How to Remove Pilling from Sweatshirts

Is there anything more annoying than finding pesky little fuzzballs on your favourite sweatshirt? Well, yes, probably. Realising you left your car's lights on all night. The cat throwing up on the carpet. Or your clothes getting caught on the door handle as you walk through (the horror). But, in the moment, nothing feels more frustrating than that little pilled bobble.

The bad news is pilling is inevitable. The good news is you don't have to put up with it! That's right, the pilling can be removed and prevented. Want to know how to perform pilling magic? Then keep reading!

What are fabric pills?

First of all, if you have no idea what we're talking about, fabric pills are little balls that clump together and sit on the surface of your clothes. It happens when the fibres begin to loosen from general wear and tear, washing methods or rubbing.

Does pilling mean bad quality?

Nope. Pilling doesn't necessarily mean bad quality. Although cheaper fabrics, like acrylic, or fabric blends are more prone to pilling, more expensive fabrics, like cashmere, will also pill. There's just no winning. Sorry.

The difference is, the pills are more noticeable on cheaper fabrics and removing them might cause loose threads. On more expensive materials, the pills are easier to remove.

What causes pilling on sweatshirts?

So, pilling on sweatshirts happens when the individual fibres in the fabric break down and loosen. When those loose fibres rub against each other, they create little fuzzy balls that knot and stick on the sweatshirt. Ugh.

The most common causes of pilling are:

General wear and tear: when the fabric rubs against your skin or other clothes, the fibres start to loosen and form pills.
Washing and drying: if you wash your clothes with harsh detergents or at high temperatures, you can bet your clothes will pill quicker.
Environmental: just being out and about, in high humid conditions, sitting on benches, leaning against walls or other rough surfaces, etc, can all cause pilling.

How to remove pills from sweatshirts

Fear not, loyal Beavertown blog readers! For we have a bunch of different tips and tricks for removing those pesky pills from your beloved sweatshirts.

1. Use a razor

Most of us have disposable razors lying around the house and instead of de-fuzzing your skin, use them to de-fuzz your sweatshirt. Lay the sweatshirt flat and then gently guide the razor in an upward motion using small strokes to nudge the pills off.

This is a risky procedure, though. You don't want to be too rough with it otherwise you can cause more damage.

2. Rub pills away with sandpaper or a pumice stone

Lightly rubbing over the pilled surface with sandpaper or a clean pumice stone will lift those pills away in no time. Thanks to the rough material of the sandpaper or stone, the pills won't stand a chance.

3. Grab yourself a fabric shaver

If you don't want to risk one of the homemade methods (understandable), get yourself a trust fabric shaver for a foolproof way of getting rid of pills. Lay the sweatshirt flat and lightly guide the shaver in a circular motion over the piled areas. And voila! Pills are gone!

A quick word of warning: don't remove pills too often. Let them build up so you can de-pill a larger area. Removing pills frequently can end up damaging or weakening the fabric.

How to prevent sweatshirts from pilling

Yes, yes, we know we said pilling is inevitable. But there are a few preventative measures you can take to lessen pilling, like:

Following the label's care instructions - believe it or not, they are there for a reason!
Brush your clothes with a lint roller, as this will help prevent pills from building up.
Avoid overloading your washing machine to stop friction between items. Remember, friction = pills.
Turn your sweatshirts inside out before washing them.

How to wash sweatshirts without pilling

Right, if you want to avoid your sweatshirts pilling so much, you're going to have to put in some extra effort while washing them.

If you can, hand washing is always best as it's the gentlest method.
Separating your laundry is vital! And we don't just mean into whites and colours. Keeping items like jeans and sweatshirts apart will prevent the more abrasive materials from rubbing against each other.
Set your washing machine to a gentle cycle.
Put extra delicate items into a laundry bag for extra protection.
Use liquid detergent instead of powder, as it's a gentler solution, and add fabric softener.
Hang your sweatshirts out to air dry rather than tumble dry them.

To round up, yes pilling is most likely going to happen. And while it's super annoying, it's not the end of the world. There's plenty of things you can do to remove the pilling, from disposable razors and fabric shavers to even sandpaper, without ruining the item. And there's also things you can do to help prevent pilling, like brushing your clothes with a lint roller and washing them with care.

Looking for more clothing inspiration? Then, read the clothing section of our blog to find everything you need to know about Beavertown clothing.