Best Natural Fabrics That Reduce Microplastic Absorption

Reducing Microplastic Exposure - What To Do First

In our Going Microplastic-Free Guide, we first covered the importance of prioritizing filtering microplastics from your air, water filtration, and water storage solutions. The next quick win you can get against microplastics is your choice of clothing and bedding materials.

In this article we will go over natural and synthetic fabric types and why you should try to make the switch as soon as possible to plastic free clothing.

The Hidden Danger of Synthetic Fabrics

Did you know that wearing clothing woven from synthetic and plastic-based materials can shed hundreds of thousands of particles into the air? According to a study by the American Chemical Society, even simple everyday use of clothing can shed just as much as how many microplastics get leached into the water after laundering an average sized load. Even if we avoided breathing this air and drinking this water altogether, we are still in contact directly with these particles.

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As you might have already known, exposure to small plastic particles (microplastics) can result in negative hormonal side effects and fertility issues for both men and women due to the way these unnaturally occurring man-made chemicals interact with our brain and body.

Read More: What Are Microplastics And Their Health Effects On Humans

The greatest concern is the continuous and consistent poisoning you may be doing to your body if you are unaware of the effects of microplastics beyond air and water sources. Daily (and nightly) exposure to plastic materials and clothes such as underwear, socks, t-shirts, sportswear, bedsheets, pillows, mattresses could mean that you are never not in contact with this dangerous material.

Why Natural Fibers Are Your Best Defense

Fortunately there are still affordable ways to prevent exposure when it comes to natural fabric options.

Natural fibers (also called organic clothing, or natural clothing) such as cotton, linen, or wool, do not have the same harmful endocrinological properties that plastics have, and we have been utilizing these fibers for a significant portion of our modern evolution.

While not the most suitable for every occasion, especially sports, natural fibers can be widely substituted if invested in. This is especially true for bedsheets, which we might be in contact with for a third of our lives.

When it comes to exposure, prioritization of the skin-contacting layers should be considered the most important. It is perfectly acceptable to compromise some plastic-based fabric in your wardrobe as outerwear, away from your skin.

As an aside, according to the American Chemical Society article previously mentioned, limiting synthetic fibers is also better for the environment, as most natural fibers are typically biodegradable, and overall reduce the total amount of microplastics reintroduced into our oceans and landfills.

6 Natural Fabric Materials To Embrace

Choose materials based on how easily accessible they are to buy and satisfy specific clothing functional needs.

Cotton - The most common natural fiber and extremely versatile. Useful for absorbing moisture making it good for hot weather.

Linen - Made from the fibers of a flax plant. Offers similar properties as cotton but is slightly more durable and less flexible.

Wool - Better insulation properties. Merino wool from the Merino sheep contains the warmth and antimicrobial properties of regular wool with a softer, more stretchy result similar to cotton.

Silk - Known for the thin fibers and soft feel. Not as durable but suitable for bedsheets and pillowcases.

Hemp - With better heat ratio capacity than cotton and linen, this plant-stem-based material is a great alternative

Kapok - Commonly used as bedding duvet and pillow filling. Being 8 times lighter than cotton, this is a relatively newer popularized natural material.

Some other semi-synthetic fibers made from plant cellulose such as bamboo and eucalyptus could be considered also semi-natural, but we omitted them as options because of the toxic chemicals used to wash and treat the cellulose.

Prioritizing Your Switch To Plastic-Free Fabrics

Making the switch from synthetic to natural fibers can be daunting when considering how many aspects of our lives are dictated by the use of these materials, however, these steps are ordered by effectiveness for the least amount of effort and cash invested.

Replace with natural fiber bedding - We are in contact with bedsheets, pillows, and mattress materials for up to a third of our life. The investment in natural fiber bedding will be small compared to how much microplastic shedding you will reduce in the bedroom once you switch to natural fiber materials.

Product Guide: Best Alternatives To Plastic-Based Bedding In 2024

Replace synthetic with natural fiber underwear - Since underwear is the most common piece of our wardrobe that we will have in contact with our body, prioritizing the move to natural fiber underwear will drastically reduce microplastic absorption, especially in the specifically vulnerable areas of the body. Even if not fully natural, new underwear with less plastic is a step in the right direction.

Product Guide: Top 5 Natural Fiber Underwear To Reduce Microplastic Exposure In 2024

Replacing as many synthetics as possible - After swapping out for natural underwear and bedding, you can then rest assured that you already greatly reduced your microplastic exposure through the skin. However, you can achieve even greater results by completely removing all plastic pants, shirts, accessories, etc, as long as you can satisfy your functional and fashionable needs.

Learn more about our suggested products for making these changes today:

Reading Clothing/Fabric Labels

Not every product will accurately advertise the fabric materials used, so be sure to double check tags for the list and just as importantly, the percentage of each material used. For example, an item might say 100% merino wool blend, which could then technically contain polyester.

For your convenience, here are lists of the top most common natural fiber and synthetic fiber materials:

Natural Fibers:

• Cotton
• Wool
• Merino Wool
• Cashmere
• Silk
• Linen
• Hemp
• Jute
• Mohair
• Alpaca
• Angora
• Ramie
• Kapok

Synthetic Fibers:

• Polyester
• Nylon
• Acrylic
• Rayon
• Spandex
• Lycra
• Modal
• Viscose
• Tencel
• Kevlar
• Gore-Tex
• Elastane
• Orlon
• Olefin
• Modacrylic

Conclusion:

When you choose one of these options, you will be one step closer to a microplastic-free lifestyle that is better for you and your family's health.

If you want to learn more about ways to reduce your daily microplastic consumption for good, read on in our main guide.

Read More: Going Microplastic-Free Guide