What ever happened to fiberglass as a fabric?

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scoots

scoots

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I was going through some old Sears Catalogs from the mid 60's and came across something I had forgotten about: Fiberglass used as a fabric, typically for drapes.

What ever happend to it?

I dimly recally that, being an asthmatic at the time, the doctor recommended a bedroom with absolutely minimal furniture contents and bedsheets and drapes of fiberglass. When I asked my mother about this later (I only knew fiberglass as rigid green panels used in fencing and sun screens) my mom said that she was against the idea, since she was concerned about glass fragments getting lodged in the skin and lungs.

Pardon if this is not the correct forum.
 
Scoots:

Robert will move this thread, not to worry, okay?

What happened to Fiberglas (correct trade-name spelling, BTW)? Several things. One, fashions changed. Fiberglas was always a little shiny and slick-looking, which was fine in the futuristic '50s. Later on, when people went back to more traditional looks, Fiberglas was a little hard to adapt to changing tastes.

Laundering was a problem. Your mom was right about the glass particles; Fiberglas items always shed a certain amount of them during washing. Depending on the washing method and some other factors, some folks got pretty substantial rashes from glass particles.

My grandmother always washed her Fiberglas curtains in the tub, and then carefully cleaned the tub afterwards, and never had a problem. But she was a motivated housewife. One of the dirty little secrets of the midcentury era is that motivated housewives were no more common then than now - most people were looking for an easy way out when it came to housework. Demanding that Fiberglas wash like any other washable curtain fabric was the problem - you have to take certain things on their own terms.

I had some Fiberglas pinch-pleated draperies in the early '70s, bought new at Woolworth's. The "miracle fiber" of the '50s had become bargain-basement material by that time. I do not recall seeing Fiberglas advertised or sold at all as a curtain fiber after the mid-1970s, but perhaps someone else does.
 
Fiberglas as a fabric

This tongue-in-cheek article on Phil-Are-Go! had me in stitches:

"If you tried to wash fiberglass curtains in your washing machine, the glass fibers would be released into the washer, where they'd deposit themselves in all your other clothes forever, because they're almost impossible to get out of the machine. Fiberglass curtains should be washed by carefully hanging them over a tree limb and gently setting the tree on fire. Or, spray the soiled curtains with a warm soap-and-water solution, then jettison the curtains into space. If you don't have access to a space program, spray the curtains with whatever you have, and scrub them with your face. Wear gloves."

phil-are-go.blogspot.com

Owens-Corning Fiberglass Curtains - Look. Don't touch.

Time for another fiberglass post, everyone! Today, we're admiring some wonderful fiberglass curtains, which were described by the unbiased o...
phil-are-go.blogspot.com phil-are-go.blogspot.com
 
Ditto What Has Been Said

When you read vintage washing machine and or dryer owner's manuals, books on housekeeping etc... all were full of warnings about laundering items made from fiberglass. Easy care the fabric was not and more importantly getting the bits out of your washing machine was more trouble than things were worth.

Usual advice was to launder the things by hand: http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...eVRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UHADAAAAIBAJ&pg=3577,4137402

So widespread and horrible were the rashes and skin complaints from coming into contact with fiberglass textiles, especially when laundering or items that were washed in machines/tubs that previously did the FTC put out a warning.

www.ftc.gov

Fiberglass Curtain Rule

The Federal Trade Commission has tentatively proposed to repeal a rule requiring warnings about handling fiberglass
www.ftc.gov www.ftc.gov
 
Funny, I just picked up a mint 1971 Lady Kenmore washer this past weekend and it came complete with all the manuals. Sure enough, there are instructions on how to launder items made of fiberglass. It says to ensure one runs the machine thru an entire cycle void of clothing after washing fiberglass items to ensure no glass particles remain in the tub! (pics to come of the new addition as I continue to assemble my entire collection in our new home)
 
Fiberglas curtains--fiberglas insulation installing--you star in the "Itchy&Scratchy show"Remember them from long ago-don't think ours were ever cleaned-just hanging there don't think they really got dirty-just dusty-so what vacuuming they got-guess the particles ended up in the vacuum cleaner.Never seen fiberglas drapes anywhere today-not even at yard sales or swap shops,thrift shops.They just disappeared!
 
Geez, I remember that we had fiberglass drapes in the ancestral Pointe-Claire home from about 1965 until probably 1972 or 73.   I remember my late mother liked the fact that they were machine washable, but I don't remember seeing her launder them.  Knowing how thorough and careful my late mother was (NOT!) she probably didn't run the ol' 64 GE Filter Flo again with just water after washing the drapes.  
 
My only personal experience with fiber glass was when I changed the blower on my vintage washer dryer and removed the fiberglass insulation.

Afterwards I ran the machine empty on a full wash and a little drying and then, assured that everything worked OK, I started a load of darks for a full wash and dry cycle.

GOSH! When I went to sleep in those sheets... I HAD TO RELAUNDER EVERYTHING TWICE and I did a super long shower to get rid of all the itching and literally paint myself in lenitive ointment!

I don't even want to imagine what would happen using such fibers or draperies around the house! :)
 
I'm familiar with Fiberglas

My dad worked for Fiberglas for around 35 years designing plant machinery and systems. They were a fair sized local employer here. They were good for hiring the the sons of employee's in the plant for summer and Xmas holidays etc and I did a stint there when I was 16. They paid very well too. However it was beyond horrible. The plant made the wool batt insulation, pipe insulation and ceiling tiles. I got stuck on the wool batt line, the worst. It was literally an oven in there to melt the glass on top of the already 85+ degree heat and humidity outside. The glass (in the form of marbles) is melted along with other chemicals and poured down into these giant sized spinners, like a cotton candy machine. A steady flow of that blown wool would then make it ways thru different shaping and cutting machinery depending on the R type that was being manufactured at the time. There were iir 5 lines and at the end of each line 3 guys who rotated position every 20 minutes. You'd stand alongside the conveyor at your station as the formed batts came down and pick them off, holding the first one or two while the 3rd etc slid under then quickly turn and drop them on a compressing machine.. when you'd put the right amount in , the 2nd guy would holding them secure while the ram came down and compressed them to about 1 inch, and then a side ram would shove them into the pink bag on the side.. the 3rd guys was putting the bags on and hefting the filled bags onto a cart. All we were were safety boots, gloves and cut offs and a hardhat. There were no masks or safety glasses. And usually no shirt because it was so friggin hot in there.. All the while this is going on they had big industrial fans blowing on you . The place was literally covered in fiberglass dust and so was the air we were breathing. It closed in the 80's and everything was moved to Mexico. Most of the employees are dead early (like my dad and uncle) or dying of terrible cancers (like my dad and uncle did) .
 
A friend had a pair of these curtains in her apartment breakfast area. She asked if she could bring them over for me to wash when I was about 11. The main thing was that they could not be spun. We had the V-12 at the time, so I lifted them out into a tub after the gentle speed wash agitation and let the machine spin. Then I put them back in to rinse and lifted them out again afterwards. She carried them home, dripping somewhat, but since they did not absorb water they did not drip much. She hung them to dry and that was that. As I recall, they did not wrinkle either. We ran the machine through a short cycle with detergent and had no bad after effects.

Hint: If you get fiberglas particles on your skin, a washdown with plain old vinegar dissolves them and will have you comfortable in a hurry. A cool rinse is soothing.
 
I'd like to thank everybody...

for their stories, memories, historical pointers, and washing information on this "forgotten fabric" of mine. I appreciate the time it took to write these things out, it was very instructive.
 
Laundering fiberglass

I remember my Mom and Aunts (in the 60's and early 70's) washing their fiberglass drapes by hand in the laundry tubs and hanging them outside to drip dry.
The Maytag laundering guide states not to wash fiberglass in the washing machine. However draperies made of "Fiberglass Beta" may be safely laundered, the manual stated.
I never knew what "Fiberglass Beta" was.
I think the drapes in Joan's apartment on Mad Men are fiberglass. At least they remind me of fiberglass drapes.

electronicontrl-2014071219332700280_1.jpg
 
We had fiberglass drapes in our living room when I was a kid. My mother had a commercial cleaner come pick them up and clean them and then reinstall them every few years.

I had a set in the kitchen in my first apt. I wanted to know how to wash them so I asked a female co worker how to do it. She just said "Take them to the laundromat and clean them there. Let someone else worry about the itching" I did what she said and when the load was finished and I opened the washer there was nothing but fiberglass strands everywhere. The drapes had disintegrated during the wash! I just threw out what was left and bought some all cotton drapes. Ever since that and I even hear about fiberglass drapes I remember that incident.
 
"... laundromat and clean them there. Let someone else w

Absolutely hate that mindset! It is one of the reasons try to avoid Laundromats these days.

Am that tired of persons bringing their pet hair or God only knows what infested laundry to cram into the machines not thinking of who comes next. Thankfully we have our own machines and thus not in serious need but others in our street constantly complain about after loading and putting their money in watching as the machine fills layer of scum, pet hair and general gunk from the previous wash load. It does not help that several professional dog walkers that run in home pet kennel/boarding from their apartments bring their pet laundry in. Even the large "Dogs and Biscuits" place brings their wash in.
 
Fiberglass drapes

Reading all these posts regarding Fiberglass drapes and washing them, reminds me when I was a kid and my mother washed the Fiberglass drapes in the washer, she used the gentle cycle, cold water, even ran a cycle empty after, then washed some of our cloths............. BIG MISTAKE !!!! my sisters and I were ITCHING like crazy when we put those cloths on.....she never washed them again took em to the cleaners...I had forgotten about that until I read this post and the messages....I laugh about it now but wasn't laughing then !!!!
 
OW OW OW

Ugh, thanks, now I'm itching from my memories of my mom washing fiberglass drapes before underwear. OW!
 
my aunt had a sectional couch setup in her basement rec room.....it was this God awful pinkish color with silver strips going thru the pattern.....hideous!.....

and it was Fiberglas......like sitting on a bed of needles poking/sticking you with every movement....you didn't dare lay on that thing naked!.....and itch afterwards for hours....

this is when you prayed for plastic slip-covers!

we would just sit on the floor when we visited...
 

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