Yikes! What do you do when you pull one of your favorite sweaters from the dryer and it's covered in those dreaded pills? First, take a deep breath. Your sweater can look new again in no time.
![Remove-the-Dreaded-Pilling-2](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/bccbf813-bea9-4d78-9727-7a30b5bd2721.jpg)
First of all, those unsightly little balls are groups of short or broken fibers on the surface of the fabric that become tangled together to form a tiny ball called a pill. To hinder pills from appearing, turn your garment inside out before laundering and air-dry your clothes. Switching to a liquid laundry detergent and using the gentle cycle will also deter pilling. But sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you may end up with a garment covered in little fuzz balls.
Video of the Day
![Remove-the-dreaded-pilling-close-up](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/001431d5-f745-43f1-a6e7-49b6409bbf5e.jpg)
No need for despair. Just grab an ordinary razor from your medicine cabinet to get rid of those unattractive little pills.
![remove-the-dreaded-pilling-shave](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/4f962057-9eb5-4c35-8e5f-44051b07b5db.jpg)
Yes, I did say razor. All you have to do is shave your sweater with an everyday, run-of-the-mill razor. Steer clear of using razors with built in lotions or lubricants, though. Just use a plain-Jane razor. No need to buy any special equipment to get your sweater looking like new again.
![Remove-the-dreaded-pilling-shave-lightly](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/6d35733b-55ec-4a47-919b-df502e55776b.jpg)
Lay your sweater out on flat surface and proceed to "shave" it with the razor. Just press lightly, and take your time to prevent accidentally slicing a hole in the fabric. Continue until you've removed all of those nasty little balls.
![Remove-the-dreaded-pilling-pile-of-fuzz-5](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/9ff7efcb-88d4-41c1-b25d-9c52ef415e5c.jpg)
Good as new!
![Freshly shaved sweater](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/a3e7c432-68e7-41ec-b1ee-56905ce1ed8e.jpg)