Spandex or polyester, which is better?

The modern textile industry has long introduced chemical materials into its technologies. When buying clothes or consumer goods for the home, we don’t even notice that we are dealing with petroleum products. Meanwhile spandex and polyester are the most popular materials used in human everyday life. They were created chemically and facilitate many tasks in the production of fabrics and products made from them.

What's better?

Most sources are inclined to believe that Both spandex and polyester are very similar materials in properties.. Both fabrics do not wrinkle, have excellent stretch, and are resistant to dirt and getting wet. They interact well with other materials and most often act as additives in compositions, strengthening fabrics and making them more resistant to dirt.

However They vary in thickness and UV resistance. Besides, polyester is more durable – even pellets do not form on it, whereas numerous snags may appear on the surface of spandex. Fabrics vary in softness level – polyester is stiffer, denser, and spandex is smoother and more pleasant to the touch.

If we talk about choosing fabric for clothes, then spandex is definitely better, because... polyester has “found itself” in the production of textile products for the home and care for it.

Spandex

Elastic thin synthetic material with a slight shine on the surface - It is he. The fabric was obtained by chance as a result of chemical experiments and became widespread due to properties such as stretch and strength.

Spandex lends itself well to dyeing, and thanks to the ability to add other threads to its composition, the world has received several types of material.

Due to low cost the fabric is successfully used in the fashion industry. They sew from it dresses, tracksuits, underwear, workwear. Spandex is no less in demand in other areas of the textile industry.

pros

The advantages of spandex include the following parameters:

• resistance to creasing and contamination;
• high strength properties;
• practically does not get wet;
• pleasant tactile qualities - lightness, softness and elasticity;
• does not wrinkle;
• durable.

Minuses

Despite its positive qualities, spandex also has significant disadvantages. He:

• Requires washing only at low temperatures;
• fades in the sun and at the same time loses its strength qualities;
• susceptible to the appearance of puffs on the surface;
• sewn only with special needles.

Polyester

An artificial polyester fiber created by man as a result of chemical experiments. Represents thin durable fabric (like cottonOpka) with a “cooling” effect.

Thanks to the properties of threads, they change their qualities depending on temperature, The material is used to produce many products for a wide variety of purposes. Polyester is used to make bed linen, winter jackets, dresses, and car covers.

pros

The advantages of the fabric include the following properties:

• resistance to burnout;
• does not wrinkle;
• dries quickly, hardly gets wet;
• does not deform after washing;
• repels dirt;
• not susceptible to moths;
• maintains body temperature in cold weather;
• has a cooling effect in hot weather;
• stretches well;
• does not fade;
• no pellets form on the surface.

Minuses

Despite many advantages, the fabric has the following disadvantages:

• it is bare synthetic;
• it does not allow air to pass through, in the heat it feels “like being in cellophane”;
• susceptible to static electricity;
• quite tough.