All your questions answered...
- Is there polyester in the pile of the ultima towels?
- The polyester is just in the ground of the towel and not the pile, this is to make the towel more suitable for the tough laundry environment and to reduce shrinkage and drying time.
- What is the shrinkage rate of Ultima?
- +/- 2%
- What gsm weights are the bath robes?
- Velour 450gsm, Towelling 450gs, and Waffle 220gs
- What temperature can you iron your polyester at?
- We would recommend that you can iron our polyester at between 160oC and 180oC
- Are your oven cloths fire retardant?
- Not at present, however, we are experimenting with a new design to make them fire retardant in the future
- What is the life-span of linen?
- This dependant on how frequently the linen is laundered and how the linen is used.
- What is the shrinkage percentage of cotton?
- 6-8%
- Why do you not recommend circular cloths in cotton?
- Due to uneven shrinkage the cloth will end up egg/oval shaped.
- Why do you not do colours in 100% cotton table linen?
- Colours fade in cotton; the customer will find that have varying shades on the shelf. Whereas polyester holds the colour.
- What is the maximum temperature can I launder polyester?
- We recommend 40oC for normal soiling and 60oC maximum for heavier soiling.
- What is a Tog?
- In technical terms, tog ratings measure thermal resistance. This in effect refers to how good an item is at keeping you warm on a cold night. Duvets with a higher tog value are more suited to colder winter nights whereas low tog values are usually best for warmer summer nights. The tog was invented by workers at the Shirley Institute, Manchester, in the 1940s. The name comes from the informal word "togs" for clothing. Tog values are used to measure the potential warmth of many products, not just duvets.
- Note that the tog rating does not necessarily relate directly to the thickness of the duvet. Different materials have different thermal resistance characteristics and different thicknesses will be required to achieve the same tog rating.
- Despite the somewhat ridiculous name, a togmeter is a precision piece of apparatus capable of measuring tog ratings in accordance with British Standard BS5335 (1984).
- What Togs are available?
- Most duvets you can buy in the UK vary in tog rating from as low as 4 to as high as 15.
- A lightweight summer duvet will usually have a tog rating of around 4 or 5. A medium warmth duvet will probably have a tog rating of around 9 to 11. A winter duvet is likely to be rated from 12 togs upwards. These are typical values for adults.
- What is the PROBAN® process?
- First developed in the 1950s, the PROBAN® chemical is used to inpart a durable flame retardant treatment to cotton and other cellulosic fibres and blends. Durability is achieved by the formation of a cross-linked inert polymer within the fibre. Because there is no chemical reaction with the fibre the physical properties of the base fabrics are largely unaffected. The PROBAN® process is used only by textile finishers licensed by Rhodia Limited and is usually applied to bulk fabrics before making up. The process is equally successful when applied to woven or knitted fabrics which may have a wide variety of weights and constructions.
- Where are PROBAN® fabrics used?
- The earliest application of PROBAN® treated cotton fabrics was in children’s nightwear. Since then the use of PROBAN® fabrics has broadened. Today PROBAN® treated fabrics are used in protective clothing for a wide range of industrial, military and civil applications as well as bedding and furnishings in hotels, public buildings and institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes. The use of PROBAN® fabrics in domestic furnishings is also on the increase. Nowadays PROBAN® treated fabrics are used throughout the world wherever there is a risk of fire.
- How are PROBAN® treated fabrics affected by flame?
- PROBAN® treated fabrics decompose under the influence of a flame to form a localized insulating char which stays in place and helps to protect the wearer or acts as a barrier in other applications. PROBAN® treated fabrics do not smoulder, have no afterglow and flame does not spread outside the charred area, unlike some other flame retardant systems. PROBAN® treated fabrics do not melt away to form a hole through which the flame can penetrate nor do they form a hot sticky residue which can adhere to the skin of the wearer.
- Can I have my items marked with a logo?
- We can offer poly mark heat stamping and also a bespoke embroidery service.
- What’s the best method to wash oven cloths?
- Wash heavy soiled oven cloths separately and put them on a heavy soil wash and/or even wash twice. Wash them hot, long and strong. This will remove most greases, prevent the build up of heat and reduce laundry fires.
- How best to wash a towel?
- Treat all towels as heavy soiled regardless.
- My towels have shrunk after laundering them – why?
- All towels are designed to shrink a certain percentage as this locks in the terry part of the towel and prevents the terry from pulling.
- What are PVA fillers
- Tonrose Ultima sheets are made with natural sizing and natural finishing chemicals, without PVA fillers. When the cloths are washed the cracked ice/marbling effect is kept at a minimum.
What is Ultima?
Ultima is the new brand that has been engineered for repeated laundering whilst still offering stability and longevity. It offers minimal shrinkage and exceptional durability whilst remaining extremely competitive on price.
The Ultima towels have been tested by the Laundry Technology Centre and have been proved to have the following unique properties.
- Less shrinkage
- Better life expectancy
- Reduce drying time
The reduced drying time results:-
Drying time can be reduced by 15 minutes, over the course of an 8 hour day a laundry would therefore be able to dry 32 loads (instead of 24 loads of a cotton towel equivalent) which would result in an energy saving of £29.06 per tumbler dryer, per 8 hour shift electric (£19.88 gas). (Prices correct at time of testing March 2009)
All launderers need to modify their wash process when washing polyester, your detergent supplier will be able to advise you more.
