CARE OF GARMENTS: Pellets

Hello again 👋🏻

Today it's the balls' turn! We commonly call 'little balls' or 'balls' the small knots or balls that form on the surface of clothing, aging their appearance and affecting their touch, however their technical name is pilling or pilling . You already know that I am in favor of fixing the clothes we have so we can give them more use, so today I will tell you a little more about the dreaded pilling and how to avoid or remove them. 🌻

Why do they occur? There are many factors why these balls appear (fibers, threads and fabric among others) and they do not depend on the quality of the garment (even if we think otherwise). As a summary, I will tell you that it is due to fiber-fiber friction (especially in composite fabrics) that causes the threads to rise and with the friction of use they become knots. These knots also get stuck on our clothes due to their high resistance. of one of the fibers (usually polyester).

HOW TO AVOID BALLS? OR AT LEAST DELAY HIS APPEARANCE...

If the balls have to appear, they will appear but we can always make these small efforts so that they do not appear so soon:

- It seems obvious but not rubbing the garments with belts, watches or each other will prevent the fibers from tangling.

- Ironing/steaming : both steaming and ironing reduce the tendency for pilling to form, because they “fix” the fibers in a certain position and thus they will not move as much. But BE CAREFUL! You must take into account the manufacturer's ironing instructions.

- Softener : softeners reduce the fiber-fiber friction coefficient, thereby reducing its tendency to pilling.

- Sizing : they act as elements of ligation or fixation of the fibers. Sizing is a treatment applied to fabrics to give them firmness and luster. This procedure can make the garment stiff, so you should be careful. Plus you shouldn't do it regularly.

WHAT DO FACTORIES DO TO PREPARE FABRICS AND AVOID PILLING?

• Brushing : 💅 remove excess fibers and prepare the surface.
• Singed : 🔥 As the name suggests, they burn the surface fibers of the fabric after brushing.
• Tundido : ✂️ They cut the superficial fibers (villus) so that they do not tangle forming balls. It is also after brushing.

OKAY BUT HOW DO I REMOVE THE BALLS FROM MY CLOTHES?

I have told you all this nonsense because what we are going to do to remove the pills is to apply the techniques that the factories use to prepare their fabrics but in a homemade way, that is, combing, cutting and singeing (if you dare and have a lot of skill). .

- Comb : with a small-toothed comb we can comb the garment. This trick will help us with fat balls that are easy to detach.

- Velcro : there are some Velcro combs with which you can comb your clothes. The balls get stuck between the spikes of the Velcro. It is a somewhat tedious and not very effective method, but hey, it is a method.

- Razor blade : this method requires the most patience but is very effective if you don't want to spend money and want your clothes to look great. The blades become dull so you will have to change blades regularly. You will have to shave the garment being careful not to tear it. I recommend stretching the garment a little while you do it and if you do it on a firm but somewhat rounded surface they will come off much better. Confession 😅: When using this method I usually used my knees (sitting, putting one leg over the other) for support because they are the right shape and offer tension to the garment.

- Lint remover : the lint remover has definitely been the best and fastest method I have tried. Inside it has rotating blades that are protected by a metal net with holes and when passing over the garment the fibers enter the holes and the blades cut them. In the back it has a tank where the balls end up (and the first times you use it it is very fun to see).

To use it we have to be as careful as with the blades and stretch the garment a little so that the balls come to the surface. Despite having the protective grid, the device can snag the garment and tear it, so you should not squeeze and much less put the edges of the garments into the grid. With time of use you will get used to its use and you will become more comfortable.

My recommendations : If you are going to buy one, buy the model that can be plugged into the power. They are normally battery-powered and it is a waste of batteries (and very little eco) since the usual use will be at home and will be prolonged so you will use a lot of batteries.

If it helps, mine is from Solac and I bought it on Amazon. 🙃

- Scorched : you can burn the balls but it is a technique that I do not recommend if you are not a fire master... 🔥👕

THE OLD SCHOOL TRICK : There is always an old trick. They say that if you put the garment in a zip bag and freeze it, you will be able to delay the appearance of pilling. I haven't tried it and I can't tell you if it's a myth, but if you do it or have done it, you can tell me how it is in the comments ✏️

Finally a warning , I have put together all these tips by adding my own experience, tricks that I knew and other tricks that I have found on the internet. Fabrics vary, each garment requires different care and, although what I tell you here are general rules, you may find garments with some particularity in which these tricks may not work.

If you are left wanting more, you can read the previous post about fades by clicking here .

In future garment care posts I will also talk about sizing, which is very interesting to improve clothing. If you have any words of love, questions, suggestions or advice, you can leave them in the comments (plus it makes me very happy to read them). 👇