We’ve all been there! Reaching out for our favourite T-shirt just to see it covered in pesky little balls named “pills” or “bobbles”. No matter how much you spend on your clothing, it is bound to get linty and pill after some wear and washing. So, knowing an effective way to remove pilling from clothes is very important to keep your wardrobe looking flawless for longer.
What are lint and pilling?
Lint is simply an accumulation of dirt, debris, hair, and loose fibres appearing on the surface of the clothing. It is sometimes also referred to as “fuzz” (due to its look and texture).
Then comes the pilling. From wearing to washing to rubbing against our bodies, clothing faces high friction and stress in our everyday routine. This leads to breakage within the textile fibres, which further snag and twist with each other, forming little balls of fabric. This process is named “pilling,” and the pesky little fabric balls are called “pills” or “bobbles.”
How to remove lint from clothes in a washing machine?
Many people don’t know this but using a specialty laundry powder is one of the easiest and most effective ways to remove pilling from clothes. For instance, heavy-duty detergent for everyday cleaning, gentle detergent for clothing that’s hardly breaking any sweat etc. This method is not only straight-forward, but it is also much more sustainable than traditional lint removal tools.
Method 1: BIORESTORE Laundry Powder
BIORESTORE Re-Tergent removes lint and pilling and restores the original colour and texture of cotton clothing in one home laundry wash.
To start pick out pilled or lint effected cotton clothes. Separate whites from darks and form small laundry loads. A box of BIORESTORE can restore 6–8 items of adult clothing (depending on size and weight of the clothing). But what if you want to remove lint from only one or two garments? Don’t worry! There are three sachets of laundry powder inside a single box. You can use one sachet of 40 g for items of clothing equivalent to 350 g.
Instead of adding BIORESTORE to the detergent drawer, directly add it to the washer with the garments. This way, it can get in direct contact with the clothing and start working instantly. Run a 40ºC/104ºF cycle on cotton or eco mode for a minimum of 2 hours. The next and final step is to tumble-dry your clothing. If any of the garments don’t allow machine drying, then you can rinse them off with a little detergent and then let them dry naturally.
Pros
- Safe-to-use
- Vegan
- Works on both lint and pilling.
- It makes your clothes look and feel “brand new.”
- Restores the original colour, texture, and handfeel of your clothing
Cons
- Works only on clothing with at least 70% cotton composition.
Method 2: Distilled Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is one of the most popular home remedies for lint. The reason why lint and pet hair, etc. are attracted to your clothing is because of the static cling. By adding vinegar to the final rinse of your laundry cycle, you can reduce the static, thereby reducing the probability of attracting lint in the first place.
Another benefit of using distilled vinegar is that it helps to remove any excess buildup of detergent residue from both clothing and the washing machine. As a result, some of the lint can also be removed from the fabric.
Pros
- Easily available
- Natural and eco-friendly
- Generally inexpensive
- It helps to prevent and remove slight lint.
Cons
- Leaves a vinegar smell in clothing
- Requires patch testing.
- It does not work on pilling.
- Not effective for larger areas of lint
Lint removers for the washing machine
Washing machines can develop a buildup of lint over time, which can transfer to the clothing you are washing. Usually this happens, when we overload the washer, as each fabric doesn’t get enough space to move around freely, restricting the airflow and resulting in extra friction between the clothes as they wash, and lint transferring and clinging to the other garments in the washing machine.
Clothing made of low-quality materials can also create a lot of lint during the washing process, which is then transferred to other items. Finally, using the wrong settings, for example too long wash times, or heavy washing cycles, or even adding extra detergent can lead to lint accumulation. To make your washing machine lint-and-pilling-free, we can use the following tools and methods:
Clean the lint trap regularly
This is the most important step in keeping your washing machine clean. Lint traps catch most of the lint shed during the laundry process. So, it goes without saying that cleaning the lint trap is highly important.
When the trap is already crammed with previous lint, not only will it become ineffective in capturing lint, but it can also transfer the previously accumulated lint to the clothes in the washer.
As a rule of thumb, it’s recommended to clean the lint trap of your laundry machine every month or so. Otherwise, whenever you notice that the lint trap is full, you can go ahead and clean it before it causes any more problems.
Run an empty cycle with vinegar
For a home method which is pretty straightforward. Simply run a hot-water cycle with 2 cups of white vinegar, but don’t toss any clothes in the washer. As a result, the lint stuck to the sides and walls of your washing machine will loosen and shed away.
Keep in mind that vinegar is a home remedy and, hence, not 100% effective. Even after completing this method, you can find some lint hidden in deep crevices or hidden areas of the laundry machine.
If your washing machine has been neglected for a while and is heavily clogged with lint, you may need to follow instructions mentioned in the next step (check below).
Professional lint removers for washing machines
There are commercial lint removers for washing machines available on the market that can be used to get rid of deeply embedded lint and pilling. While running an empty cycle with vinegar and cleaning the lint trap are helpful tips, in some cases, we may need something more powerful than that.
Commercial cleaning tablets from popular brands, including Afresh, CLR, and Glisten, have proven to be highly beneficial in cleaning linted washing machines. Plus, they are extremely easy to use. Just put a tablet in the washer and run a long hot-water cycle as per the instructions. Ta-da! Your machine is brand new again.
Wrapping Up!
Lint and piling on clothes can be a real challenge. Luckily, there are simple methods to remove pilling from clothes in washing machine such as BIORESTORE Laundry powder. Other than that, there are several methods available for cleaning washing machines as well. These include cleaning your lint trap regularly, using some home remedies, or consulting professional products/services. By following these tips and tricks, you can keep both your clothing and your laundry machine brand-new for longer.
Sameer Seo