A Polyester vs. Cotton conundrum

Cotton


My summer attire;

Cargo shorts
Short socks (usually…sometimes nothing)
Underwear (usually…sometimes nothing)
Hiking boots

Sheets are cotton (gets cool at night here in the mountains)
 

treeguy64. You got to get out of the house a lot more.:)

???? I'm out of the house a lot more than most folks I know, since my work is in the trees. (Yeah, I get where you're coming from. However, on that note, researching clothing materials, for work clothes, is germane for my profession.)
 

I have now done an almost complete swap-out of all clothing and bedding items: Polyester has replaced cotton. The results are amazing: For the first time in my life, I no longer wake up soaked with sweat. As a child, my Mom had to change out my pajama tops in the middle of the night. The doctors told her it was nothing to be concerned about. The child became a man who routinely woke up sweaty as heck. If I turned down the thermostat, I simply bundled the blankets around me, while asleep, and still woke up the same. Now, I'm getting the best sleep in my life, thanks to new-generation polyester.

I've actually done a microscopic study on polyester versus cotton: Structurally, there are many similarities. The difference all comes down to cotton's moisture holding properties. Cotton fibers are dull, under magnification, polyester shines. Cotton fibers, individually, absorb moisture. Plastic, when open-knit/porous, does not retain moisture.

Getting 100% polyester clothing is not that easy. I'm thankful the internet lets me find things I never would, locally.

Cotton is everywhere, in clothing and bedding items. Score one, a BIG one, for the Cotton Industry: "The touch, the feel, the fabric of our lives!" Not MY life!

(NOTE: No, I'm not invested in "Polyester Futures." LOL!)
 
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you cannot beat cooool cotten -- but of course poly was it'' always in most of our clothing ;
 
you cannot beat cooool cotten -- but of course poly was it'' always in most of our clothing ;

Trouble is, cotton, actually, is NOT cool, temperature-wise. My sixty-six years of suffering terrible night sweats, wearing it, bears witness to that fact. I now sleep cool and dry in new-generation polyester.

My discovery of new-gen poly was purely serendipitous: I bought a new bedspread that came with poly sheets. I was going to chuck them, given my previous experiences with old poly, some forty years ago, but tried them, anyway. It was a religious experience: I slept through the night, and woke up sweat-free. Unbelievably amazing! I'm a believer! Hallelujah!
 


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