Polar fleece facts for kids

Blankets made out of polar fleece

Polar fleece is a super soft and warm fabric. It is made from a material called polyester. This special fabric is known for keeping you cozy. It also dries very quickly.

The name "PolarFleece" was first used by a company called Malden Mills. They registered it as a trademark in the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1981. This means they were the first to officially use that specific name for their fleece.

What Can You Make with Polar Fleece?

Polar fleece is used for many different items. You can find it in jackets, hats, and sweaters. It's also great for sweatpants and hoodies. Many people love fleece for pajamas and soft blankets. It is also used in high-performance outdoor clothing. Clothes made from fleece are light, soft, and easy to wash.

The Story Behind Polar Fleece

Polar fleece was created in Massachusetts, USA. This happened in 1979. Two companies, Malden Mills and Patagonia, worked together. They wanted to make a new fabric called Synchilla. This fabric was meant to be like wool, but even better. It was light, strong, and very warm.

The CEO of Malden Mills, Aaron Feuerstein, made an important choice. He decided not to patent polar fleece. This meant other companies could make it too. Because of this, polar fleece became very popular. It was produced widely and became affordable for everyone. Malden Mills officially registered "PolarFleece" as their trademark in 1981.

Discovering Fleece's Special Qualities

Different Kinds of Fleece

Fleece is a light, warm, and soft fabric. It shares some good qualities with wool. You can find polar fleece in different thicknesses. These are often called micro, 100, 200, and 300. The numbers show how much the fleece weighs per square meter. Thicker fleece (higher numbers) means it is warmer.

Some fleece fabrics are very fluffy. This fluffiness is called "loft." High loft fleece traps tiny air pockets. These pockets help hold your body heat. This makes the fleece warmer. Over time, very fluffy fleece can become a bit flat. It might also collect dirt more easily.

Did you know some fleece is made from recycled materials? It can come from old polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Even old fleece can be recycled to make new fleece!

Taking Care of Your Fleece

Fleece is easy to care for. You can wash it in a machine. It also dries very quickly. To keep fluffy fleece from getting flat, you can brush it gently. Hanging it up instead of folding also helps.

Fleece can sometimes create static electricity. This might attract lint, dust, or pet hair. Be careful with high heat when washing or drying fleece. It can damage the fabric. Lower-quality fleece might also get small balls of fabric on it. This is called "pilling."

How Fleece Keeps You Warm

Fleece is good at keeping water away. It is "hydrophobic." This means it doesn't soak up much water. Even if it gets wet, it holds less than 1% of its weight in water. It can dry in 1 to 4 hours, even in cold weather. However, fleece loses most of its warmth when it gets wet. Regular polar fleece also doesn't block the wind very well.

Protecting Our Planet: Fleece and the Environment

When we wash clothes made from synthetic materials like fleece, tiny pieces can break off. These tiny pieces are called microfibers. Microfibers are a type of microplastic. They can end up in our water systems. This contributes to pollution in our oceans, rivers, and soil. Studies also show that drying polyester clothes in a machine can release microplastics into the air. We can help by washing synthetic clothes less often.

See Also

• PrimaLoft