The key difference between cotton and wool is that cotton is light and soft whereas wool is thicker and able to retain heat. While both provide comfort to us, wool is used in winters whereas cotton is used more during summers though there are many who use it all round the year.

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile.

Frequency: The definition of cotton is made of the soft and fluffy material that comes from some plants. An example of cotton used in an adjective is in the phrase “cotton suit.”

Cotton candy also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring.

Cotton wool consists of silky fibers taken from cotton plants in their raw state. Impurities, such as seeds, are removed and the cotton is then bleached using Hydrogen Peroxide or Sodium Hypochlorite.

“Cotton wool” is a term used to refer to cotton in its softest and fluffiest form – think cotton balls. Due to its absorbency, it is most often used for cleaning the skin, bathing wounds, or applying liquids and creams.

6 Common Uses for Cotton

• Woven fabrics. Cotton is used to make a variety of woven fabrics, including canvas, denim, damask, flannel, and more.
• Clothing.
• Bed sheets and towels.
• Underwear.
• Home decor.
• Cottonseed oil.

Absorbent cotton is used for surgical dressings, cosmetic purposes etc. It is also known as Surgical Cotton or Cotton Wool. It is mainly used for medical purposes in hospitals, dispensaries and nursing homes to absorb the body fluids.

Cotton is known for its versatility, performance and natural comfort. Cotton’s strength and absorbency makes it an ideal fabric to make clothes and homewares, and industrial products like tarpaulins, tents, hotel sheets, army uniforms, and even astronauts’ clothing choices when inside a space shuttle.

Cotton has been grown for food, fiber, and even fuel for over 6,000 years. You can find cotton in your clothes, sheets, and towels, but cotton is also used to make things like rope, U.S. currency, paper, cooking oil, animal feed, packaging, and biofuels. The benefits and versatility of cotton are numerous.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Wearing Cotton

• Ideal for all seasons. Cotton is an all-weather textile – it will keep you cool on a hot summer day and provide insulation on a cold winter day.
• Hypoallergenic.
• Less toxic.
• Comfortable.
• Expensive.
• Shrinks easily.
• Not so strong.
• Wrinkles.

As well as being a thirsty crop, cotton cultivation currently uses lots of chemicals – 4 per cent of all world pesticides and 10 per cent of insecticides are used in cotton-growing6. These inputs can pollute local eco-systems and drinking water supplies.

Non-organic cotton contributes to environmental pollution through the use of pesticides and insecticides. It also exposes both cotton growers and consumers to toxic carcinogenic chemicals that are used during production.

Conventionally produced Cotton High levels of potentially harmful pesticides and toxic chemicals are being used during the farming process, making it one of the agriculture’s most polluting crops. So even though cotton is natural and biodegradable, it doesn’t mean it is not harmful.

Conventionally-grown cotton is bad for the environment because of its high water consumption and pollution, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers.

Cotton has been called a “thirsty crop,” but it is actually inherently heat and drought tolerant. The program found that in the U.S., the majority of cotton—about 60 percent—is produced without any irrigation and relies solely on rainfall.

Cotton is sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable, making it an excellent choice as an environmentally-friendly fiber throughout its entire product life cycle. Most chemical fibers are petroleum based, which means they come from nonrenewable resources.

Cotton. While cotton is a natural fibre that can biodegrade at the end of its life, it is also one of the most environmentally demanding crops. The fashion consultant adds that cotton farming also uses high levels of pesticides and toxic chemicals that seep into the earth and water supplies.

Environmental impacts

• Nylon and polyester. Made from petrochemicals, these synthetics are non-biodegradable as well, so they are inherently unsustainable on two counts.
• Rayon (viscose)
• Cotton.
• Wool.
• Manufacturing processes.
• Other materials.

Cotton is the “green” fiber! Polyester is bad for the environment! Future production of these fibers will confront new problems. Petroleum production will continue to decline, and arable land for fiber production may also be reduced, as the demand for biofuel and food production take priority over fiber.

Fiber Strength (grams/tex)

Characteristics of Cotton Fibers and Products

• Comfortable to wear.
• Natural, cellulosic fiber.
• Made from the cotton boll.
• Absorbs water and “breathes”
• Slow to dry.
• Resists static electricity build-up.
• Wrinkles easily.
• Can withstand heat, detergents, and bleach.

Cotton fibers are natural hollow fibers; they are soft, cool, known as breathable fibers and absorbent. Cotton fibers can hold water 24–27 times their own weight. They are strong, dye absorbent and can stand up against abrasion wear and high temperature.

Cotton fabric is not considered waterproof, but cotton canvas can be water-resistant. However, cotton fabric or canvas can receive waterproof treatment through a hydrophobic spray and other methods. Cotton is an incredibly popular material when it comes to clothing.

Cotton is highly flammable. It catches fire easily and burns quickly. Silk and linen will burn almost as easily as cotton and burn rapidly. Rayon, acetate and triacetate are as highly flammable as cotton.

They are usually natural or synthetic fabrics that are laminated to or coated with a waterproofing material such as rubber, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), silicone elastomer, fluoropolymers, and wax.

The following are water-resistant or waterproof materials that you are likely to run into and may consider utilizing.

1. Wool.
2. Vinyl.
3. Woven Fabric from ELS cotton.
4. Gore-tex®
5. Oilcloth.
6. Natural Rubber and Latex.
7. Other Membraned or Coated Fabrics.

Water-resistant: able to resist the penetration of water to some degree but not entirely. Water-repellent: not easily penetrated by water, especially as a result of being treated for such a purpose with a surface coating. Waterproof: impervious to water.

Technical Definition: Polyurethane Laminated Fabric (PUL Fabric) is a special utility fabric (typically polyester, sometimes cotton or polyblend) that has been adhesive heat laminated on one side to a layer of polyurethane film. …

A Polyurethane Coated 4 Way Stretch Spandex Tricot Polyester that is 190+40 GSM – 85% Polyester, 15% Spandex. This wind and waterproof stretch fabric resembles a super thin neoprene with a very soft black polyurethane coating and an amazing amount of flex.