# How to Remove Pilling From Clothes (and Stop It Coming Back) > Pilling is loose fibres rubbed into balls. Remove pills with a fabric shaver, comb or stone — flat, light strokes — then prevent more with a cool, gentle wash. **Published :** 2026-06-03 · **Updated :** 2026-06-05 --- **Summary:** To remove pilling, **lay the garment flat, hold the fabric taut, and use the gentlest tool that will cut or lift the pills without grabbing the cloth.** A shaver is fastest on sturdy knits; a comb is lower-risk on cashmere, merino and loose knits. Prevention is mostly friction control. Pilling is a friction problem, so the fix has two halves: lift the existing pills off without damaging the cloth, then reduce the abrasion that creates them. Removal alone just resets the clock; prevention is what slows the next round. Those little fuzzy balls have a proper name — **pills** — and the process that makes them is **pilling** (British English calls them *bobbles*). They are loose and broken surface fibres that everyday friction has rubbed up and tangled into a ball ([Woolmark](https://www.woolmark.com/care/pilling/)). They are not a sign you bought badly — even cashmere pills ([Swavelle](https://www.swavelle.com/in-the-news/what-is-pilling/)). The good news is they come off, and a few wash habits keep them from coming back. ## What you'll need You need one removal tool and a flat surface; the rest is prevention. The mistakes that ruin a garment are bunching the fabric and pressing too hard. - 🪒 - **An electric fabric shaver** — fastest, for sturdy knits, fleece, cotton and jersey - 🧶 - **A sweater comb** — the gentle choice for cashmere, merino and fine or loose knits - 🪨 - **A sweater stone** — for stubborn pills on robust knits only - 🧻 - **A lint roller or sticky tape** — to lift the loosened debris afterwards (not the pills themselves) - 🧺 - **A mesh laundry bag** — for preventing the next round in the wash - 📐 - **A flat, hard surface** — a table or ironing board For most people the quickest, lowest-risk route is a battery or mains **electric fabric shaver**: the blades sit behind a guard, so it skims the pills off without easily reaching the cloth underneath. **Recommended product** ## How to remove pilling, step by step ### 1. Pick the right tool for the fabric Match the tool to the fibre and the knit: | Tool | Best for | Watch out for | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | | Electric fabric shaver | Sturdy knits, fleece, cotton, jersey, upholstery | Can still cut if the fabric bunches | | Sweater comb | Cashmere, merino, fine or loose knits, delicates | Slow; needs patience on a big area | | Sweater stone / pumice | Stubborn pills on robust, chunky knits | Too aggressive for fine or thin fabric | | Disposable razor | A budget fix on flat, firm knits | Highest cut risk — no blade guard | | Lint roller / tape | Lifting loose fluff after de-pilling | Doesn't remove anchored pills at all | When in doubt, start with the gentlest tool that will work. A comb has no blade, but it can still snag if forced; a razor can slice a hole quickly. Use the table as a risk ladder, not a shopping list. If the pills sit on a smooth sweatshirt, fleece or upholstery panel, the guarded fabric shaver is the right first move because the surface is stable. If the fabric is lofty, open or expensive, start with a comb even if it takes longer. A sweater stone is useful on robust wool but too aggressive for thin jersey. A disposable razor is the emergency option: it works only when the fabric is flat enough that the blade can skim the pills without catching a loop. ### 2. Lay the garment flat and pull it taut Spread the garment on a hard, flat surface and smooth out every wrinkle. **Slack, bunched fabric is exactly what a shaver or razor catches and cuts**, so keep the patch you are working on flat and lightly stretched ([Engineer Fix](https://engineerfix.com/how-to-use-and-maintain-a-lint-eater-fabric-shaver/)). For stretchy items like leggings, pull the area over a curved surface — a rolled towel or your knee — so it stays smooth. ### 3. Test a hidden spot first Run the tool over an inner seam or hem before you touch the visible area, to confirm the pressure and setting are right ([Steamery](https://steamery.us/how-to-use-a-fabric-shaver)). On anything delicate or valuable this step is not optional. ### 4. Work in light, one-direction strokes Use short, controlled passes that follow the grain of the knit, with **light pressure — let the tool do the work**. Never bunch the fabric or saw back and forth; that is how holes happen. If you are using a shaver, empty the catch tray when the motor starts to slow, or it stops cutting cleanly. ### 5. Shake out, lint-roll, and check Shake off the loose debris, then run a lint roller or sticky tape over the surface to lift what's left. The roller only clears fluff — **it does not remove anchored pills**, so use it to tidy up, not as the de-piller. Inspect the friction zones (cuffs, underarms, sides) and repeat lightly only where it's needed. ### 6. Reduce the next round Removal resets the clock; these habits slow it down. Turn the garment inside out, wash it cool on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, don't overload the drum, dry on low or air-dry, and keep it away from the towels, zips and Velcro that abrade it. More on that below. ## Why clothes pill (and which fabrics pill most) A pill forms in three steps: friction loosens short or broken fibres on the surface, continued rubbing rolls them into a ball, and fibres that have **not** broken anchor that ball to the cloth so it doesn't simply fall off ([Wikipedia: Pill (textile)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pill_\(textile\))). That last part explains the single most useful fact about pilling: > In a cotton–polyester blend, the cotton fibre is weaker and breaks first, but > the strong polyester fibre stays intact and anchors the broken cotton into a > pill that may not shed quickly. Pure wool, by contrast, can release pills over > time because the anchoring fibres are weaker too. That is why a poly-rich blend > can look bobbly longer than a pure-wool one. As a rough ranking, **knitted fabrics pill more than woven ones**, and longer fibres plus tighter, higher-twist constructions tend to resist it. Among synthetics, acrylic, polyester and nylon and their blends are pilling-prone, while olefin is described by NMSU Extension as essentially free from pilling ([NMSU Extension](https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_g/G401.pdf)). That construction angle — weave tightness, staple length, yarn twist — is what to check by feel when you buy. ## Pilling diagnostic table Pilling is not one problem. The surface pattern tells you whether to remove, change the wash routine, or accept that the garment is worn. | Symptom | Likely cause | Quick test | Best fix | Stop rule | | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Pills only under arms, cuffs or bag strap | Wear abrasion | Check if pills follow friction zones | De-pill, then reduce rubbing | Do not blame detergent alone | | Pills after every wash | Drum abrasion or mixed loads | Look for towels, denim, zips or Velcro in the load | Wash inside-out in a mesh bag | Separate rough fabrics before rewashing | | Fuzzy haze plus pills on new knit | Loose surface fibres shedding | First few wears and washes are worst | Comb lightly, then reassess after 2-3 washes | Avoid aggressive shaving on new fine knits | | Thin fabric with pills and shine | Fibre loss from age | Hold fabric to light and check thinning | Tidy lightly only | Stop shaving if the cloth is already thinning | For the fibre-specific cases, the wash guides go deeper: see [how to wash a wool sweater without shrinking it](/blog/wash-wool-sweater-without-shrinking/index.md) for wool and cashmere, and [how to wash polyester](/blog/wash-polyester/index.md) for fleece and synthetic activewear. ## When not to de-pill yet Pause before using any cutting tool if the garment is wet, stretched, dirty or already thin. Wet fibres are harder to read and easier to distort; dirt and grit act like sandpaper under a shaver; and a thinning elbow or seat can turn into a hole after one enthusiastic pass. Also skip de-pilling before a repair: mend a snag, loose seam or moth hole first, then tidy the surface. If the garment is expensive or sentimental, test the tool on an inside hem and stop after one pass if the fabric looks fuzzy, shiny or lighter. The goal is to remove pills, not polish away the cloth around them. ## How to stop clothes pilling in the first place Pilling is friction, so prevention is about reducing the rubbing — in the wash and in wear: - **Turn garments inside out** before washing, so only the lining rubs against other clothes ([K-State Extension](https://www.pratt.k-state.edu/docs/facs/laundering-guide.pdf)). - **Wash cool on a gentle cycle.** Less agitation means less abrasion. Cold water is kindest to fibres, though very cold water cleans poorly — for the full trade-off, see the [laundry temperature guide](/blog/laundry-temperature-guide/index.md). - **Use a mesh laundry bag** for knits and delicates, as a physical barrier against the drum and other garments. - **Don't overload the drum.** Clothes that can't move freely rub against each other and pill faster. - **Fasten zips and Velcro, and sort by fabric.** Hard fasteners and abrasive fabrics like towels and denim wear down everything they tumble against — keep them in separate loads. - **Skip or go easy on the dryer.** A hot tumble adds friction of its own; air-dry where the label allows, or keep heat and tumbling low for pill-prone knits. - **Be wary of fabric softener.** Woolmark advises against it on wool, where its waxy residue coats the fibres. For pill-prone garments, focus on reducing abrasion and rinsing detergent cleanly rather than adding coating products. Synthetic fabrics like fleece are among the ones that hold onto their pills, as the table above notes, so the same gentle routine applies to them — our [fleece guide](/blog/how-to-wash-fleece/index.md) puts the same cold, low-heat, no-softener method in one place. > Lint rollers and sticky tape only lift loose surface fluff and stray fibres. > They cannot remove pills that are anchored to the cloth — use them to clean up > after shaving or combing, never as the main tool. > A brand-new knit often pills most in its first few washes, then calms down > once it has shed its loose surface fibres. Persistent, heavy pilling on an > old, thinning garment usually means the fabric is simply worn out — de-pilling > will tidy it, but it won't last. > **Warning:** > - A disposable razor or fabric shaver can cut straight through cloth if it bunches or catches. Keep the garment flat and taut, press lightly, and test a hidden spot first. > - Avoid a razor, shaver or stone on extremely delicate fabrics like silk and fine, loose knits — they can snag or damage them. Use a sweater comb on delicates instead, and test any tool on a hidden spot first. > - Don't pick pills off by hand: because each pill is anchored by intact fibres, pulling it can drag those fibres out and worsen the surface — cut or comb them off instead. > - Because each pass shaves away a little fibre, de-pilling can thin the fabric over time — treat it as maintenance, not a permanent fix. ## The honest bottom line Pilling is not a defect to mourn — it's friction, and the visible pills can be removed. Lay the garment flat, keep it taut, and lift the pills off with the gentlest tool that works: a fabric shaver for sturdy knits, a comb for anything fine. Then change the habits that caused them — wash cool, inside-out, in a mesh bag, and keep the load moving freely and out of the hot dryer. Do that and even a pill-prone blend can stay presentable longer; ignore it and no tool will keep up. For the fabrics that pill most, see [how to wash a wool sweater without shrinking it](/blog/wash-wool-sweater-without-shrinking/index.md) and [how to wash polyester](/blog/wash-polyester/index.md); for everyday cotton, [how to wash cotton](/blog/how-to-wash-cotton/index.md); and to stop towels shedding onto everything else, [how to keep towels soft and fluffy](/blog/keep-towels-soft-fluffy/index.md).