Removing pills from clothes

If you attempt to manually remove every single pill, you’ll end up wasting a lot of time. You can use special devices to speed the process up significantly. Housewives will advise you on how to remove pills from clothes, and what devices offer the best help in solving this difficult problem.

Why the pills form

Pills are the main sign that a piece of clothing is starting to wear out. If your beloved top, skirt, dress, coat, or another piece of clothing is showing this sign of aging, that means that you do not take proper care of it, or you make mistakes during washing or storing it. Let’s first figure out how and why pills appear on clothes:

• Because of the fabric content: it is well known that the formation of pills is inevitable on natural fabrics (wool, linen, cotton) synthetic materials, on the other hand, are less prone to this issue.
• Selecting a wrong wash cycle. Each fabric has its own washing parameters: temperature, duration, spin speed, and others.
• Use of incorrect detergents. In addition to having excellent gentle stain removal properties, detergents designed specifically for delicate fabrics are known for having a  carefully thought-out content that takes care of clothing and prevents the formation of pills.
• Looseness of threads. Loosely woven threads are more prone to this issue than tightly woven ones.
• Frequent friction of some sections of clothing. For this reason, pills often appear in armpit sections, and in the spots where your bag rubs (when wearing it on the shoulder).

Removing pills

You can only physically remove pills. An alternative to manual removal comes in the use of some improvised materials (which at first glance can seem completely unsuitable for this purpose). Read on to learn how to remove pills from clothes with some improvised devices.

Using a special machine

There has been a shaver invented specifically for this purpose. All you would have to do is insert the batteries and press the button, then gently move it in a circular motion over the problem areas without pressing. You can remove pills this way from knitwear, cotton, wool, and other fabrics. 

Only a device with adjustable knife height can remove pills from mohair or angora clothes.

Those are more expensive, but they treat a much wider range of fabrics.

Using a safety razor

Trying to get rid of pills using a razor can be slightly more problematic,  and could possibly damage the item (you need to be very careful if you try using a razor). You must follow these rules: 

1. Stretch the item tightly.
2. Don’t use a brand new razor.
3. Run the razor from the bottom of the item upwards.

This is a good method to use on smaller items (hats, socks, mittens, gloves, or tights). If the item is large, using a razor will take much longer, and there is a risk of damaging your clothing. Be sure to monitor the tension of the fabric. Another disadvantage of this method: you cannot use it on items with long fibers(angora. mohair).

Using sticky tape

How do you remove the pills with it? Sticky tape is not a good solution for the problem (depending on the type of fabric). It is very simple to use:

1. Cut off a piece of tape.
2. Put it on the fabric.
3. Press it down into the fabric.
4. Tear off with a quick movement.

This only works on smaller l pills.

You can also use a lint roller. You can buy it, or make one out of a bottle and double-sided tape. It is usually used to remove stuck-on hairs and pet hair from coats, hats, and other things. You can try to remove the pills with it too.

Using scissors

This requires about the same amount of effort as when removing with your bare hands (without the help of any devices). The pills should be removed one after one. This method can damage the fabric.

Using a comb

If the pills are large enough, you can comb the item. Most of the pills will stay on the comb. Use a fine-toothed comb.

Using a toothbrush

This is useful for items with long fibers (mohair, angora). Use a soft brush and light movements along the fibers.  You should wash the item in special detergent to give fluff it back up afterward.

Using sandpaper

It combines the effect of a razor and a comb. Use only sandpaper with fine grain, and only on fabrics without pile. 

Using dried bread

Cut a piece of bread (it is better to make it thicker so it doesn’t crumble) and dry it in the sun or in the oven. Carefully sweep the clothing item with it so as not to deform it. Use a denser bread for this method.

Using a dish sponge

Use the abrasive side of the sponge to remove pills. For this procedure, it is better to use a dry new sponge. 

How do you make pills disappear from clothing without having to do it yourself? Take your clothes to a dry cleaner. They will not only remove the signs of wear that have already appeared but also do the preventive treatment so that they do not appear again. 

Preventing pilling

You can delay the pilling of your clothes so that you have to deal with the pills less often. Here are some tips:

• Make sure to follow the washing, spinning, and ironing instructions (they are all indicated on the care label).
• Don’t rub or wring out your knits if you’re hand washing. 
• Use detergents with  “softening” on the label.
• Use a fabric conditioner regularly.
• Expensive clothes require special care to take them to a dry cleaner.

At the first sight of pilling, carry out the pill-removing procedure. Do that regularly, and you will greatly reduce the time it takes to remove the pills. Not to mention, your clothes will look much neater. Other related articles: How to remove chewing gum from clothes.