Is Clothing Starch Flammable? (Can It Catch Fire?)

If you have taken your clothes to the dry cleaner, you might have noticed that it is a bit different when it is returned. Why is that? It might be that your dry cleaner starched your favorite work shirt to make it thicker and easier to iron.

But is clothing starch flammable? Will a starched shirt catch fire more quickly than a non-starch shirt? To answer this question, it’s probably time to take a trip down to what starch is made from.

Clothing starch is made from rice, corn, or wheat. For instance, cornstarch is very flammable and is considered a fire hazard. Thus, most clothing starch is extremely flammable and could potentially be explosive.

Let’s delve deeper into this post!

What Is Clothing Starch?

Clothing starch is sometimes called laundry starch and is made from rice, corn, or wheat.

Starch is used on fabric to create soil resistance, aid easier soil removal, and make ironing easier. Starch works better in 100% cotton, cotton blends, and linen to provide crispness.

There is no specific distinct form for clothing starch as you can either opt for liquid or powdered starch. While the name clothing starch suggests that the substance can only be used for laundry, that is not always the case.

Starch can be used to create kid’s crafts like paint or paper mache paste. It helps keep the craft in shape forever, as long as it stays dry.

Is Clothing Starch Flammable?

Is Clothing Starch Flammable

Is clothing starch flammable? Yes, it very much is. It is considered a fire hazard and should be kept far away from naked flame. The powdered clothing starch is more flammable and quicker to explosion than the liquid one.

You’ve probably heard of what happened in New Taipei, Taiwan, on June 27, 2015, where a cornstarch fire that lasted just 40 seconds killed 15 people and burned 508 others, of whom nearly 200 ended up in a critical condition.

While this is a cornstarch incident, it can easily happen with clothing starch, which is primarily made from corn starch.

The incident in New Taipei, Taiwan, escalated when the staff, seeing that small amounts of corn starch in the air were burning, tried to use CO2 extinguishers to try and extinguish it.

This, of course, pushed far more dust into the air and turned the place into a complete inferno.

Thus, your clothing starch should be stored properly to avoid any fire hazard incident. Especially, powdered clothing starch should be kept in a sealed jar or lidded container and, ideally, in a cool, dark place.

Avoid raising dust from powdered clothing starch, especially close to any source of sparks and lit flames.

How to Use Clothing Starch

To use starch for your clothes (works best in 100 percent cotton, cotton blends, and linen fabrics), wash the cloth free of all stains.

For powdered starch, you will have to dilute it with water before dipping your fabric inside for few minutes. Alternatively, follow the instructions on the starch package to get the level of stiffness you desire.

For quick crispness to shirts, you can simply spray liquid starch just before ironing. You will need to make sure that the fabric is slightly damp from the spray for better results.

One important tip to remember when using starch is that it is a natural product that can cause scorching if the iron is too hot. Thus, you will need to ensure that the iron is at medium temperature.

What Happens When Clothing Starch Is Heated?

This should have an obvious answer, shouldn’t it? The environment the starch is heated will play an important role in the outcome.

In a moist environment, the starch granules swell up at first, and then, finally, they burst, releasing glucose (that is, sugar) into the water they are being heated in.

The starch will catch fire in a dry environment, and the main byproducts will be water and carbon dioxide.

Why Do Welders Starch Their Clothes?

Being a full-time welder, you ought to know that clothing and PPE never really lasts. It gets annoying when you have to buy new clothes every payday.

Apart from making clothes easier to iron, starching helps your clothes from slagging and sparking and prevents spatter from penetrating your garments. This, in turn, will prevent you from getting skin burns.

Are Starched Clothes More Flammable?

Funnily, while clothing start is regarded as a flammable substance, the same doesn’t exactly apply to starched clothes.

Why do you think most welders have employed that starching method for their clothes for quite some time?

Liquid starch on clothes acts as a natural flame resistor when ironed in properly. It will keep your pants and cotton jackets looking fresh and clean. It is important to note that you should only starch welding clothes that are 100% cotton or denim.

It should be noted that starch isn’t necessarily a safe equivalent to a full flame-retardant garment. It will help with preventing clothing burns.

Conclusion

While clothing starch is regarded as a flammable substance, especially powdered clothing starch that is prone to raising dust, the same doesn’t apply to starched clothes.

This explains why most welders use starched clothes because it acts as a natural flame resistor when ironed in properly.

Knowing that clothing starch is extremely flammable, you will have to take additional steps to ensure that your clothing starch is stored properly.

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