How to Remove Pilling from Bedding and Sheets

Few things age a bedroom faster than bobbly bedding. Those little balls of fibre make sheets feel scratchy against your skin and look worn out long before they actually are. Before you spend 40 pounds on a new set, know this: pilled bedding can be restored to smooth in about ten minutes.

Why bedding pills

You spend seven or eight hours a night moving against your sheets - that's more friction than any jumper ever gets. Polycotton blends pill worst because the tough polyester fibres trap the loose cotton ones into balls. Brushed cotton and flannelette pill too, especially after washing at high temperatures. (Curious about the science? See our full explainer on why fabrics pill.)

The fastest fix: an electric fabric shaver

Bedding is actually the easiest thing to de-bobble because it's flat and large. Here's the method:

1. Put the sheet or duvet cover on the bed - the mattress makes a perfect taut work surface. Smooth out wrinkles.
2. Use a high speed setting. Bedding fabric is dense and tightly woven, so use your fabric shaver on its highest speed for the fastest results.
3. Work in long straight rows like mowing a lawn, slightly overlapping each pass.
4. Focus on the middle third - the zone your body actually touches pills far more than the edges.
5. Empty the lint chamber as you go; a double duvet cover can fill it two or three times.

Pillowcases and fitted sheets

Pillowcases pill fastest of all (stubble is basically sandpaper). Slide the pillowcase over an ironing board or leave the pillow inside to keep it taut, then shave as above. For fitted sheets, de-bobble them while fitted on the mattress - the elastic keeps everything perfectly tight.

Stop your bedding pilling again

• Wash at 40C, not 60C - hot washes weaken cotton fibres and accelerate pilling.
• Don't overload the machine; bedding needs room to move without grinding against itself.
• Line dry or low-heat tumble - high heat roughens fibre ends.
• Skip the fabric conditioner on polycotton - it coats fibres and can worsen bobbling over time.
• A quick monthly once-over with the shaver keeps bedding smooth permanently.

Smooth sheets aren't a luxury - they're ten minutes with a LintGone Pro. Works just as well on blankets and throws, too.