Part 2: Inside the Experiment — How I Tested Fabric Structure at Home
When I asked in my July 23, 2025 article Microfibers Are Everywhere! Is Fabric Structure the Missing Piece? whether the way a fabric is built might matter as much as what it is made from, I knew the answer required more than a hypothesis. To find out, I developed a practical testing setup: no lab, no proprietary machines, just a real-world simulation built around an ordinary laundry room.
Working with Dr. Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design at the University of Rhode Island (URI), I designed a home-based experiment grounded in AATCC LP1 (Home Laundering) and TM212 (Fiber Fragment Release) standards. This meant respecting best practices: controlled detergents, measured swatches, repeatable cycles, while using accessible tools.
Why It Was Worth Doing at Home?
Laundry happens in homes. Labs simulate it. I chose to do both. Here is how I translated formal lab design into something anyone with a washer and swatches could replicate, making the research both real and meaningful.
Method Overview
Swatch Prep
I worked with 21 swatches representing seven fabric types (knit, woven, and pile textiles like chenille and terry, across natural and synthetic fibers). To keep results consistent, I cut each swatch to the same size. To avoid false shedding from loose edges, I finished them in two ways:
• Natural fibers were hand-stitched along the edges to prevent unraveling (see Figure 1).
• Synthetic fibers were sealed using controlled flaming, a standard textile lab technique, to melt the edges slightly and stop fraying (see Figure 2).
This ensured that any fibers released came from the fabric structure itself, not from unfinished edges.
Wash Methods
I ran two parallel tests for each of the 21 swatches:
Everyday Wash: Swatches went into a normal washer cycle with towels and detergent to mimic a typical household load, where added friction from towels reflects real conditions.
Guppyfriend Bag Wash: A second, identical set of swatches was washed inside Guppyfriend Washing Bags, a mesh laundry bag designed to trap microfibers shed from synthetic fabrics before they enter wastewater. Marketed as a simple consumer solution, these bags allow water and detergent to flow through while capturing many of the fibers along the seams. They are widely available for home use and are one of the few tools individuals can buy to directly reduce microfiber pollution in their own laundry (see figure 3).
Sample Collection
After each wash, I filtered out the fibers, stored them in labeled sample bags, and shipped them to URI for analysis. Because I did not have access to microgram-level lab scales at home, my mentor’s lab performed the precise weighing. This way, I could focus on faithfully replicating the wash conditions, while ensuring the measurement process met scientific standards.
Challenges and Next Steps
Like many projects, this one came with limits. Due to renovations, I could not access standardized lab equipment, so I relied on a home-based setup as a stand-in for ISO-certified environments. While this gave me valuable real-world data, it meant:
I could only run three wash cycles per fabric, even though research shows shedding often stabilizes after six to eight.
I could not weigh the fibers myself with the sensitivity required, so I carefully packaged and mailed all samples to URI for professional analysis.
Looking ahead, we are preparing to rerun the tests using ISO 4484-1 GyroWash standards, the industry benchmark for assessing fiber release. This next stage will also extend the number of washes, allowing us to track longer-term shedding patterns and directly compare home-laundry results with lab-based data.
In Part 3, I will share what those first rounds of testing actually revealed: how knits stacked up against wovens, why plush fabrics like chenille and terry were especially eye-opening, and what all of this means for the clothes we wear and wash every day.
