs are the main accessories that make the home home. Moreover, as it’s known, in some societies, floor coverings are accepted as a prestige, some expensive hand-woven carpets decorate the houses.

  6. Wall Hangings

• Wall Tapestries: These hangings are traditionally woven, but in these
  modern days, wall tapestries are imprinted on fabrics. They’re also called textile art since beautiful and colorful designs, images, and patterns (religious, symbolic, and unique) are implemented in the fabric of cotton, wool, silk, and polyester.
  

What are the Considerations for Selecting Home Textiles

Fabric selection is one of the most critical points while choosing a home textile, and health is the first consideration. Therefore home textile fabrics should be non-allergic. Other considerations are:

1. Simplicity
2. Quality fabric
3. Comfort
4. Reflect your style
5. Color match
6. Environmentally friendly products

Features of Fabrics For Home Textile

These interior house furnishing products are:

• Easy to clean
• Dirt-proof
• Humidifying
• Hygienic
• Trouble-free use
• Non-crease
• Gloss

They should also:

• Reflect the light
• Keep warm and cool due to room temperature
• Have a high wet and sweat fastness
• Have color compatibility

Additionally, another important feature of home textile fabrics is that they don’t get electrified easily.

To Sum Up

Home textiles are used for interior house furnishing and have an extensive usage area. Their functionality and aesthetic look bring comfort and enrich the house decoration. With the technology and innovation in the home textile sector, the market is growing, and these products stand out with their durability and additional functionalities.

As there’re a wide variety of home textiles, there are also many features to consider in selecting home textile products. But choosing the most healthy and environmentally friendly products to dress up our houses is the most critical issue.