CAN DRY CLEANING AVOID PILLING?

Pilling. Unfortunately, it is something we are all familiar with. Pills can form on garments of any material and price point, from a less expensive acrylic blend to a high-end cashmere sweater. Keep reading to learn how to prevent pilling from happening and what you can do to remove those annoying little fuzz balls from your favorite clothing. 

What is Pilling?

Pilling is the process when groups of short or broken fibers on a garment become tangled together in tiny knots or balls, also known as pills. This is caused when the surface of the fabric rubs on other objects or with the fabric itself during normal wear and use, like it happens with the fabric under your armpits, sleeves, front portion and back portion of the garment. 

How to Prevent Pilling When Washing Clothes

Here are some helpful tips to prevent pilling when washing your clothes:

  1. Turn the garments inside out before washing them. This prevents excessive abrasion to the surface of the fabric from other clothes, zippers, and buttons. 
  2. Use a liquid laundry detergent. This helps to prevent abrasion damage from washing powder granules. If you are planning to use a washing powder, ensure that it is completely dissolved in the water before adding your clothes. 
  3. In order to prevent damage, place delicate items into individual mesh laundry bags. This helps to stop them from rubbing together and loosening fibers. 
  4. Wash different types of fabric items separately – for example, separate cotton from non-cotton. You will also want to separate dark colors from light clothes to prevent any color transfer during the wash. 

How to Remove Pilling from Clothes

While pilling can be quite annoying, it is pretty simple to get rid of the pills. One of the most effective ways to remove pilling is to use a fabric comb or a battery-operated pill and fuzz remover that shaves the pills from the surface of the garment. If you do not own a fabric comb or a pill and fuzz remover, you can also pull the fabric taut over a curved surface and carefully cut off the pills with small, sharp scissors or use a safety razor to shave the fabric. 

Make sure to be extremely careful and weigh the value of the garment before tackling this job yourself. If you don’t have the time or simply do not want to do it yourself, you can always take it to a professional dry cleaner to have it cleaned and depilled. 

Contact Hanger’s Cleaners Today

Whether you are in need of more time or just want to avoid the hassle of laundry, our team of professionals at Hangers Cleaners is here to help. From dry cleaning services to wet services, alterations, pressing clothes, and many more, Hangers Cleaners has got you covered! We know that life can get busy – that’s why we offer free dry cleaning delivery and pickup for all of our customers! Call us at 501-227-8500 to schedule services for all of your laundry needs today.