Pilling is a property of wool, because woollen yarns are spun from the fleece of a sheep. A sheep's fleece consists of short fibres; the fibres do tend to come out of the yarn now and then and then clump together into a little ball. The 'younger' the wool, the greater the chance of pilling. So the chance of pilling is greatest with a lambswool jumper, this is a young fleece. For jumpers made of merino wool, the fleece of the Merino sheep is used, which is much finer and softer, so that the pilling of the fabric will be much less.
Pilling is mainly activated by friction. It often starts on the elbows and under the arms. Therefore, get good advice about the right size: too big or too small can actually cause extra pilling while wearing.
Don't wear your wool jumper for days on end, but give it time to rest. This actually applies to all your clothing and shoes.
It sounds strange, but wash your wool jumper with appropriate regularity. Do this on a suitable programme (max. 30 0C, low spin and wool wash programme). Use a detergent for this that is suitable for delicate clothing. Through regular washing, the loose fibres disappear from the jumper. This gives the fibres less chance to clump together and form a little ball. Always wash the jumper inside out.
Only suitable for hand washing? Here too, make sure the water is not too warm (lukewarm) and don't use too much detergent. Only rinse the jumper through, don't rub it, because that activates the loose fibres.
Also pay close attention to what you wear over your jumper. A label on a jacket or a seatbelt can already cause pilling.
Even if you do your best and are careful with your fine lambswool pullover. It is always possible that pilling occurs anyway. Fortunately, there are various ways to get rid of it again. A few tips for you:
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And right away the most effective:
buy a fabric shaver and shave the pullover in rotating movements, pulling the pullover slightly taut. Take your time with this and you'll see that the colour of the pullover also becomes less dull again. - Buy a fabric comb and do pretty much the same as with tip 1, but by your own hand power and in straight lines over the pullover.
- Never pull the pilling off the pullover by hand; this can damage more than it improves.
- Can't figure it out at all? Then drop by with your favourite jumper at one of our shops and we can show you the best way to treat your jumper.
If you're bothered by your lovely merino wool jumper becoming static, for example when putting it on and taking it off, then you can wash it with a little bit of fabric softener. This creates a thin film layer over the jumper, so that it discharges better.
