Burlap is a natural material fiber made out of Jute that tends to shed quite often. If you are trying to use or make something out of burlap material, first check your burlap, whether it is shedding, quite much more than usual.
Before you make something out of burlap material, you need to stop the shedding from your burlap. Because you do not want to clean or shed every time from your bags, mats, or cushions made from burlap fabric.
How to Keep Burlap from Shedding | Follow Step-by-Step
At first, you have to ensure that your burlap material is in perfect shape and ready to use. But before you use it to make any products, follow the following steps to keep the burlap from shedding-
Step 1: Wash It Gently
After buying the burlap and before you use it, you have to wash it. You can wash it either in a washing machine or by hand with detergents. Whatever way you use it, you have to wash it gently so that you do not damage the material.
By doing so you can remove extra shedding and any unpleasant smell. Furthermore, you will be able to remove the dirt and you will get a clean fabric.
Step 2: Let It Dry completely
After washing it mildly, leave it to dry in the air using a hanger. Make sure you hang it straight so that there is no crooked part in the burlap.
When you buy a burlap material, usually it is very crooked but after drying it completely you will get a proper straight burlap. Before going on to the next step, you have to make sure that it is completely dry and that there is no wet spot.
Step 3: Vacuum Over It gently
After drying your burlap, use a vacuum cleaner over it or try using a lint roller on the fabric. This will help you to take out the extra lint or fuzz from the fabric.
Step 4: Cut The Edges of the burlap
After finishing the previous steps, you can cut the edges of your burlap if any free fibers are withering. Just hold your fabric tightly from the two ends and cut the edges with a sharp pair of scissors straight. By cutting the edges, you will stop further shedding from the burlap.
Step 5: Spray Some Hairspray all over it
Lastly, you can spray some hairspray or water glue spray all over the fabric. This step will help the fibers of the materials and will prevent them from shedding. You can either use a hair spray or make a mixture of water and glue and spray it all over the fabric.
Alternative Methods For Stopping Burlap From Shedding
1. How to Keep Burlap from Unraveling
There are some other ways to keep your burlap from unraveling. By following these suggestions, you can prevent your burlap from fraying-
- Masking Tape: You can use masking tape at the back of the burlap to keep all the fibers intact and prevent them from fraying or unraveling.
- Fabric Stiffener: you can put some fabric stiffener on your burlap. This will help your fabric to stiffen and shed less.
- Binding Tape: you can also bind the side of the fabric with some binding tapes. This will prevent the fabric from creating loose ends of fabrics.
- Zigzag Stitching: you can stitch the edge or the whole fabric in a zigzag method. Though it is not a very effective way to keep the fabric intact, it will still give longevity to the edges of the burlap fabric.
- Silicone Glue: another effective option for keeping the edges of the burlap is to glue with silicone. Silicone glue will keep the edges firm and will prevent them from shedding.
2. How Do You Seal Burlap to Avoid Shedding
There are many ways to seal your burlap and its edges. You can either sew them or use other methods. The easiest method is to put some white glue on the edges of the burlap and seal it from shedding or fraying.
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You can also sew your burlap. Before you go to sew, keep in mind the following tips.
- After cleaning the burlap, try to stretch the fabric. Because sometimes the fabric gets stretched after washing and drying so it is better to check before you go to sew.
- It is better to iron the fabric a little bit so that it stays straight.
- Try to trim off the edges before you sew. As a result, any loose fabric will be cut off.
- You can use thread and needle to do so or you can use a sewing machine. But it is better to sew it with a sewing machine because the sewing will last longer.
- Finally, clean your sewing machine from time to time. Because, the burlap keeps shedding, and when you sew or cut them small particles fly into your machine and get stocked up. This can also damage your sewing machine. So it is better to clean after a while regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: How long does burlap last outside?
Burlap can degrade after 4 to 6 months of use. It depends on the environment where you keep the product exposed.
As we all know, all products made from natural plants are biodegradable. Burlap is in the same category. If you throw burlap bags in a compost heap or soil, they will break down easily.
Q2: Can I use burlap instead of landscape fabric?
Burlap is an alternative weed barrier that looks and functions similarly to traditional landscaping fabric. The alternative fabric blocks weeds from growing while being porous enough for air and water to pass through.
Q3: Is burlap mildew resistant?
One reason for this is the breathability of the fabric, which allows sufficient aeration of the soil, and the moisture-resistant properties of burlap prevent excess water from accumulating and allowing the growth of mold, mildew, or other types of rot.
Q4: Does burlap hold up in rain?
You should not hang burlap curtains where they will get wet. Even if you want to put them in, you should spray them with a waterproofing spray first. Because burlap is not naturally moisture-resistant.
Conclusion
As the burlap is made from jute fiber, it has the feature of shedding. However, there is no way to stop this shedding permanently.
Although you can use the above ways like stitching, sealing, gluing, washing, etc. to minimize the shedding from your burlap. So, before you start working with a piece of burlap material try to use the above options and steps to prevent shedding at a high rate.
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