How to Hand Wash a Sweater and Remove Pills

There’s no better company during a cold, breezy night than your sweaters. It’s cozy, warm and when you find the perfect one, you feel like you have an unlimited supply of cuddles. But sometimes, our favorite sweaters can take up too much time and effort when doing laundry, as they are made of more sensitive materials such as wool, cotton or cashmere. Most times, these sweaters also require that hand wash them, as well as do a bit of de-pilling as the wear and tear takes place.

First, what is pilling and how can it be prevented?

We’ve all seen those little balls of firm lint that rolls up on our favorite clothing, especially sweaters. Pilling occurs as a result of the normal wear and tear in our clothing, as these pills are broken fibers that tend to get tangled and attract micro-threads during the wash cycle. Over time, they pile up and turn into little balls, but don’t worry, because you prevent pilling on your sweaters! Here are some tips:

Turn the sweater upside down when washing, especially when machine washing.
Fasten all buttons and zippers before starting your wash cycle, as rubbing on these hard surfaces may damage fibers in sweaters.
Opt for sweater fabrics that are more tightly-woven, since pilling is more common on garments with loose fibers.

But if it’s already too late for you to do these steps and pilling has already started, here are some ways for you to remove the pills:

Place the garment on a flat surface.
Use a razor blade or scissors and carefully remove pills.
You can also use tools that can be gentler on your sweater, such as fine-toothed combs, pumice stone, or a fruit zester.
Invest in a sweater comb or a battery operated fabric shaver, as it can also help in removing pills on your jeans, shirts, sportswear and even your blankets!

Now that we’ve laid that all out, let’s now list down how to properly wash and care for your sweaters:

Turn your sweater upside down before washing.
Use a gentle wash cycle, or for better results, just hand wash your sweaters.
Check you care label instructions so you know how to properly handle your sweater depending on your material. This is helpful especially when spot treating any persistent stains that are not fully removed by your laundry detergent.
Use gentle laundry detergent, specifically those that do not contain dyes that will ruin your sweaters.
Rinse completely and make sure to remove any excess water.
Air dry your sweater by laying down on a flat surface and make sure that it is completely dry before taking away.

If you find these steps too much and you simply do not have the time to do these, you can always entrust it to a nearby dry cleaning service. They have experts in laundry who are trained to cater to the needs of your garments, so all you need to do is book their services and wait as they deliver it back to you!

Sweaters can be a lot of tedious laundry work, but you just need to find the perfect hacks so you can prolong the life of you favorite sweater! You can now have more time to indulge in the warmth and coziness of your beloved sweaters and you no longer have to worry about them pilling!