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Use a Disposable Razor to Remove Sweater Pills
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 2:00 AM on December 25, 2007
Nothing brings out the inner OCD like clothing pills—those tiny bits of lint and cloth that form on sweaters, coats, and other knitted or woven fabrics. Lifehacker Reader Michael K. tried rollers, tape, and all the usual methods to de-pill a fleece, but it wasn't until a friend recommended buying cheap, disposable safety razors that he found his solution:
I draped the jacket over my knee (any hard surface will do), then began to lightly go over the surface with one of the razors. It took a little time, but it totally got all of those fuzzy lint balls off of the jacket.A little trip through Google shows that other home hackers have used this trick on everything from Rayon to cashmere, while stressing the importance of going light and slow. Those of us who double their sweater collection every holiday season might do well to keep this trick in mind.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
DaveTyranham
Posted 8:13 AM 24/12/07
Take it to a dry cleaner. They have a special brush and will shave it for you too.
DaveTyranham
mlhoward516
Posted 8:04 AM 24/12/07
Why not get a clothing shaver? They're only a few dollars at Target.
mlhoward516
karmaghost
Posted 1:03 PM 24/12/07
@qmechanic: Yeah, Sweater Stone FTW.
karmaghost
qmechanic
Posted 12:28 PM 24/12/07
I use Sweater Stone. See www.sweaterstone.com.
qmechanic
theorist
Posted 3:54 PM 24/12/07
My mom used the D-Fuzz-It comb when I was a kid. [www.d-fuzz-it.com] It's still available and costs between $2-3. Sounds like Sweater Stone has a better company behind it, though.
I currently have an electric clothing shaver, and I wish I hadn't wasted my money. It gets clogged with lint every few seconds and takes forever to do its job. Sometimes manual is better.
theorist
phoenix
Posted 3:51 PM 24/12/07
@mlhoward516: I find those clothing shavers don't work too well - your pills have to fit through that little grate they put on the front, and that never works out. :( Maybe I'm just using the wrong types!
phoenix
Lauram
Posted 6:02 PM 24/12/07
Has anyone else noticed that the sweater stone emits a strange smell when they use it? I like it well enough, but feel that it pulls up so much ambient fuzz that the sweater tends to pill up again right away. I think I'll try the safety razor.
Lauram
BingleyJoe
Posted 9:46 AM 25/12/07
@LAURAM: The FAQ at the Sweater Stone site has this to say about the smell--
"What is the odor?
Sweater Stone is an organic substance and the odor is the same as you experience around any Vulcan site, like hot springs. The odor dissipates in seconds and does not remain with the garment."
I'm assuming they meant to say 'volcanic site', but who knows -- maybe the Sweater Stone is actually Vulcan pumice!
BingleyJoe
antishay
Posted 3:54 PM 24/12/07
I use a defuzzer. I've owned many throughout my life (not their fault - I lose them or drop them and break them often) and they're fabulous. They skim the cloth and pull off anything that's on the surface (pills) and the blade doesn't touch the fabric.
antishay
dannysmith
Posted 9:26 AM 24/12/07
I've found that disposable razors work much better than the purpose made "debobblers". A lot of guys in the military use razors for taking the bobbles off jumpers and berets.
dannysmith
gameguy
Posted 10:21 PM 26/12/07
This is just brilliant!
I too have gone through a couple of sweater shavers. I could never get my face used to one, so I suppose it makes sense that my clothes wouldn't like it either.
gameguy
imajoebob
Posted 11:41 PM 28/12/07
The shavers work (barely) on nice soft fabrics like wool. But they can't handle cotton. I have two polo shirts that are ppilled. They're both from Europe, so it makes me wonder about the process or the cotton...
Anyway, the shaver did absolutely nothing, not even a single pill. I'm guessing the little balls are just too tough for the shaver. I'm going to try the razor - very carefully, since these won't be easy to replace.
Should I get the single blade or double - for those really tough pills?
imajoebob
BravoZulu
Posted 6:25 AM 3/1/08
VELCRO is worth a try.
I snagged by velcro-fastened watch strap on my woll sweater, and noticed it took off the pills.
Velcro provided a cheap, easy and quick solution to my sweater pill problem...
BravoZulu