Lint (material)

For other uses, see Lint.
Lint
Lint accumulation in the screen of a clothes dryer
Material typeVisible accumulations of textile fibers and other materials
Close-up of dryer lint
Pocket lint

Lint is the common name for visible accumulations of textile fibers, hair and other materials, usually found on and around clothing. Certain materials used in the manufacture of clothing, such as cotton, linen, and wool, contain numerous, very short fibers bundled together.[1] During the course of normal wear, these fibers may either detach or be jostled out of the weave of which they are part. This is the reason why heavily used articles such as shirts and towels become thin over time and why such particles accumulate in the lint screen of a clothes dryer.[1]

Because of their high surface area to weight ratio, static cling causes fibers that have detached from an article of clothing to continue to stick to one another and to that article or other surfaces with which they come in contact. Other small fibers or particles also accumulate with these clothing fibers, including human and animal hair and skin cells, plant fibers, and pollen, dust, and microorganisms.

The etymology of the modern word "lint" is related to "linting", the term used for the cultivation of the shorter fibers from the cotton plant (Gossypium), also called "lint", from which lower-quality cotton products are manufactured.[2] Lint is composed of threads of all colors, which blend hues and may appear to be a uniform grey.[3]

  1. ^ a b Welker, R. W.; Nagarajan, Ramamurthy; Newberg, Carl E. (2006). Contamination and ESD Control in High-Technology Manufacturing. pp. 415–16.
  2. ^ Hollen, Norma R.; Saddler, Jane (1952). Modern Textiles. p. 14.
  3. ^ Glass, Don (October 16, 2008). "The Color of Lint". A Moment of Science. Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 26 March 2013.