Excessive Pilling

[kb0nes]

Hi All,

Here is a query for the collected wisdom of the laundry experts here.

What can be done about excessive "pilling" of fabrics in the laundry. Annette seems to be having horrible issues with most all her laundry starting to pill, especially any naturally nappy fabrics, flannel fleece etc.

The appliances in question are an fairly late model Amana TL washer and a mid 80's Whirlpool Super Capacity Gas dryer.

I have researched a bit and seen all the recommendations regarding turning garments inside out and closing zippers etc. But the question is if there is any known influence from various detergents, softeners or even the water itself. It seems as if the problem is worse then it was at her previous residence (same washer but an electric Amana dryer).

Any hints?

Thanks,

Phil Lefever
KB0NES
Burnsville, MN

 

[mrboilwash]

Some TOL detergents like Tide contain an enzyme called Cellulase, which is supposed to eat away exsisting pills from cotton fabrics.
As to prevent pilling not to overload the washer or to buy better quality clothes would come to my mind.

 

[rp2813]

We have the same issue with our fleece sheets.  We have a FL Affinity pair and use powdered Tide most of the time.

 

[gmmcnair]

White Vinegar...

White vinegar helps with fuzzing and pilling, and pet hair. I line dry quite a bit and since lint filters seem to be a thing of the past on modern machines, I've had more problems. The vinegar is a good rinsing agent and will help remove anything loose along with extra detergent residue.

Whirlpool dryers from that era also tend to dry clothes to very dry on their automatic settings. Might want to try setting things for slightly less dry. My mother's Kenmore (1981 model) dries clothing perfectly with the setting one notch drier than "less dry." Over-drying can contribute to the problem too.

 

[polkanut]

Pilling can also be caused by the amount of wear, and the quality of the garment(s) in question.  We have a 35+ year old set of bed linens which has for the most part been in continuous use since new, and the sheets have next to nothing in the way of pills on them.  The material is a 50/50 polyester/cotton blend made by the now defunct Bibb Manufacturing Co. of Columbus GA.

 

[mixfinder]

Shedding

Looser fabric composition and knits especially, can be prone to shedding loose milling.  I have fleece sheets and for the first several months pilling was more noticiable on the bed, at the foot between the sheets and between the bedspread and top sheet.  I wash fleece, towels and any new garmets by itelf using regular agitation to loosen the milling and fabric softener with warm rinse to relax the fiber.  After time the fleece sheets got better but now one side of the reversible coverlet is permanantly covered with bits from the fleece.  Often pilling is loose milling from other fabrics catching on the harsher or more sturdy fibers of a non shedding item.  I  always sort by color, weight and soil so that laundry from the  washer will be done in the same time in the dryer.   In some extreme cases the action of the agitator can abraid clothes in a machine that is overloaded when the there is little or no roll over.  Conversly an underloaded tumbler machine seems to be a little rougher on fabrics based on my experince. Once pilled, a fabric shaver, dry sponge, pumice stone or even a safety razor can be used to free the loose fabric "pimples".  I have rough stubble and when I wear a sweater with a turtleneck it isn't long until I have sweater balls rolling around the top of the neckline and over time some of my favorite sweaters are destined to rag bag.  In extreme cases when I really liked the garmet in question and it seemed a daunting task i have taken clothes to the cleaners and let them "shear" it.

 

[hoovermatic]

I was told by my old Mum never to wash towels with anything other than towels because they cause pilling. Nor sure if this is true but I never have done and have never had a problem with pilling!

 

[sudsmaster]

Most pilling occurs with cotton/polyester blends.

As I understand it, the sequence is roughly:

The cotton part of the fabric tends to break down a bit and cause lint. The polyester portion is stronger, but does have little hairs that extend from the thread. These yarns snag and accumulate the cotton lint, creating the "pill".

The anti-pilling detergents do contain cellulase, which tends to dissolve the cotton lint before it gets into pills. But since the polyester is unaffected and always there, any source of lint in excess of what the detergent can dissolve (like a cotton towel in the same load) could cause more pilling.

Pure cotton fabrics rarely if ever pill. Also, pure polyester tends not to pill so much - but I'd make an exception for certain synthetic items, like the nice soft synthetic blankets with a fuzzy surface and a relatively loose weave. The cats love it, but the fuzz tends to clump after just one washing, and I haven't figured out any way to get rid of it (short of brushing out and away all the clumps), although adding fabric softener to the wash seems to reduce the clumping. These are not exactly pills, but they do detract from the finish.

I once had a cheap fuzzy sweater in junior high school that was apparently some synthetic (don't ask, my mom got it for me). It pilled very readily, and I used to amuse myself during boring classes by picking out the pills (they were about the size of dimes!) and building a little pile on my desk. That is, until one teacher got annoyed with it and commanded me to stop in no uncertain terms. I think he was more annoyed with the fact that I paid little apparent attention to his rants but still managed to get straight A's. LOL. The sweater was warm so I hated to see it go but eventually the pilling got so bad there wasn't much left of it! I don't think I've ever had a fuzzy sweater since then.

Poly fleece linings and synthetic thermal sweaters/undergarments also pill notoriously.

If one sticks with natural fibers, and high quality versions thereof, like long stable cotton and wool, pilling doesn't seem to happen much if at all.

 

[beekeyknee]

Pilling.

I always wash towels, sheets, and white bleachables by them selves. And I always wait until all the towels are dirty and then wash them all at once so I won't have towels on the bottom of the stack that never get used. I fact I rotate everything, even dishes.

As for pills and worn sheets at the foot of the bed, I've know people not to take good care of their feet that have scraggly old toenails and callouses and they end up shredding their sheets.

 

[haxisfan]

It only happens to my pillow case when I haven't shaved for a few days... I din't think it was anything to do with washing.

 

[laundromat]

I agree with "Hoovermatic" I never wash towels,washcloths,rags or flannel with anything else. I wash my dress shirts and slacks apart from jeans and underware or "T" shirts.I wash all of my towels,washcloths,underware,socks and sheets in hot (200F)water. Everything else in warm.When I was a bouncer at a gay club in Orlando,FL.,we had a blacklight to show the stamp given to those who already paid their entrance fees.So many of them would walk through and all of the lint that was built up in their shirts from washing them together with their towels would be extremely visible.Tiny dots of lint all over.It reminded me of the radioactive dye that was used when I had chemo done that would glow in the dark.

 

[mixfinder]

Visual

You'll have to ease with up with the provacative dialogue Brian or this thread will get moved to Dirty Laundry.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Polyester

I have a pure polyester T-shirt and it pills quite badly. Yet I have another that does not.

I think it depends on the weave and knitting of the material.