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"  Clothes sporting with Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) ratings have been gaining popularity over the past several years, popping up in magazine fashion stories (!) and in athletic brands like Nike and Columbia. So what&amp;#039;s a UPF rating? They&amp;#039;re like the garment version of sunscreen SPF \u2014 they let you know how well the fabric will absorb and block UV rays from your skin. Because, yes, the sun&amp;#039;s UV rays can get through your clothing. The UPF ratings go like this: 15 to 24 will offer good protection, 25 to 39 will give very good protection, and 40-plus provides excellent protection. For example, a piece of clothing with a 50 UPF rating means that only 1/50 (or 2%) of any possible radiation will be able pass through it. But you&amp;#039;re probably wondering: Do I need it? Of course, protecting your skin from the sun&amp;#039;s harmful rays is always a great idea, and these clothes can be one more line of defense. The testing to determine a fabric&amp;#039;s UV-blocking efficacy is still relatively new, and the rating system is not currently regulated in the U.S., but makers can&amp;#039;t just claim a piece of clothing is UV-protected unless it meets the above rating scale. That said, just because a garment is not UPF-rated or doesn&amp;#039;t include any UPF claims on its labeling, it still may offer some level of protection from the sun. For example, a plain white t-shirt can have a UPF of 8, whereas a pair of dark jeans usually has a UPF of 50+. So if you&amp;#039;re dressing smartly, you can still protect yourself during a long day of gardening or when you&amp;#039;re out and about in the sun.  You can often determine how protective clothing is by looking at the following five areas: 1. Density How tight a weave or knit in the garment will determine how well the fabric will block out UV rays. The tighter the fabric, the less UV rays will be able to penetrate. 2. Construction Loose-fitting garments are more protective than tighter-fitting ones, lined garments offer added protection, and stiff garments will block out more UV rays than stretchy fabrics. 3. Color The darker the color, the better the UV protection because darker colors are able to absorb more UV rays than lighter colors. 4. Fiber Elastane fibers (also known as Lycra or Spandex) tend to offer excellent UV protection. Wool and polyester generally offer good UV protection. Nylon and cotton offer minimal protection against UV. 5. Wear Your clothing&amp;#039;s effectiveness at UV blocking can change through wearing and washing. For example, if a garment is faded, stretched, or worn out, it may not work as well. Wet clothes will also protect you less in the sun. Interested in learning more about UPF-rated clothes? Check out our . Lexie Sachs is a product analyst in the Textiles Lab of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. Photo credit: Mint Images RF/Getty Images NEXT: Skin Safety 101: What to Look Out For \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a25199/sun-protective-clothing/>