Clothing Care
How to Pack Linen Shirts to Reduce Wrinkles
Fold or roll, layer, and unpack linen shirts so they arrive needing only a quick hang and steam — honest packing steps, since linen always creases a little.
Care guide
How to Remove Pilling from Knitwear
Pills are loose fibres tangling on the surface where the knit rubs. How you lift them off — and whether you should reach for a tool at all — depends on the yarn and what the label and tool instructions allow.
Begin hereHow-to
Removing pills from knitwear without damaging it
To remove pilling from knitwear, first distinguish loose surface pills from pulled loops or damage. Check the garment and tool instructions, support the fabric without stretching it, and test a small area if the method is suitable. Stop if yarn catches or the surface thins. Some delicate knits are better assessed by a specialist than shaved at home.
Pills or snags? Read the surface first
A pill is a little ball of loose fibres tangled on top of the fabric, usually where the garment rubs — under the arms, at the sides, wherever a bag strap crosses. A snag or pulled loop is different: a strand of the yarn itself has been drawn out of the knit and is still attached at both ends. The distinction matters because the first can be lifted off, while the second must be eased back inside — cutting it turns the loop into a hole.
Myth
Pills are a defect you can always shave off safely, whatever the knit.
Fact
Whether any tool is safe depends on the yarn, the knit's density and what the maker's care advice allows. Loose, open or delicate knits can catch or thin under a blade, which is why compatibility comes before technique — and why some garments are better assessed by a knitwear specialist.
| Knit you are holding | Commonly suitable first step | Handle with caution or escalate |
|---|---|---|
| Dense, sturdy knit (a robust lambswool or hard-wearing cotton) | A sweater comb in short, light strokes, working a small area first | A fabric shaver, if its instructions list the fabric as suitable and the blade is fresh |
| Smooth, tighter-spun yarn (many merino and cotton knits) | A shaver or comb per the tool instructions, tested on a hidden patch | Heavy passes over seams, edges and fine-gauge panels |
| Fine, fuzzy or loosely spun yarn (cashmere, loose-spun merino) | Hand-picking individual pills that release easily | Blades and combs entirely, if the yarn catches — ask a knitwear specialist instead |
| Any knit with snags, pulled loops or thin patches | Ease loops back through to the inside; treat surface pills only once that is done | Running any tool over the damaged area — have a tailor or re-knit service assess it |
Slowing the next round down
Pilling is driven by friction, so the habits that matter are the ones that reduce rubbing. The care label sets what washing is actually safe for your garment; where it allows machine washing, washing inside out on a gentle cycle and less often reduces agitation against the surface. Storing knits folded rather than on hangers, and keeping rough contact — bag straps, coarse coat linings — off the fabric, reduces the day-to-day rubbing that feeds pills.
Worth doing
- Follow the care label's wash instructions first; they outrank any general rule.
- Wash knits inside out on a gentle cycle where the label allows machine washing.
- Store knits folded so the shoulders are not stretched over a hanger.
Not worth doing
- Expecting any washing routine to remove existing pills — it will not.
- Assuming a gentler routine guarantees pilling stops; some yarns keep shedding short fibres for a while.
- Judging a garment's quality by whether it pills at all — fibre length and twist vary, and almost every knit pills eventually.
Where this fits
- Clothing care hub ↗
The parent guide to caring for the rest of the wardrobe.
- How to read clothing care labels ↗
The label check this page keeps referring to, explained symbol by symbol.
- How to style a knit dress for smart casual ↗
Keeping a knit you have restored in regular, well-dressed rotation.
Sources
- Knitwear maker care advice (garment labels and maker care pages, such as Woolmark's knitwear care guidance, woolmark.com) — supports the friction, washing and storage background; checked 2026-09.
- Instructions supplied with fabric shavers and sweater combs — the authority for which fabrics a tool suits, blade or mesh condition, and pressure or settings; checked 2026-09.
- No independent laboratory testing was carried out for this page; process claims rest on the maker and tool guidance above, and the limits described are stated as such.
What you will finish with.
You can tell surface pills from snags, choose a method that suits the yarn and the tool's own instructions, and stop before damage — while accepting that some knits will keep pilling for a while whatever you do.
Have these ready.
- The garment's care label checked first — it may name washing restrictions or fibre details that shape which methods are safe.
- The tool you plan to use, with its own instructions at hand — a fabric shaver with a fresh blade or mesh, or a sweater comb, whichever suits the knit.
- A flat, hard surface to work on, good light, and time to test a small hidden area before treating visible panels.
One step at a time.
Tell pills from snags before you touch anything
Look closely at the affected areas in good light. Pills sit on top of the fabric as little fibre balls and sit proud of the surface; snags and pulled loops are strands drawn out of the knit itself, attached at both ends. Cluster location helps too — pills gather where the garment rubs, such as under the arms and along bag-strap lines.
Check: You can point to the marks and say which are loose pills and which are pulled loops, and you have set aside any snagged areas for loop treatment instead.
Check the garment and the tool before choosing a method
Read the care label and note any fibre or washing information that bears on how delicate the yarn is. Then read the tool's own instructions — shaver and comb makers state which fabrics their products suit and what pressure or settings to use. If the knit is loose, open or fine, or the instructions do not cover it, plan to hand-pick or consult a specialist rather than shave.
Check: You can say which methods the label and tool instructions leave open for this garment, and which are ruled out.
Support the fabric without stretching it
Lay the knit flat on a hard surface and smooth it into its natural shape, supporting the area you work on with your free hand rather than pulling it taut. Stretching a knit while a tool passes over it can distort the fabric and encourage cutting into the yarn. Let the tool do the lifting with light pressure, working around seams and edges rather than straight over them.
Check: The fabric lies relaxed and flat while you work — you are not pulling it drum-tight — and the tool is moving at the pressure and settings its instructions describe.
Stop at catching or thinning — and never cut a pulled loop
Work a small hidden area first if the method is new to the garment, then continue only while pills lift cleanly away. If yarn starts catching, the surface thins, or a loop pulls up, stop that method. A pulled loop is not a pill: easing it back through to the inside with a fine tool preserves the knit, while cutting it flush creates a hole that needs mending.
Check: No area looks thinner or fuzzier than its neighbours, no loop has been cut, and any pulled loop you found has been eased to the inside rather than trimmed.
Reduce friction going forward, guided by the label
Pills form where the knit rubs, so change what it rubs against: wash per the label's instructions, inside out on the gentlest cycle it allows, and less often than habit suggests. Keep bag straps and coarse linings off the surface, and store the knit folded. Do this to slow new pilling — not because any routine removes pills you already have or guarantees the knit stops pilling altogether.
Check: Your next wash followed the label and ran inside out on a gentle setting, and the sweater is stored folded rather than on a hanger.
Check your result.
If it is not working yet.
The shaver or comb left thin or fuzzy patches
Too much pressure, a dull blade or an unsuitable match between tool and knit has cut into the surface. Stop treating that area at once — do not try to even it out with more passes. A thin patch may not recover, which is why a badly thinned area is one for a knitwear specialist or tailor to assess rather than a reason to rest the garment and hope.
The pills come straight back after one wear
Fast regrowth usually means the friction source is still there — the carry strap, the coat sleeve, or a wash routine rougher than the label intends. Change what the knit rubs against and how you wash it, within what the label allows. Some yarns, particularly finer or fuzzier ones, shed short fibres heavily in their early wears; how long that lasts varies by yarn, and no routine can promise when it stops.
Snags and pulled loops are mixed in with the pills
Never cut a pulled loop flush — that creates a hole. Ease the loop back through to the inside of the garment using a fine crochet hook or a blunt needle, then deal with the surface pills separately. If a loop has already been cut or the knit is damaged, a visible mend or a tailor's re-knit repair is the honest next step.
Keep exploring.
Clothing Care
What to Do About Linen Shirt Wrinkles Without an Iron
Diagnose which kind of linen wrinkles you have, check the care label before adding water, steam or heat, try low-intervention fixes with honest limits, and know when to stop and hand the shirt to a cleaner.
What to Wear
Merino Wool Benefits: Why It's the Smart Casual Knit
Merino wool benefits explained plainly: no itch, real temperature control, less odor, travel-friendly wrinkles, plus summer rules, downsides and care.