About 10-15 yers ago, I bought a pair of Champion sweat pants from someplace like KMart. They were terrible. Almost immediately, they started forming those little "pills" that look like tiny balls of lint all over.
I guess I am a slow learner. A couple of weeks ago, I bought another pair of Champion sweat pants. This time it was online. They are already doing the same thing. They are constantly covered with little pills. Drives me crazy.
What causes some fabrics to pill up? Or, more importantly, what should I look for in a cotton fabric that will not do this. Clearly, Champion products are inferior and I will stay away from them, but what do I look for?
My mother used to tell me that polycotton that was at least 60% cotton wouldn't pill. Since I can't stand any poly at all -- it "suffocates" me -- I have no recent experience to back this up.
Probably not, I'm sure Kay will jump in here with a dissertation on long vs. short fiber cotton. IIRC, it's the lack of *quality* of the cotton fibers which cause pilling. At any rate, a simple solution (if you love the garment otherwise) would be:
I take it the "pills" are made up of lint from the environment and not from the garment itself. Is that right? This pair of pants gathers so many pills so quickly that I would think it would vanish like the Cheshire cat if it were coming from its own fibers. ;-)
It's usually a blend that pills. At any rate, with a mixture of stronger and weaker fibers, the weak ones get lost in the laundry and by abrasion, leaving behind the stronger fibers with one end dangling free and getting into mischief by balling up.
Prevention? Dry cleaning helps, or avoiding blends.
Pilling is an characteristic of any man-made fibers. Fabrics containing fibers such as acrylic, nylon, or polyester have a tendency to pill. Abrasion from normal wear and cleaning causes the fibers to unravel and the loose ends ball up on the fabric surface. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, or wool may also pill at times, but the balls of fibers are usually removed during laundering.
When short staple fibers are used in the formation of yarns, the degree of twist is another important factor. Tightly twisted yarns composed of short staple fibers are considered more secure than loosely twisted yarns composed of short staple fibers. Usually the higher the twist of the individual fibers, the moir=E9 securely they are bound and the less likely they are to pill.
Construction of the fabric
The construction of the fabric is also important in determining its susceptibility to pilling. A very tight, compact construction, such as denim, usually pills very little. However, a loosely knitted or woven fabric will show more pilling with both wear and cleaning. Pilling is often more noticeable on knitted fabrics, such as sweaters, than on wovens. Lint often becomes tangled in the little balls of fiber which makes the pilling appear more obvious.
Suggestions for minimizing pilling:
Turn susceptible garments inside out before laundering.=20 Load the washer loosely to provide free circulation and minimize abrasion on the garment.=20 Use a shorter wash time for permanent press, knits, and delicates unless they are heavily soiled.=20 Wash permanent press, knits, and delicates in separate load from articles that have a tendency to lint.=20 Use a fabric softener to reduce static and prevent lint from clinging to the fabrics.=20
Information taken from publications of the Soap and Detergent Association and the Maytag Consumer Education Department
Submitted by Sharon Stevens, HES Extension, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia
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---Irene
------------- "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."
This pair of pants started pilling within a day of wearing. Before they were ever washed. I pick off the pills and they are back in a matter of hours -- certainly within a day.
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