Introduction
Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and sweater pilling.
Those little fuzz balls are mostly cosmetic and don’t affect the performance of your garment, but they can make your favorite sweater look more worn out than it really is. Removing pilling helps restore a cleaner look and can reduce further pilling down the road.
This guide will show you how to safely de-pill your Patagonia® sweater so it stays soft, cozy, and ready for whatever comes next!
What you need
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Pilling is a natural process where loose fibers on the surface of a garment tangle together, forming small balls or "pills."
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It’s especially common on knit fabrics and garments made from short fibers like wool.
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Pilling happens the most in high-friction areas such as elbows, wrists, underarms or beneath a backpack.
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While pilling doesn’t affect the performance of the garment, it can make it look worn or unkempt.
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Some Patagonia® products that are prone to pilling include:
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The Better Sweater®, a knit fleece made from recycled materials
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Knit sweaters made of recycled wool or cashmere
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Sweater Stone - Recommended by Patagonia® for being natural and sustainable, the Sweater Stone is a pumice stone with a porous surface that gently removes pills without damaging the fabric.
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Electric Fabric Shaver - A great investment for long-term garment care, there are many styles of electric shavers available. Most come with adjustable guards to match different fabric pile heights.
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Lay your sweater flat on a clean surface. Focus on one pilled area at a time.
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Hold the Sweater Stone in one and hand and use the other hand to create tension in the fabric.
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Moving with the grain of the knit, brush the fabric in one direction.
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Repeat in the opposite direction. To prevent snags, don't brush back and forth.
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Lay your sweater flat on a clean surface. Focus on one pilled area at a time.
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Set the shaver guard to match the pile height of your garment. For the Better Sweater®, you can remove the guard entirely.
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Turn on the shaver, press lightly into the fabric, and move in back-and-forth or circular motions.
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Compare a de-pilled sleeve to one that hasn’t been treated. You’ll see a noticeable difference in texture and appearance.
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When done correctly, de-pilling doesn't harm the garment. Both the Sweater Stone and electric shavers are designed to remove only the loose surface fibers. Just be sure to be gentle and follow the above instructions.
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4 Guide Comments
I also have used a disposable razor to shave pills and fuzz off of Patagonia sweaters and capilene - it worked really well. Just lightly run it down the sweater. If any fuzz is persistent, do the same but perpendicular to the first direction you used. It made my sweater and capilene pants look like new again!
Yup, right there with AE3, disposable razor: they last a long time, and they can be re-sharpened a bit by shaving a piece of glass (nothing is disposable). This sweater stone looks kinda like pumice. I’m curious about it, but I wouldn’t buy one.
Can't speak to fleece or nano puffs, but with wool sweaters a stone or plucking the pills pulls fibers upward and perpetuates the problem. Best to take scissors and ever-so-carefully, holding them parallel to garment, shear the pills off.
