Anti Microbial Attire

抗菌服装

By Rita Koch

There was a time when clothing, or attire, was meant to cover the body and protect against the weather. Now, in the formal world, clothing reflects your personality. Clothing is now used to distinguish your identity, and at the same, it is seen as an expression.

However, clothing can create several problems for your body, and skin often gets affected by it. A lot of research has been done to solve this problem, and there has now been an invention of antimicrobial attire. Most skin problems occur due to microbes, but this new antimicrobial attire inhibits any type of microbial growth.

How antimicrobial attire is made?

Attire is a set of different clothes, and each piece of cloth is made up of fibre or threads. Apart from synthetic clothes, every item we wear is made up of natural fibre. Under certain conditions, such as in the presence of moisture from sweating, this natural fibre provides a home for microorganisms.

These microorganisms not only harm sensitive skin, but they also harm the fibre or threads of the cloth, which leads to deterioration. This is why antimicrobial fibre has been created.

Two types of antimicrobial fibre are generally made––decomposable and non-decomposable. Decomposable fibre is made up of natural fibres with an antimicrobial coating. The coating consists of harmless microbes which eat the harmful ones, and the clothes made up of it are called decomposable antimicrobial clothing or attire.

Non-decomposable fibre is made by mixing silver, known for its antimicrobial property, with compounds of ammonia and other elements known for their antimicrobial properties. This fibre is generally used in sportswear, and is considered more resistant than the decomposable type.

Applications of antimicrobial attire

Antimicrobial attire has a wide range of applications. It is found that odour from clothes is a result of microbial growth. Antimicrobial fibres inhibit that microbial growth and hence no odour develops. We normally wash our activewear clothing often due to its odour, and frequent washing of clothes leads to early damage. Hence, antimicrobial attire lasts longer.

As antimicrobial attires inhibits the growth of microorganisms, it also limits microbe-borne skin diseases. When you wear this attire, you are always inside a shield that protects you from external germs. As soon as these germs come in contact with your attire, disinfecting properties of special fibre neutralize them.

Fibres with antimicrobial properties are used to make other items as well, such as underwear, which is considered medically beneficial. They are also used for making curtains that can be used in hospitals or offices, and special bedsheets that can be used in hospital beds or normal beds. In addition, these fibres are used for making bandages that kill the germs on a wound and make the patient heal sooner. Special antimicrobic attire is also used by medical staff for protection.

Future scope of antimicrobic attire

Now, with the spread of diseases like COVID, demand for this special antimicrobial attire is expected to rise. With new inventions, this technology will be very effective in fighting disease, and the property of disinfecting newly discovered microbes will be added to it.

Studies also predict a significant rise of this technology in market shares for sportswear, common wear, innerwear, and medical attire, but market shares will be largely proportional to price control, which will be determined by new technology.

Conclusion

Antimicrobial attire is gradually growing in popularity, and considering the situation society is experiencing currently, everybody should know about it. With time, its protection will keep getting stronger, and one day, in antimicrobial attire, we will feel safe.

历史上，服装只是用来遮盖身体，遮风挡雨。现在，服装可以反映出您的个性，区分您的身份，是一种表达方式。同时，衣服可能会给您的身体带来很多影响，首当其冲的，当然是您的皮肤。最终，我们发明了抗菌服装。大多数皮肤问题是由于微生物引起的，但是这种新的抗菌服装会防止任何类型的微生物生长。本文将为您解释抗菌服装的制作工艺，原理和作用。