Manufacturer · Fashion & Home Accessories
Polyester buttons withstand normal machine washing, tumble drying and standard dry cleaning without losing colour or shape. The risks come with more aggressive processes: stone and enzyme washing, bleaching, garment dyeing and very high temperatures. In these cases the button must be tested in the same process before the production run is approved.
Polyester buttons in home washing
When washed in a machine at 30–60 °C, polyester buttons have no problem. Only two issues are possible, and they depend not on the material but on the construction of the garment:
- Knocks in the drum. Thin buttons on heavy garments can chip at the edge. Buttoning up the garment and turning it inside out reduces the risk.
- Loosened thread. The button does not break but falls off because the thread has worn through. The cause is usually a sharp hole edge or too few stitches when sewing on.
Tumble drying at a normal temperature is safe. Buttons should not be left in direct contact with heating elements or dried on a radiator at high temperature.
Dry cleaning
Quality polyester buttons withstand standard dry cleaning with perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvents. The risk lies with buttons that have surface printing, lacquer or paint-filled engraving – there the solvent can remove some of the colour. If the garment is labelled for dry cleaning and the button has a decorative finish, ask the manufacturer for a test.
Industrial washing: stone and enzyme
In denim and casual collections, garments often go through stone washing or enzyme washing, which give them a worn look. Pumice literally sands everything in the drum, including the buttons. The effect on a polyester button can be:
- loss of gloss and a matte surface;
- abrasion of the rim and the engraving;
- a change in tone on light and pastel colours.
Sometimes this is a desired “vintage” effect, sometimes it is a defect. That is why it is good to record in the technical specification whether the button must stay unchanged or may “wear” together with the garment.
Bleaching
Chlorine bleaches and oxidising agents can change the tone of polyester buttons, especially in saturated and dark colours. White buttons usually stay white, but a pearl effect may lose some of its shine. If the process includes bleaching, choose a button tested in exactly that process.
Garment dyeing
In garment dyeing, the garment is sewn from greige or white fabric and dyed after sewing – together with the buttons, threads and labels. The question here is what will happen to the button in the dye bath:
| Button material | Behaviour when the garment is dyed |
|---|---|
| Polyester | Usually does not take up reactive dyes for cotton; stays in its original colour |
| Nylon (polyamide) | May take up some of the dye and colour together with the garment |
| Urea | Resistant to the temperature; the colour is retained |
| Natural materials (corozo, wood) | May take up dye and change tone |
| Metal | Does not dye, but the finish must be resistant to the chemicals |
The practical consequence is that in garment dyeing, the polyester button must already be in the colour you want it to look after dyeing, or in a neutral contrasting tone. The temperature of the dye bath should also be taken into account – with prolonged boiling, thin buttons can deform. In such cases garment technologists sometimes choose urea buttons.
How to test the buttons before the production run
- Sew on samples – several buttons on a piece of the actual fabric with the actual thread.
- Put them through the real process – the same washing, bleaching or dyeing recipe, the same temperature and time.
- Compare with a reference – an unwashed button from the same batch next to the washed one.
- Check colour, sheen, edges, holes, engraving and the strength of the attachment.
- Document the result in the style’s tech pack.
Care symbols and buttons
The care symbols on the label (according to ISO 3758) are determined for the whole product – fabric, lining, threads and accessories. If the button does not withstand a process that the fabric does, the restriction must be reflected on the label or the button must be changed. The most common case is ironing: for garments ironed at the highest temperature, the iron is guided around the buttons or a more heat-resistant material is used.
Advice for the end consumer
- Button up the garment and turn it inside out before washing.
- Use a laundry bag for delicate blouses with decorative buttons.
- Iron around the buttons, not on them.
- Do not use chlorine bleach unless the label allows it.
When to choose another material
Polyester covers the needs of most collections, but there are cases where another solution is more sensible: workwear for industrial laundries at very high temperatures, garments that are pressed on a press, and collections with aggressive treatment, where the button should look like a new detail after the fabric has worn. Denim styles often use metal buttons, which are not affected by pumice.
A test before every new combination
Even when a button model has been tested many times, every new combination of fabric, dye and process is a new case. That is why, for a new seasonal garment, a new fabric supplier or a new laundry, run at least one trial batch. This costs much less than a complaint about a whole production run.
Polyester buttons from Polkom
Polkom offers polyester buttons for all types of clothing and helps you choose a model suited to your collection’s washing or dyeing process. If the garments go through a specific treatment, we will suggest a suitable material and samples for testing. Browse the polyester buttons or send an inquiry with a description of the process; minimum quantities depend on the article.
