You are handed a cloth and sent to deal with a smudge of make-up on a stool in the day head. It looks like plain cream fabric. It is a silk-viscose blend, coded S, and it costs more per metre than most people earn in a week. Before you touch anything, you have one job: know what it is.
Why identification comes first
Every decision that follows — water or no water, brush or vacuum, treat or escalate — depends on the fibre. Get the fibre wrong and there is no second attempt. Water on viscose or silk leaves a permanent ring. An alkaline cleaner on wool or silk attacks the protein and dulls the colour for good. A bespoke interior has no undo button.
The material families
| Material | How it reads by hand and eye | Do | Never |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wool | Springy, warm, matte, recovers from crushing | Vacuum, blot, use pH-neutral or mildly acidic products | Bleach, ammonia, alkaline cleaner, hot water |
| Silk | Cool, lustrous, very fine; water-marks instantly | Dry-soil removal only; escalate wet stains | Wet-spot without a test; alkali; direct sun |
| Linen / cotton | Matte, crisp, holds a crease | Blot, test, dry slowly and evenly | Aggressive rubbing; bleach on colour |
| Viscose / rayon | Silky but limp; stiffens and rings when wet | Treat as water-hostile until proven otherwise | Put water on a viscose pile |
| Velvet, mohair | Directional pile, shades light and dark | Vacuum and brush with the pile | Rub across or against the pile |
| Alcantara / microsuede | Suede-like, matte, no leather grain | Follow the maker's cleaning card | Solvent, silicone, saddle soap, heat |
| Leather (aniline) | Warm, visible grain; absorbs a water drop | Dust, wipe, condition per specification | Saddle soap or household spray |
| Suede / nubuck | Napped, velvety; marks with a fingertip | Dry brush; specialist products only | Any solvent or liquid cleaner |
| Bouclé / jacquard | Looped or figured weave; snags easily | Low suction with a soft brush head | Stiff brushes; beater bars |
| Sheepskin | Wool pile on hide | Shake, cool air, specialist clean | Machine washing; heat drying |
| Marine outdoor (acrylic) | Water beads off; solution-dyed | Rinse with fresh water; mild soap | Fabric softener; strong solvents |
| Faux leather / vinyl | Uniform surface, cold, no grain variation | Damp wipe, dry off | Solvent wipes; oil-based dressings |
| Cane / rattan | Woven natural fibre | Dust, vacuum, keep humidity stable | Soaking or saturating |
Reading a fabric when nothing is labelled
- Look underneath and behind. Labels, backing and the true weave live on the reverse.
- Touch with the back of your hand. Silk and viscose read cool; wool reads warm; alcantara reads dry.
- Rake a light across it. If the shade shifts as you move, it is a pile fabric and direction matters.
- Never burn-test or drop water on a visible area to identify it. Test out of sight, or not at all.
- If two crew disagree about what a fabric is, it goes to the chief stew, not to a spray bottle.
Onboard Notes
On joining, walk the interior with the fabric schedule in hand and match every surface to a line on it. Photograph what you cannot identify and ask. A stain-treatment decision on a bespoke silk-wall-covered saloon is a five-figure decision — treat it like one. This is independent study: xplor is not an accredited training provider, and no certificate or qualification is awarded.