What is Fabric Pilling? How to Prevent It and How to Easily Fix It

It's time to talk about fabric pilling! While not the most exciting topic in the world, we find it comes up in the furniture business and we have some info, tips, and tricks to help you in case you ever encounter it.

First things first, pilling is not a fabric defect. Pilling happens when fibers in the material become loose and the friction caused by movement on the fibers, causes them to ball up. This is why you'll see pilling on everything from your favorite sweatshirt to the gorgeous area rug you just bought.

Second, pilling is easily treatable. Because pilling is normal, there are tons of tools on the market to help remove pilling if it forms on your fabrics. One of our favorite methods is to use a fabric de-fuzzing (or pill removing) tool. It is a handheld device that quickly and effectively removes pilling from nearly any surface. We recommend using the Conair Fabric Defuzzer.

Thinking of preventing fabric pilling? It is possible, but do know that all fabrics will pill at least a little bit during their lifetime. However, there are some textiles that are less likely to pill. For example, smooth, tightly woven fabrics are more likely to pill because the fabric is so tightly held together that when it starts to shed, the material has a hard time getting rid of the excess. Natural fabrics (vs. man-made fabrics) are less likely to pill because they release extra fibers much more easily.

Is fabric pilling preventable? Realistically, no. However, there are a number of choices you can make and tools you can use to mitigate the likelihood of pilling.