Fabric pilling is a common problem in clothes, and it can happen for many different reasons. In this blog post, we will explore the various causes of fabric pilling, as well as how to reduce or eliminate them. We’ll also discuss some ways that you can prevent future cases from happening!
Fabric pilling is the formation of small, fuzzy balls on a fabric. The surface starts to look like an old sweater or worn-out carpeting as it sheds countless tiny fibers and fuzzies onto your clothes when you wear them.
What Causes Fabric Pilling?
There are two main types of fabric pills – those caused by wear and tear on clothing (feathering), which typically come about after repeated exposure to friction with other pieces of clothing; and those caused by excessive abrasion on the surface of garments (shredding) when they rub against hard surfaces such as concrete or asphalt.
Feathering is more common than shredding because most people don’t spend much time on hard, abrasive surfaces such as concrete. Feathering is a type that comes about due to frictional forces between fabrics, rubbing together repeatedly over an extended period of time until something like cellulose does not have enough strength left in it to prevent it from being rubbed off. This type of pill is more common than shredding because most people don’t spend much time on hard, abrasive surfaces such as concrete or asphalt.
How to prevent fabric pilling?
There are a few ways to prevent fabric pilling:
- Reduce friction by wearing clothes according to their level of activity and wear them more often. This will reduce the amount of abrasion that they experience, which is one cause for pill formation.
- If you must store your clothes for an extended period of time between washes, make sure that they’re not touching metal or sandpaper surfaces in order to lessen contact with other materials and protect the fabric from excessive frictional forces.
- Avoid storing garments next to each other as this can lead to feathers rubbing against each other until something like cellulose does not have enough strength left in it to prevent it from being rubbed off.
How do I get rid of pills?
There are a few ways to get rid of fabric pilling:
- You can try the “shaving” method which involves using an old razor blade or dull knife, such as a butter knife, to shave off any pills. The downside is that this won’t touch those deep in the fibers and fuzzies – it will only eliminate surface ones.
- If you’re struggling with feathers then there’s an easy solution! All you have to do is wash your clothes on the hottest setting possible. This causes all of the fabrics’ natural oils to rise from within them up onto their surfaces where they’ll stay put and prevent future friction between materials during wear. It also helps break down some cellulose so that it doesn’t get rubbed off.
- You can also try using a lint roller, which will eliminate any surface fuzzies that you might have missed with the shaving technique – or you could use it to gently brush away some pills that are too deep in for your razor blade to reach!
If these methods don’t work then there’s always clothing designed specifically for this issue: pill resistant clothes! These items of clothing may be more expensive and not as breathable but they’re worth the investment if pilling is something that bothers you on an ongoing basis.
