How does one remove the little round balls of wool which form on a woolen shawl or blanket?

Answer 1

You could use scissors or one of those battery operated fuzz shavers.
However, by doing this, you are actually weakening the fabric because you are cutting the threads.
It is better to learn how to avoid the problem by washing the item on the gentle cycle in a machine, or washing it by hand. If it is a garment, wash it inside out (by hand or by machine) and lay it flat to dry. They make special net drying gadgets with frames to hold the item up off the table and speed up the drying time. If it does pill, it will be on the inside of the garment. There are also special mesh bags made for washing delicate items. You can put the item inside the bag, zip it up and toss it in the washer. With the blanket, you could wash it in the delicate cycle, then hang it outside to dry. This should cut way down on the pilling.
To repair the damage you already have on the blanket, brushing it in one direction with a soft hairbrush may help a little.

Answer 2

You can remove the pills by shaving carefully with a regular disposable razor. You can also purchase a pill razor or electric shaver through sites that sell knitting supplies- like Patternworks. They also sell something called a sweater stone. It's a lot like a hand size pumice stone, that you lightly rub over the surface to catch the pills. Smells nasty when you first take off the cover, but the smell doesn't transfer to the wool at all.
Mind that those pills represent some of the wool making up the shawl or blanket- and when you remove them you will be thinning the wool itself. Eventually you can wear it so thin the wool yarn breaks apart. Be very careful handling woolen items, in storage and washing not to rub the fibers together much- as this encourages pilling. It's why you get them in areas like the under arms and fronts where they naturally get rubbed.

Answer 3

If yoru clothes are made of cotton they will do this for a while until all the excess stuff comes off and your shirts are no longer stretchable. If it's some other fabric you may want to try reading the directions for washing on the tag
or

It could be cashmere, wool, flannel, cotton, or even a synthetic fiber, but chances are, one of your favorite sweaters will eventually pill. Pilling occurs when groups of fibers break, tangle, and mat together, making the texture of the sweater rough and decidedly unattractive. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent pilling, such as following the manufacturer’s care instructions, turning the garment inside out before washing, making sure to use the gentle cycle (and shorter washing-machine cycles in general), removing the garment from the dryer immediately, and brushing the sweater regularly with a lint or bristled garment brush. But if pills do appear, you can try one of the following techniques to remove them.

Remove the little balls, one pill at a time, using a small pair of scissors or a razor blade, being careful not to damage the fabric by cutting too close to the surface. Or, you can purchase a sweater comb or electric fabric shaver, then drag it across the fabric to remove the pills. These battery-operated devices can also be used on furniture and blankets; they’re are available in various sizes and usually come with removable rings designed to protect delicate textiles. Just be sure that you aren’t wearing the garment while de-pilling it, and remember to empty the pill trap when it’s full.

Answer 4

You can actually buy a 'sweater/blanket razor'. You rub it across the material and it takes those little balls off without ruining the fabric or wool. Don't you just hate those things?!?!

Answer 5

Believe it or not, you can shave them. I learned this from a roommate at college. He held the cloth tight with one hand while holding a straight edge razor in the other. He then shaved his clothes & off came the little fuzzies!

Answer 6

try some duck tape rolled sticky side out. Works like the sticky roller they sell. Or a fabric shaver that they sell in fabric stores works well.

Answer 7

Pull or shave them off. You can buy a special device for this. Next time hand wash your woollens! Call me Martha....

Answer 8

they sell something that shaves them off, it looks just like a guys electric razor. you just run it over the surface, you can find them probably with crafts or a fabric store

Answer 9

the balls are called pills. the action to remove them is to de-pill, or to card. you can buy a de-piller, carder. this device will solve your problem.

Answer 10

just giv to a drycleaner he'll manage dont worry
bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!