Devivahome textiles: how to choose and care for them

An independent reference about home textiles. We are not a store or a manufacturer, we sell nothing, and we have no connection to the previous website on this domain. Wash and dry your textiles according to the manufacturer’s care label.

Reference

Reference

This glossary collects the words you’ll come across on care labels, in fabric descriptions and in care advice. The definitions are short and written in plain language, without numbers or technical detail: enough to understand what fabric you’re holding and what to expect from it when washing, drying and storing it.

Knowing the name of a fabric isn’t just trivia: it tells you right away whether it will wrinkle, how well it absorbs water and how quickly it dries.

— Editor’s view

Fabrics

Terry
A fabric whose surface is covered with loops of yarn. The loops absorb water well, which is why terry is most often used for towels and bathrobes.
Waffle weave
A fabric with raised square cells that look like the surface of a waffle. It’s lighter than terry, dries quickly and works well for kitchen and bath towels.
Sateen
A fabric with a smooth, slightly lustrous face created by a special way of weaving the yarns. It feels silky to the touch.
Percale
A tightly woven fabric made from fine yarns in a plain weave. It’s matte, smooth and cool to the touch and holds its shape well.
Muslin
A sturdy plain-weave cotton fabric made from thicker yarns, also known as calico. It’s slightly rough, practical and easy to care for.
Velour
In home textiles, this usually means terry with the loops sheared on one side. The surface is velvety, but it usually absorbs less than looped terry.

Fibers

Cotton
A natural plant fiber. It’s soft, absorbs moisture well and feels pleasant against the skin, but it can shrink and wrinkle.
Linen
A natural fiber from the stalks of the flax plant. It’s strong, cool and quick to dry; it wrinkles noticeably and gets softer over time.
Viscose
A manufactured fiber, also called rayon, made from natural cellulose such as wood or bamboo. It’s soft and smooth but weaker when wet, so it does best with gentle washing.
Polyester
A synthetic fiber. It wrinkles little, dries quickly and holds its shape, but it absorbs moisture less well and can be prone to pilling.
Blend
A fabric made from fibers of different origins, such as cotton and polyester. A blend combines the properties of its components, and the label tells you how to care for it.

Care

Care symbols
Symbols on a label that show what washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional cleaning an item can handle. They are described in the international standard ISO 3758.
Delicate cycle
A gentle cycle with soft drum movement and a light spin. It suits fine fabrics and items with trims, if the label calls for it.
Spin
Removing water from laundry by spinning the drum. Too strong a spin crushes the fabric and leaves creases, so the spin setting is also chosen by the label.
Pilling
Small balls of tangled fibers on the surface of fabric. They form from friction and are more common on blends and fuzzy fabrics.
Shrinkage
When an item gets smaller after washing or drying. How likely it is depends on the fiber and finishing, and following the care label helps prevent it.

Where these words come up

  • Guides

    How to care for bed linens so they last: preparation, steps with sample scenarios, mistakes and a checklist. The article catalog is here too.

  • Questions

    Short answers about choosing textiles, washing and drying, storing things and fixing small damage.

  • Sections

    A map of the reference: bathroom, bedroom, living room and windows, plus care, storage and small textile repairs.

  • Terry bathrobe (in Russian)

    An archived address from the previous website: choosing a terry bathrobe by feel and washing and drying terry cloth.

  • Questions

    Short answers about choosing textiles, washing and drying, storing things and fixing small damage.

  • Guides

    How to care for bed linens so they last: preparation, steps with sample scenarios, mistakes and a checklist. The article catalog is here too.

  • Sections

    A map of the reference: bathroom, bedroom, living room and windows, plus care, storage and small textile repairs.

  • Collections

    Reading paths: a bathroom where everything dries, a bedroom through the seasons and a second life for old textiles.

Sources

  • ISO 3758 — care labeling code for textiles using symbols
  • Manufacturers’ care recommendations

The advice in this reference sums up widely shared recommendations for caring for home textiles and is given in general terms. Every item has its own fiber content and finish, so the manufacturer’s care label is your main guide: if it differs from our advice, follow the label.