Starch Can Reduce the Wear Life of Your
Shirt
Which is more important: a very smooth, bright skirt which resists
stains and has great flat abrasion resistance, or a shirt with reduced
strength and
flex abrasion resistance? That is the trade-off made by consumers who starch
their 100% cotton shirts. The starched shirts unquestionably looked better
in a study conducted by the International Fabricare Institute, but heavily
starched shirts are more rigid, and snap rather then stretch when flexed.
This decreases tensile strength, and might allow for quicker popping
of elbows
through sleeves over the life of the shirt if it is always worn starched.
However, testing a shirt which has been heavily starched after removal
of the
starch indicates that the tensile strength reduction is directly related
to the presence of the starch and is not a permanent change in the
cotton, so
you can get longer wear out of the shirt by sacrificing appearance and
abandoning starch.
Source: "Starch Can Affect the Wear Life of Your Shirt," CLOTHES
CARE GAZETTE, International Fabricare Institute, June 1991
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Updated 10/18/05