How to Remove Pilling From Fabric & Clothes: Different Ways

May you’ve had a bad experience with pilling. If your clothes have pilling or fuzz and you don’t know how to remove pilling from fabric and clothes, you can’t wear it in front of people.

Also if your furniture fabric (fabric Couch, fabric Sofas, fabric Chairs) got pilling, your furniture will look older and ugly.

I have heard lots of questions about this topic on the internet, lots of people asking about it. That’s why I decide to write about it, to help you out. You can use household items like a sandpaper sponge, a shaving razor, a strip of Velcro.

Also, you can use tools to remove fabric or cloth pilling (Like a sweater shaver, a sweater stone, or a sweater comb). In this article, you’ll learn about removing pilling from fabric and clothes.

It’s might help you to keep your upholstered furniture and clothes new, and nice look. If you visit this page, please read the full content.

So, if you want to learn more about ways and how to remove pilling from clothing and different types of fabrics, read this full content.

Read More If You Want To Make Curtains From Fabric

How to Remove Pilling from Fabric & Clothes: Different Ways

1. Remove Pilling with Household Tools:

In this method, we’ll use some household stuff or tools to remove our fabric or cloth pills.

A. Using a Sandpaper Sponge to Remove Pills:

You can use a sandpaper sponge to remove your clothing pills. Just take a sandpaper sponge and scrub your clothing areas where are pills, you’ll see pilling gone.

As we’ve known rubbing makes our fabric start pilling, so don’t scrub the whole area of your clothing or fabric. Just scrub the pilling areas.

B. Use Scissors (Trim with Scissors):

It depends on the size and number of pills. You can be able to trim pills away with your fabric scissors from your cloth/fabric.

Small nail scissors work great and it’s safer. I recommend you to use small nail scissors.

Simply lay your clothing on a flat surface then pull up individual pills trim away with your hand.

Also, you can put your hand inside the clothing in order to pull it taut, and then trim away the pills. Make sure you hold the scissors perfectly and close to the fabric.

Don’t be hurry, work gently and slowly to make sure you don’t damage your fabric/cloth. So, use these fabric cutting tools to remove pilling from your fabrics.

C. Use Velcro Hair Rollers to Remove Pilling:

Do you know that you can use Velcro hair rollers to remove cloth pilling?. Hair rollers are ideal to use on delicate fabrics like cashmere and wool fabric.

Lay your clothing on a flat surface and pull it taut, and then lay the hair roller flat on the affected area. Gently roll the hair roller upwards, pills will get caught in the roller. When you see your hair roller full of pilling, just take it up and clean the hair roller and start again, and don’t stop rolling until the area pill is free.  

After you’ve finished one area, just pick your roller up and move it to another area if your clothing is pilled in several areas.

D. Try a Disposable Shaving Razor:

This is another easiest way to clean pilling from clothes. Take a new disposable shaving razor, lay your fabric/cloth on a flat surface and then pull the fabric/cloth near the affected area taut with your one hand (If someone staying with you just tell him/her to help you), and gently shave the pilling with a razor.

1# Shave your fabric slowly and gently to make sure you finished without any damage.

2# Always use a new disposable razor, Don’t use other types of shaving razors.

Read Next: Find out the best fabric stores in Nyc

2. Remove Pills, Fuzz, and Lint with Pilling Removing Tools:

These methods are very effective ways to remove pilling from fabric. Before you start removing pills from fabric or cloth by following these methods,

May you have to buy those tools from shop or online, If you don’t have these tools at home.

A. Use a Fabric Shaver (Fabric Fuzz and Pill Remover):

Fabric shaver also we’ve known as an electric sweater shaver, we can use a fabric shaver to remove all types of fabric pills (like we can shave over the sweaters, upholstery fabrics, clothing with a fabric shaver). 

A fabric shaver is more expensive than the other tools. It’s the very fastest and effective method. Lay your fabric, clothing on a flat surface, and then shave it with your fabric pill or fuzz remover. 

Always apply to the fabric in small, and circular motions. Try to start with the lightest contact possible and then increase as needed. 

You must continue shaving until the pills are gone. Pills will accumulate in the shaver’s barrel, Which you have to empty when it fills up.

B. Use a Fabric/Sweater Comb:

A fabric comb specially made for removing pilling, It’s different from a hair comb. Pull the fabric on a flat surface, and then pull the fabric taut and scrape the affected area only.

Do it slowly and carefully to ensure that you don’t damage your fabric.

C. Use Sweater or Fabric Stones:

Fabric or sweater stones specially designed for removing sweater pills. When you want to use sweater/fabric stone over the clothing or fabric,

Just lay your fabric/cloth on a flat surface and pull flat your fabric/cloth, after that rub the stone over the affected area. Always do the job gently and carefully to make sure you don’t damage your fabric or clothing.

What Causes Fabric or Cloth Pilling:

The loose fabric fibers have a natural tendency to move to the surface of the fabric, where they start (Subject) to friction, Which causes them to twist together into small balls.

In this case, fibers that are still secured to the fabric they’re also twisted into the ball (Pills), which the pills secured to the surface of the material. The main cause of fabric pilling is rubbing or abrasion during normal wear or use. Also, your washing machine can cause your clothes to pill during the washing.

How to Choose Clothes or Fabric That Pills Less:

Actually, there’s no promise, so I can’t promise you. Because there’s no guarantee that a piece of fabric will never pill.

But there’re some great tips and tricks that will help you to keep your fabrics/ clothes looking their best longer.

Tip 1

You should avoid the fabrics that are knitted, blends, woven fabrics. Because these fabrics combine Different types of threads.

Especially those fabrics pill more, which fabrics combine natural and synthetic fibers. Before you purchase fabric, check the label.

Tip 2

You can select woven fabric rather than knits. Woven fabric gets less pill than knits fabric. But we love knits fabrics, If you want to have knits fabric, Always try to choose one that is tightly knit (Avoid the loose-knit).

Read this full article about Making fabric waterproof

How to Prevent Pilling on Fabric or clothes:

Here are some great tips and tricks for preventing pills on fabric/cloth:

Tip Number 1:

Clothes that you think they’ll pill, for them use the washer’s gentle cycle, shorter wash, and slower agitation cycle will protect your clothes from pilling. On the other hand, you can choose hand washing, which is more gentle.

Tip Number 2: 

Always, try to avoid the electric dry, If it’s possible. You must hang your clothes to dry rather than using an electric dryer.

Tip Number 3:

Don’t use powder detergents, try to use liquid detergents. Powder detergents make your clothing more likely to cause pilling during the washing.

Tip Number 4:

When you decide to wash your clothes before you washing your clothes, turn the cloth inside out then you can wash your clothes by hand or washer.

Tip Number 5: 

You can choose a laundry detergent that contains the enzyme cellulase. Enzyme cellulase will help to break down the cotton pills and remove them.

Tip Number 6:

Always Short your clothes before you wash. Like when you want to wash your jeans just wash them don’t put shirts or other clothing together for washing.

Tip Number 7:

Don’t overload your washing machine. If you overload your washing machine with clothes, there’s no room inside the washer for your clothes to move easily and it causes damage to the surface of your clothes.

A Short Video: Some Quick Ways to Remove Pilling from Sweaters

The video showing you how to remove pilling from the sweater, but you can remove pilling from your clothes & fabrics by following this video.

Final Words:

I hope this fabric pilling removal article will help you to remove your cloth or fabric pills. Always try to care for your fabric, if you treat your fabric/clothing properly,

Your clothing/fabric will pill less. And when you remove pilling from clothing or fabric, remove them gently, slowly, and carefully, otherwise you’ll finish up with damages.