Lint (material)

Last updated
Lint
Dryer lint screen.jpg
Lint accumulation in the screen of a clothes dryer
Material typeVisible accumulations of textile fibers and other materials
Close-up of dryer lint. Dryer Lint Close.jpg
Close-up of dryer lint.
Pocket lint. Pocket lint.JPG
Pocket lint.

Lint is the common name for visible accumulations of textile fibers, hair and other materials, usually found on and around clothing. Certain materials used in the manufacture of clothing, such as cotton, linen, and wool, contain numerous, very short fibers bundled together. [1] During the course of normal wear, these fibers may either detach or be jostled out of the weave of which they are part. This is the reason why heavily used articles such as shirts and towels become thin over time and why such particles accumulate in the lint screen of a clothes dryer. [1]

Contents

Because of their high surface area to weight ratio, static cling causes fibers that have detached from an article of clothing to continue to stick to one another and to that article or other surfaces with which they come in contact. Other small fibers or particles also accumulate with these clothing fibers, including human and animal hair and skin cells, plant fibers, and pollen, dust, and microorganisms.

The etymology of the modern word "lint" is related to "linting", the term used for the cultivation of the shorter fibers from the cotton plant ( Gossypium ), also called "lint", from which lower-quality cotton products are manufactured. [2] Lint is composed of threads of all colors, which blend hues and may appear to be a uniform grey. [3]

Varieties of lint

Cotton lint

Cotton lint refers to the fibrous coat that covers the cotton seeds. Cotton lint is ginned cotton. The term Linter: these are veritably short fibers which are not removed from seeds in the ginning process but are in special delinters machines at cotton ginning mill. The lint that is delivered to the spinning mill contains a variety of extraneous materials, including seed pieces, dust, and motes, which are collectively referred to as trash. [4] [5]

Dryer lint

Dryer lint is lint generated by the drying of clothes in a clothes dryer; it typically accumulates on a dryer screen. Underwriters Laboratories recommends cleaning the lint filter after every cycle for safety and energy efficiency. [6] Failure to clean the lint filter is the leading cause of home clothes dryer fires. [7]

Navel lint (also known by names such as navel fluff, belly button lint,belly button fluff, and dip lint) is an accumulation of fluffy fibers in the navel cavity often found at the beginning and end of the day. Cloth fibers are scraped by body hair via friction, which ratchets the fibers in the direction of hair growth. One hypothesis is that hair travels along a lint highway defined as integral curves of the vector field given by the direction of growth of the hair, which must end at a vanishing point according to the hairy ball theorem. [8] Another is that rubbing of navel hairs and clothing contributes to a build-up of static electricity, resulting in the collection of clothing fibers and to a lesser extent, dead skin cells.[ citation needed ]

Pocket lint

Pocket lint (also known as gnurr [9] ) is debris including bits of fabric as well as small shreds of paper and tissue that are often found in pockets. It may sometimes be caused by running the clothing through a washing machine one or more times, causing the pocket lining or contents to compact and shred.

As pocket lint is an amalgamation of the contents of the pockets, pocket lint can be helpful when determining whether drugs have been previously stored in the pockets, by testing it with various drug tests. In a survival situation, pocket lint can be used as tinder for starting a fire. [10]

The Infocom game, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , was sold with a collection of "props" that included a small bag of "pocket fluff". [11]

Biological problems

Inhalation of excessive amounts of lint, as observed in early textile workers, may lead to diseases of the lungs, such as byssinosis. [12] Lint shed from clothing during the course of wear may also carry bacteria and viruses. [13] For this reason, the presence of lint presents a danger during surgery, when it might carry microorganisms into open wounds. It has been demonstrated that due to the abrasive contact between clothing and skin, "a person wearing a standard cotton scrub suit actually sheds more bacteria than without clothing". [14] Lint is also a component of "toe jam", described as "that gunk located between your toes", which can result due to not properly cleaning feet and toes. Like ear wax, mucus, and many other bodily residues (...). But the issue can have several different causes—some of them more serious than others — so it pays to give your feet special attention." [15] Lint also presents a threat to the environment in spaces that generally do not experience human contact, constituting "one of the primary polluters" in cave exploration. [16]

Mechanical problems

Lint contamination also presents what may be the most serious threat of damage to delicate mechanical devices. [17] [18] In order to prevent lint contamination, workers entering clean rooms are generally required to wear an outer layer of clothing made from artificial fibers that are longer and thicker, and therefore much less likely to shed any material. [1] [19] Lint-resistant clothing materials include, elastic fabrics like spandex (or Lycra), for which the fibers will tend to stretch rather than break, and longer, stronger non-woven polyolefin fibers. [20]

Other problems

Lint on clothing is generally considered unattractive and unprofessional. Furthermore, lint may be abrasive and may damage the clothing itself. [21] For these reasons, visible lint is often removed with a lint remover or clothes brush. The accumulation of lint during clothes cleaning can be reduced with the use of a fabric softener, which reduces the amount of static electricity on clothing surfaces and therefore prevents the lint from sticking to the clothes. [22]

Dryer lint, which collects on the lint screen of a clothes dryer, is highly flammable and therefore presents a fire hazard. [23] However, because of this flammability, dryer lint may be collected for use as tinder, [24] although burning human-made fibres can produce toxic fumes. [25]

Uses of lint

Composting

It is possible to compost lint retrieved from the lint screen on a dryer by adding it to other materials being composted. The texture of the material allows the organic matter within it to compost quickly and easily, but depending on the source, it may include inorganic fibers and materials which never break down. [26]

Forensic science

Lint is useful to examine in forensic science because it is accumulated over time, and because the fibers shed from clothing adhere to not only that clothing, but also other particles to which the carrier is exposed. The lint on a person's clothing is therefore likely to contain material transferred from the various environments through which that person has passed, [27] enabling forensic examiners to collect and examine lint to determine the movements and activities of the wearer. [28] [29] Examiners may use various chemicals to isolate lint fibers from different articles of clothing based on differences in color and other characteristics. [30]

Tinder

Dryer lint burns readily. Although this may present a hazard in the household, it also means that lint makes excellent tinder for starting fires. [31] It is especially useful for catching sparks from flint and steel, or similar striker-type fire starters in the absence of matches. [10]

Wound treatment

Lint was used as a form of wound treatment for cuts and sores as early as 1500 BC and as recently as the American Civil War. [32] Lint used specifically for treating wounds was sometimes referred to as charpie .

See also

Related Research Articles

Lint is the computer science term for a static code analysis tool used to flag programming errors, bugs, stylistic errors and suspicious constructs. The term originates from a Unix utility that examined C language source code. A program which performs this function is also known as a "linter".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clothing</span> Objects worn to cover a portion of the body

Clothing is any item worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural products found in the environment, put together. The wearing of clothing is mostly restricted to human beings and is a feature of all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on gender, body type, social factors, and geographic considerations. Garments cover the body, footwear covers the feet, gloves cover the hands, while hats and headgear cover the head, and underwear covers the private parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotton gin</span> Machine that separates cotton from seeds

A cotton gin — meaning "cotton engine" — is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The fibers are then processed into various cotton goods such as calico, while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing. The separated seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to produce cottonseed oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile arts</span> Form of arts and crafts using fibers

Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laundry</span> Washing of clothing and other textiles

Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this universal human need are of interest to several branches of scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry cleaning</span> Cleaning of fabrics in non-aqueous solvents

Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clothes dryer</span> Appliance used for drying wet clothes

A clothes dryer, also known as tumble dryer, is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually after they are washed in a washing machine.

A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during use. The material of both the block and bristles or filaments is chosen to withstand hazards of its intended use, such as corrosive chemicals, heat or abrasion. It is used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools in use today, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinder</span> Combustible material used to ignite fire by rudimentary methods

Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder is used to ignite kindling, which in turn is used to ignite the bulk material, to produce a fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microfiber</span> Synthetic fiber

Microfibre is synthetic fibre finer than one denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabardine</span> Tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, trousers and some other garments

Gabardine is a durable twill worsted wool, a tightly woven fabric originally waterproof and used to make suits, overcoats, trousers, uniforms, windbreakers, outerwear and other garments.

In forensic science, Locard's principle holds that the perpetrator of a crime will bring something into the crime scene and leave with something from it, and that both can be used as forensic evidence. Dr. Edmond Locard (1877–1966) was a pioneer in forensic science who became known as the Sherlock Holmes of Lyon, France. He formulated the basic principle of forensic science as: "Every contact leaves a trace". It is generally understood as "with contact between two items, there will be an exchange." Paul L. Kirk expressed the principle as follows:

Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibres from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.

A fabric softener or fabric conditioner is a conditioner that is applied to laundry after it has been washed in a washing machine. A similar, more dilute preparation meant to be applied to dry fabric is known as a wrinkle releaser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acrylic fiber</span> Synthetic fiber made from polymer

Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer (polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100,000, about 1900 monomer units. For a fiber to be called "acrylic" in the US, the polymer must contain at least 85% acrylonitrile monomer. Typical comonomers are vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate. DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in 1941 and trademarked them under the name Orlon. It was first developed in the mid-1940s but was not produced in large quantities until the 1950s. Strong and warm, acrylic fiber is often used for sweaters and tracksuits and as linings for boots and gloves, as well as in furnishing fabrics and carpets. It is manufactured as a filament, then cut into short staple lengths similar to wool hairs, and spun into yarn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lint remover</span> Cleaning tool

A lint roller or lint remover is a roll of one-sided adhesive paper on a cardboard or plastic barrel that is mounted on a central spindle, with an attached handle. The device facilitates the removal of lint or other small fibers from most materials such as clothing, upholstery and linen. Once expended, the roll can typically be replaced with a "refill" roll. Invented in 1956 by Nicholas McKay, Sr., his most well-known product was the Lint Pic-Up, the world's first lint roller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polar fleece</span> Insulating knitted polyester napped or pile fabric

Polar fleece is a soft fabric made from polyester that is napped and insulating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singe</span> Slight scorching, burn or treatment with flame

A singe is a slight scorching, burn or treatment with flame. This may be due to an accident, such as scorching one's hair when lighting a gas fire, or a deliberate method of treatment or removal of hair or other fibres.

Lint may refer to:

In textile spinning, yarn realisation (YR), or yarn recovery, is an operational parameter of yarn manufacturing. It is the percentage conversion of raw material to finished yarn. The rest of the waste fibers with less value are compared to the weight of the produced yarn from a given weight of raw material. The quantity of waste removed during the various phases of yarn spinning, such as blow-room, carding, and combing, is often used to determine yarn realisation. Yarn realisation ranges between 85% and 90% in carded cotton yarns and between 67% and 75% in combed cotton yarns.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Welker, R. W.; Nagarajan, Ramamurthy; Newberg, Carl E. (2006). Contamination and ESD Control in High-Technology Manufacturing. pp. 415–16.
  2. ↑ Hollen, Norma R.; Saddler, Jane (1952). Modern Textiles. p. 14.
  3. ↑ Glass, Don (October 16, 2008). "The Color of Lint". A Moment of Science. Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Cotton Lint - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  5. ↑ "Cotton lint Definition". Law Insider. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  6. ↑ Underwriters Laboratories product safety tips – clothes dryers Archived 2014-03-05 at the Wayback Machine .
  7. ↑ "clothes dryer fire safety outreach materials", 'U.S. Fire Administration',
  8. ↑ Zollinger, Sue Anne (23 March 2011). "What Is Bellybutton Lint?". Indiana Public Media. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Paul Dickson, Words: A Connoisseur's Collection of Old and New, Weird and Wonderful, Useful and Outlandish Words (1983), p. 182: "Gnurr. The substance that over time collects in the bottoms of pockets and the cuffs of trousers".
  10. 1 2 "Catching A Spark from Flint And Steel: Fire Building Basics", Prepper Bits, 30 September 2018.
  11. ↑ Blake Wilson (September 18, 2008). "'Hitchhiker's Guide': The Game "Arts Beat"". The New York Times .
  12. ↑ Yafa, Stephen (2006). Cotton: The Biography of a Revolutionary Fiber.
  13. ↑ Raheel, Mastura (1994). Protective Clothing Systems and Materials. p. 19.
  14. ↑ Kulkarni, G.S. (2008). Textbook of Orthopedics and Trauma. p. 296.
  15. ↑ URGENT CARE (October 20, 2015). "What Is Toe Jam?". upmc.com. Post updated May 11, 2016.
  16. ↑ Hurd, Barbara (2005). Entering the Stone: On Caves and Feeling Through the Dark. p. 54.
  17. ↑ Cochin, Ira (1963). Analysis and Design of the Gyroscope for Inertial Guidance. p. 143.
  18. ↑ Kozicki, Michael; Hoenig, Stuart A.; Robinson, Patrick J. (1991). Cleanrooms: Facilities and Practices.
  19. ↑ "The Inside Story on Outdoor Gear". Popular Science . Vol. 238, no. 5. May 1991. p. 82.
  20. ↑ Krishan Kumar Chawla (1998). Fibrous Materials . p.  102. ISBN   9780521570794.
  21. ↑ Cynthia Townley Ewer (2009). Houseworks. p. 139.
  22. ↑ Jeff Bredenberg (1999). Clean It Fast, Clean It Right. pp. 235–236.
  23. ↑ Eric Kleinert (1995). Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances . TAB Books. p.  231. ISBN   9780070350786.
  24. ↑ Lori Baird (2007). Don't Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse to Make Things Last . p.  216. ISBN   9781594865770.
  25. ↑ Wes Clark,"Everyday Household Materials Yield Toxic Smoke", FireAvert, 17 April 2015.
  26. ↑ Pleasant, Barbara; Martin, Deborah L. (2008). The Complete Compost Gardening Guide. p. 128.
  27. ↑ Jane Moira Taupin; Chesterene Cwiklik (2009). Forensic Examination of Clothing . p.  145. ISBN   9781420068214.
  28. ↑ Jane Moira Taupin; Chesterene Cwiklik (2009). Forensic Examination of Clothing . p.  195. ISBN   9781420068214.
  29. ↑ Mozayani, Ashraf; Noziglia, Carla (2006). The Forensic Laboratory Handbook: Procedures and Practice. p. 266.
  30. ↑ Jane Moira Taupin; Chesterene Cwiklik (2009). Forensic Examination of Clothing . p.  190. ISBN   9781420068214.
  31. ↑ Sweeney, Michael; Mayor, Mireya; Kayal, Michele (2009). National Geographic Complete Survival Manual. p. 46.
  32. ↑ "Notes of a European Tour". Buffalo Medical Journal. 2: 397. 1846.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.