When the weather is cold, or in the winter, many people wear a scarf or coat from wool because it can warm the body. Then, when it is drizzling, your body still feels dry even though you are wearing a wool coat. So, is wool waterproof?
This is important for you to know because you don’t want to ruin your coat by getting it wet and having to spend a lot of money to buy a new winter coat. Therefore, this article will give you the answer about it.
Is Wool Waterproof?
When you want to know how much protection fabric has against the effects of water, you should know if there are 3 levels you can consider. The levels are water resistant, water repellent, and waterproof.
Fabric that is water resistant means that the fabric can withstand water to a certain level. If the fabric is under a lot of pressure, then the water will pass through the fabric.
Water repellent means that water cannot easily pass through the water. This is because the fabric contains a hydrophobic layer that can repel water.
Meanwhile, the waterproof fabric is so that water will not be able to pass through the water at all. Usually, a waterproof fabric has an additional layer as protection.
Then, is wool waterproof? The answer is no because wool is a water-repellent-level fabric. This is because wool is water resistant. After all, it has a naturally hydrophobic coating, also known as lanolin.
So, it is this lanolin that acts as a protector from rain and can repel water. Wool can hold up to 30% of its weight in water.
Then, the water gets trapped in the fibers so your body won’t feel wet. Wool not only repels water but can also generate heat.