The Cotton Club

You may be so used to using convenient diapers available in your neighborhood store that the thought of using cotton cloth diapers may never have occurred to you. Two major issues that favor the use of cloth diapers need considering: one – saving money, two – protecting the environment. 

Initially, buying cotton cloth diapers may sound costly, but over a period of time they are cost effective. You can wash and re-use them. And if you are planning another baby, the same old diapers will come in handy.

When it comes to protecting the environment, it is no one’s baby. We would rather conveniently shift the entire responsibility of keeping the environment clean on the government. Belonging to the use-and-throw generation, we have in no small measure contributed to turning the world into one large dumping ground. Billions of disposable diapers are being discarded every year without any concern. They do fill up our landfills, but at the cost of contaminating land and water, not to speak of billions of health-impacting bacteria that they give rise to.

Did you know that disposable diapers contain chemicals? Sodium Polyacrylate is used to break the liquid into gel. It can lead to toxic shock syndrome and give rise to allergic reactions. Dioxin, a by-product of the bleaching paper used in disposable diapers, is highly toxic and can lead to cancer.

Shifting to cotton cloth diapers is a viable option, which is safe for your children and the environment that they will grow into.

The cotton plant is more of a shrub that has three-lobed leaves. Known botanically as Gossypium malvaceae, the cotton plant is found in tropical climates, but is successfully cultivated in temperate climates too. It requires evenly distributed rainfall. The cotton plant does not have to rely on rainfall where irrigation exists.

Cotton seeds are planted in furrows. The plant is quite prone to pest invasion, most common of which is the boll weevil that causes enormous damage. To prevent loss of cotton production, genetically altered disease-resistant cotton strains are being developed. After the cotton bolls mature, they are removed from the plant and de-seeded before baled. The cotton cloth undergoes various processes such as carding, combing, spinning, and weaving.

The United States has been the world’s top cotton producing nation until recently. This honor now goes to China, followed by the USA and India. Brazil, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey are other prominent cotton producing countries. China and India are the top cotton manufacturers of cotton material.

History of Cotton
Cotton is the earliest of fabrics known to man. Ancient civilizations in India, China, and Egypt were among the earliest that spun, weaved, and dyed cotton and wore clothes made from the weaved cloth. Cotton was introduced in Europe in the first century by Arab traders. However, cultivation of the plant began as late as the 9th century in Spain, when the Moors began the trend. Cotton began its journey into UK in the 15th century. East India Company was instrumental in introducing the cotton fabric in UK in a big way along with other exotic fabrics from India.

The cotton gin, used for separating the cottonseed from the fiber, was invented in 1793. The industrial revolution saw the advent of mechanized textile production plants. Britain became one of the largest importers of Indian cotton and suppliers of cotton fabric.

Cotton continues to be the numero uno fabric for the simple reason that it is natural, versatile, and highly comfortable in all kinds of weather conditions.

Keywords: Cotton Industry | Cotton Fabric | Egypt Cotton

Organic Cotton Flower

The COTTON is the world’s  soft, cool, comfortable and natural fiber. The exact age of cotton is unknown but there are many evidence were found about its age. Cotton was grown and made into cloth as early as 3,000 years before the birth of Christ in the Indus River Valley in Pakistan. Other evidence of cotton was found in caves of Mexico least 7000 years old. It is estimated that Egyptians were also weaving cotton fabrics around the same time. Christopher Columbus found cotton in the Bahama Islands in around 1492. Cotton was known all over the world by 1500.

Presently, cotton is the world’s most used fiber these days. In 1994 it is estimated the Cotton is the number one fiber used in USA for apparel. Around 63-65% of cotton fabric was used for clothing and around 25-30% for home furnishing and home decore rest was used for industrial type products.

In USA most of the cotton is being imported from Egypt, India and China. Consumers now often request “100% Cotton”. Permanent finishes also added to the all cotton fabric gave a wash and wear property to cotton.
Many types of items are being made by cotton fabric these days. From women clothing to Home decore cotton is being used for many purposed. Here are few examples of cotton usage:

•Women apparel, Kids or newly born baby dresses.
•100% cotton Beddings and  Pillow and Mattresses
•Draperies and Curtains
•Upholstery fabrics
•Cotton Blended Rugs
•Wall coverings, Curtains
•Medical, surgical and sanitary supplies
•Handbags and luggage
•Shoes
•Towels and Napkins

Cotton need warm climates to grow. In United States of America there are many states are producing good quality cotton plan. The following states are the major cotton producers in the United States:
•Alabama
•Arizona
•Arkansas
•California
•Georgia
•Louisiana
•Mississippi
•Missouri
•New Mexico

Cotton fabrics are very soft and comfortable to wear on other hand it is having very absorbing capabilities. Cotton garments absorb perspiration, thus keeping the person more comfortable. Cotton wrinkles very easily. However, to make this fabric wrinkle free it is required to blend with other polyester fabric.It is very important to read the level of the fabric before buying.