A Guide To the Benefits of Antimicrobial Fabric

September 29, 2021

Our clothing can get dirty quickly from even the most casual of day-to-day activities. Wearing apparel made of antimicrobial materials can help to reduce the harmful impacts of contaminated clothing and keep you feeling fresh all day. These days, this can be an especially important function to have in the apparel we wear, whether it’s traveling, hanging with friends, or even lying around your home.

If you are unfamiliar with what antimicrobial fabric is or its benefits, you may have many questions. If you want to learn more, keep reading for a guide to the benefits of antimicrobial fabrics.

What Is Antimicrobial Fabric?

Any garment material that protects against bacteria, mold, mildew, and other harmful organisms is known as an antimicrobial fabric. An antimicrobial is a substance applied to a fabric to aid in the fight against pathogens that may grow on the fabric's surface. That ensures that the antimicrobial is continually fighting germs while also extending the fabric's life.

Why Is Antimicrobial Fabric Needed?

Because of their large surface area and capacity to retain moisture, microorganisms flourish on many textiles. These bacteria proliferate quickly, which has many severe effects for both the materials and the person wearing them. When this happens, it weakens the structural integrity of the fabrics, stains them, and allows other more dangerous pathogens to proliferate.

What Is the Process To Create Them

The process used to add the antimicrobial ingredient gets determined by the desired purposes of the antimicrobial fabric and the capacities of the manufacturer. The agents, also known as additives, can be sprayed to the textile's surface or woven into its fibers. Antimicrobial agents can also be added to the threads during the spinning process, mixed with dyes, or applied as a final treatment when the clothing is nearly finished.

Brief History of Antimicrobial Fabric

While microorganisms were not discovered to be the cause of many infectious diseases that plagued humanity from ancient times until the latter part of the 19th century, people used antimicrobial substances for millennia, even if they didn't know what they were for. Ancient Egyptians preserved mummy wraps using spices and herbs. Hundreds of years ago, people in China employed bamboo, a naturally antibacterial material, and one which many manufacturers use to this day. Today, scientists are working around the clock to create better and more environmentally friendly fabrics that offer many different benefits for their wearers.

Benefits of These Fabrics

Harmful microorganisms are everywhere in our world, and we should do everything we can to keep germs and bacteria at bay. Wearing clothes made of antimicrobial materials has several perks, ranging from keeping your apparel odor-free to keeping you healthy. Here are just a handful of the numerous advantages they provide.

Keep That Fresh Feeling Throughout the Day

Antimicrobial technology creates a durable defensive layer on fabric, preventing odor-causing bacteria, mold, and mildew from growing. The resistant fabric keeps garments fresher for longer, allowing you to feel comfortable and reinvigorated while wearing them. Even after many different wash cycles, this long-lasting protection against potentially hazardous bacteria remains.

Washing Clothing Less

Antimicrobial fabric lasts longer and stays cleaner between washes. Your towels, T-shirts, jeans, and other items made with these textiles will retain their "recently washed" quality for longer. This helps avoid mold and mildew odors, which helps keep them maintained for longer since washing and drying clothes can deteriorate them. Antimicrobial properties also help in the reduction of odor-causing bacteria that linger on your garments after washing.

Don't Worry About Sweat Smells

One of the most important advantages, particularly for those who are regularly active or live in hotter climates, is the ability to fight odor-causing bacteria often present in sweat. Body odor is caused by bacteria on your skin feeding on the nutrients in your sweat and breaking it down. Your body odor becomes automatically managed when you wear clothing made of antimicrobial fabric since odor-causing bacteria don't get an opportunity to develop and grow.

Reduce Infections

Antimicrobial textiles are frequently found in the clothes worn by medical personnel, as well as the linens used in many hospital beds. This is because antimicrobial fabrics inhibit the growth of germs that cause disease, which helps to minimize the possibility of infection spreading through contact with the fabric. Stopping the transmission of disease is more essential than ever, and clothing produced from these materials can make a big impact on people's lives.

Keeps Your Clothes Lasting Longer

The addition of a pathogen-fighting layer of protection extends the textile's life and protects the fabric surface from germs. On a microscopic level, harmful bacteria can damage the overall structure and integrity of fibers. You may also find yourself needing to wash garments more thoroughly, which also damages them over time.

Masks Are More Hygienic

Wearing masks protects you and others around you while also reducing disease transmission. Reusable masks constructed of antimicrobial materials will not only last longer but will also be more hygienic at the point of usage. For example, a NxTSTOP Bamboo Silver Ion Face Mask will keep you clean and hygienic throughout the day while effectively protecting you from the transmission of various sorts of droplets and particles (such as dirt, dust, pollen, and sand) in the air.

Conclusion

Microbes can survive and grow on a piece of fabric. When you wear garments made of the right material, such as bamboo, your clothing will be able to fight off dangerous microorganisms and keep your clothing intact and smell fresh for far longer than it normally would. Whether you're wearing antimicrobial masks, T-shirts, socks, or other types of clothes, you can be confident that you're remaining safe and sanitary throughout the day.

We hope you found this guide to the benefits of antimicrobial fabrics helpful and that it can guide you when making informed decisions the next time you’re in the market for new clothing. NxTSTOP offers high-quality apparel made from antimicrobial fabrics like bamboo that is perfect for when you're on the go and want to stay fresh.

Check out our men's casual travel pants, which get powered by HeiQ HYPROTECHT, a Swiss antibacterial technology that protects the product against microorganisms. The flexible, wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying Travleisure® structure offers four-way stretch.