In general, I prefer to use cotton yarn when weaving dish towels and scouring pads. This is mainly because cotton is natural, soft and durable. However, over the years, many knitters have told me that they prefer to use acrylic for their wipes and scourers. So really, it all comes down to personal preference; but in this article I’m going to go over several reasons why you might want to choose one over the other.
Advantages of cotton:
Natural. As already mentioned, the cotton material is natural. To be honest, I don’t know if this makes a difference or not, but it does put my mind at ease when making scrubs for fruits and vegetables. That being said, I try to stick with white or off-white yarn, as you also don’t want colored dyes leaching into your food.
scrubbing action. Cotton is gentle on the face, but an effective scrubber for dishes, pots, and pans.
Cotton Cons:
shrinks. With cotton you have to be careful when putting the rags in the dryer because it will shrink the material. So when making dish towels and other washcloths or scourers, be sure to make them a bit larger than you need. Or just avoid putting anything in the dryer.
Drying time. Another downside to cotton is that it takes forever to dry. One solution I have found with dish towels is to simply place them on top of the dish soap bottle. But if you have a hanger handy over the sink, that would work even better.
Expensive. Cotton material is generally more expensive than materials made from synthetic fibers. However, on the plus side, as already mentioned; it’s also more durable, which helps balance it out.
Acrylic Advantages:
It dries fast. One of the nice things about using acrylic yarn is that it dries pretty quickly.
Static. I find that acrylic has a natural static that when swept across the floor or dresser picks up dust much better than cotton.
no shrinkage Acrylic material does not shrink. However, I find that it tends to stretch more over time.
Economic. It is quite cheap to buy in the store.
Acrylic Cons:
Unnatural. Unlike cotton, acrylic is made from unnatural substances. For most people this does not represent a threat; however, some may experience itchiness or may even have a rash if used on the skin.
Not durable for hard scrubbing. Yarn is not as durable for kitchen or home scrubbing. It’s fine for face cloths and dusters, but for heavy scrubbing needs I personally would turn to a cotton pad.
So there you have it. I hope you will experiment with both.
