Cotton is all around us, from our bedding to the bandages used in hospitals. It’s loved for its incredible versatility, comfort and amazing performance. There are some things that are made from cotton that might surprise you, as it’s not just used to make clothing and homeware. Many other fabrics are also made from cotton – including velvet, velour, jersey, flannel, and corduroy. Here are some facts about cotton that might surprise you:
- Cotton fibre is used in fishing nets, book bindings, paper and even coffee filters.
- Cotton is a fibre and a food. Cottonseed is used to feed cattle and the seeds are also crushed to produce oil for cooking, margarine, pharmaceuticals, soap, and plastics.
- The short leftover fibres known as linters are used for swabs, bandages, cotton buds, bank notes, and even x-rays!
- A cotton plant actually produces a fruit known as bolls.
- No part of the plant is wasted. The lint, cottonseed, stalks, linters, and hulls are all used in some form.
- Cotton is soft, absorbent, breathable and hypo-allergenic, making it the ideal choice for baby clothes and undergarments that sit close to the skin. For a wide range of Cotton Fabric for your home projects, visit higgsandhiggs.com/fabrics/cotton-poplin-fabric-112cm.html
- Cotton is very easy to dye into any colour thanks to its high absorbency rate and natural white shade.
- Incredibly, cotton can absorb 27 times its own weight in moisture and actually gets stronger when its wet.
- You’ll never experience static with cotton as it can’t hold an electric charge.
- The cotton lint from one bale can make over 200 pairs of jeans, over 1,000 tee shirts, more than 4000 socks or over half a million cotton buds!
- Cotton is incredibly strong and has even been used for the in-flight suits of astronauts.
- More than half of the world’s cotton production is used in clothing. The remainder is used in homeware and industrial uses.
- Cotton can be blended with other natural fibres such as wool and also man-made material like polyester.
- Linters are used to make paper products including bank notes and also in the production of plastics.
- A ton of cottonseed can make 200kg of oil.
- This oil is a healthy choice as it’s high in polyunsaturated fats and has a long shelf life thanks to its high levels of vitamin E. It’s also used in the manufacture of margarine, emulsifiers, soap, and candles.
- The high levels of global seed production could provide sufficient protein for half a billion humans and billions of animals.