The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
What Causes Pills to Appear on Clothes?
Pills appear on fabric when groups of short or broken fibers become tangled together in a tiny knot orball.
A pill, unfortunately, becomes a magnet for other loose threads in a wash load and entangle.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
That’s why a black fabric ends up with little white knots.
That white knot is fuzz from another fabric.
Knitted fabrics tend to pill more than woven fabrics because the threads are looser.
If choosing a knitted fabric, pick one that is tightly knit over a looser knit.
When fabrics contain mixed fibers like a cotton/polyester blend, one fiber is usually much stronger than the other.
The weaker fiber will break, knot around to the stronger fiber, and form a pill.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Pilling occurs on leggings most often in the crotch area where the fabric rubs together with each step.
If the pilling continues, the fabric can become weakened and cause holes.
Dryer balls do not cause pilling.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
They help prevent pilling by helping clothes dry more quickly.
Always use natural wool dryer balls rather than plastic ones that can snag fabrics.
Once pills appear on fabrics, they are likely to continue appearing unless you change your laundry habits.
Illustration: The Spruce / Catherine Song
Study on pilling performance of polyester-cotton blended woven fabrics.Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics, vol.
