Did you see a fuzz ball on an alpaca woolen garment? Panic not! Pilling is a normal occurrence for woolen items. Even though alpaca wool doesn’t pill easily, you are probably wondering how you can remove fuzz balls safely from an alpaca woolen garment.
Győr You can remove fuzz balls from woolen garments by shaving them off, using either a simple hand razor or (electric) lint remover. Gently pass the blade following the pattern of the garment until the fuzz ball comes off. Instead of using pressure, repeat the movement if it doesn’t come off in one go.
All woolen garments are prone to pilling due to friction. For more information as to how, why, and when alpaca woolen products pill, I recommend my other article:
- buying cytotec with no rx Does Alpaca Wool Pill? (Causes, Prevention and Solutions)
Luckily there are several ways to remove fuzz balls easily, quickly and safely!*
*NOTE: Always be careful when removing fuzz balls from alpaca woolen garments. While it is generally safe to remove fuzz balls using different types of devices, you will need to practise caution in order not to damage your garment permanently!
How Do You Remove Fuzz Balls from Alpaca Woolen Items Using a Razor?
The simplest way to remove a fuzz ball from a woolen garment is by using a razor. Find the hair or wool fiber that connects the fuzz ball to the garment. Gently shave it off using minimal pressure. Use repeated movements instead of increased pressure to prevent making holes in your garment.
The simplest way to remove a fuzz ball from a woolen garment is by using a razor. 
Use a simple razor – without gel, oil or soap. 
Find the individual hair(s) that connect the fuzz ball to the garment. 
Gently shave off the fuzz ball using minimal pressure. 
Use repeated movements instead of increased pressure to prevent making holes in your garment.
Pilling occurs when there is friction between different fibers that don’t belong to the same strand of yarn. Basically, loose fibers interlock with other fibers on a different part of the surface of a garment and form a little ball: a fuzz ball (or bobble).
Due to friction the individual hairs can get damaged and break free. When they are loosened up, they can move away from their strand and interlock with other fibers. Those other fibers don’t necessarily have to be broken or damaged, in fact, they can still be tightly interlocked between “good” fibers.
When you use a razor to remove the fuzz ball, you will need to look for that connecting hair and make sure that you shave off the ball while damaging as little fibers as possible.
Don’t use increased pressure if the fuzz ball doesn’t come off in one go. Sometimes, there are several hairs that keep it attached to the garment and you will need to be patient and repeat the movement.
Use the simplest razor possible: with a small surface it will be easier to find target the connecting hair. A razor with few blades will help prevent cutting off hairs that are not supposed to be cut off. Avoid razors with gells, perfume or oils.
How Do You Remove Fuzz Balls from Alpaca Woolen Items Using a Lint Remover?
You can remove fuzz balls with an electric or manual lint remover, by strictly using the instructions on the manual of the device. Lint removers exist in many different forms and shapes and it will depend on the equipment how the pills need to be removed.
Generally, electric lint removers have a hole with sharp edges that “catches” the pill and then cuts it off. While electric lint removers are very efficient, they are also prone (and known!) for damaging garments easily.
When lint removers are too harsh or rough on a garment, they can easily cut off a bigger part of a fiber than just the fuzz ball. When this happens, it is very possible that it can leave a hole in your garment, or at least cause enough damage to leave a garment more vulnerable.
Manual lint removers or shavers sometimes come in a long design – as if it were a very wide razor – with tiny little blades on the tool. While these gadgets can be very efficient and easier to use without electricity. However, depending on the design, they can also be more difficult to use as their razors cover a larger surface.
To be on the safe side, look for lint shavers that can be applied to a small surface only. It might be more work to “shave” your garment, but it will be worth it to not ruin your expensive alpaca woolen item!
Can You Remove Fuzz Balls from Alpaca Woolen Garments Using Scissors?
It is not recommended to use scissors to remove fuzz balls from alpaca woolen garments. Scissors can be big and bulky which can make it hard to aim accurately.
When removing fuzz balls, it is important to only remove the hairs and fibers that are connecting the fuzzball to the garment. Scissors can easily cut away more hairs than necessary, causing unnecessary damage to an alpaca woolen garment.
Can You Pull Fuzz Balls from Alpaca Woolen Garments?
It is not recommended to remove fuzz balls by pulling them out of a garment. Alpaca wool is known to be very strong and simply pulling the fuzz ball might not break the connecting hair, which can potentially cause the garment to deform.
While it is not very likely that pulling a fuzz ball will deform your garment, it is certainly possible.
Alpacas have long and strong hairs that are tightly interlocked between other hairs. These bundles of hair together form the yarn, which is kept in place by tiny scales on the alpaca fiber.
In a worst case scenario, you could pull a long hair that is still tightly connected to the other hairs and then pulls an entire piece of yarn out of its place.
Is It Safe to Remove Fuzz Balls from Alpaca Woolen Garments?
Removing fuzz balls with a razor or lint remover is safe as long as you practise caution. Alpaca wool is made of different individual hairs (twisted together into yarn) that can be damaged when they are exposed to sharp items. Pulling fuzz balls or cutting them off with scissors is not safe, however.
When removing fuzz balls, you basically cut off the undamaged fibers in order to remove the ball. By doing this, you will eliminate the bobble that makes your garment look old and used, but it increases the opportunity for new fuzz balls to form.
So, while it is safe to remove fuzz balls, it is worth mentioning that it is only a temporary solution. Cutting off the fuzz ball will leave another hair “loose” and as long as the garment is exposed to friction, that means it can form a new fuzz ball.
*NOTE: Always be careful when removing fuzz balls from alpaca woolen garments. While it is generally safe to remove fuzz balls using different types of devices, you will need to practise caution in order not to damage your garment permanently!
Different Wool Quality Requires a Different Approach!
Removing fuzz balls will be different for different types of wool and blends as they can be of a different quality.
- Baby alpaca has slightly shorter hairs and might therefore be more prone to pilling than regular alpaca wool.
- Regular sheep wool has even shorter hairs and will be even more likely to show fuzz balls. Some types of sheep wool are also thinner (like merino) and will therefore require extra care when removing fuzz balls.
- Polyester or other synthetic fibers are known to pill very quickly. For this reason, alpaca blended with synthetic fibers will pill easily and will require more attention.
- Alpaca wool blended with frizzy fibers like angora or mohair requires extra care because the springy “healthy” mohair or angora fibers can get in the way of the damaged ones.
