Pilling on synthetics
What changes on synthetics. A synthetic pill is anchored by a fibre stronger than the yarn around it, so shaving removes the pill and leaves the anchor to make another.
The method for synthetics
- 1Shave it if you are photographing or wearing it soon, and expect it back after two or three washes.
- 2Use the lowest setting. Synthetic knits are thinner than they look and a shaver goes through fleece easily.
- 3Do not comb. A sweater comb needs a fibre that breaks, and polyester does not break.
- 4Wash inside out, cold, on a gentle cycle, and never with anything abrasive like denim or towels.
- 5Accept the ceiling: on a fleece, pilling is the wear indicator. It is what a heavily worn fleece looks like and there is no version where it goes away for good.
What ruins it
Do not treat this the way you would treat wool pilling. Wool pills are dead fibre coming off; synthetic pills are the garment telling you how much life it has left.
The general case, and what it costs you
The general method, the detection notes and what this does to a garment's resale value are on the pilling page.
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