September 18, 2025, 9:02 am | Read time: 4 minutes
What to do when your favorite fluffy sweater and oversized cozy scarf leave annoying lint everywhere and there’s no lint roller at hand? myHOMEBOOK reveals four tricks to make lint a thing of the past.
On your pants, in your hair, on the seat—lint is simply everywhere, and the most annoying part: It keeps coming back. Our four tips ensure your favorite sweater sheds less, and if it does happen—how to quickly and effortlessly remove lint.
Why Does Clothing Lint?
When clothing starts to lint after washing, it rarely has to do with the wrong wash cycle or fabric softener. Friction can cause small fibers or fiber pieces to detach from the fabric and cling to its surface. This friction occurs from frequent wearing and washing. Linting is particularly common with short-fiber natural materials like wool or cotton. However, there are several tips to prevent or remove lint.
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How to Stop a Sweater from Linting?
Hair Conditioner on the Sweater
What makes hair healthier and more beautiful also helps against unsightly wool lint. It’s logical, as hair conditioners smooth out unruly hair. Simply rub the conditioner onto the wool piece, let it sit, and then put the sweater or scarf in the washing machine and wash at 30 degrees. Note: If the wool piece cannot be washed hot, this trick won’t work.
Vinegar in the Washing Machine
Vinegar smells, but it’s effective at removing lint. Instead of fabric softener, add a cap of vinegar to the washing machine. Then wash as usual. After the vinegar wash, wash the wool piece again with fabric softener. Lint should no longer be a problem. And thanks to the second wash, your favorite piece won’t smell like vinegar.
Sweater in the Freezer
Before shock-freezing the lint, wash the sweater. The damp garment then goes into a laundry bag or freezer bag and into the freezer. Leave it there for two days and voilà: The lint problem is solved.
Also interesting: Should You Wash Clothes and Towels Together?
Wash Clothes Inside Out
Admittedly, this is only half a trick to remove lint. However, it still serves its purpose. Washing clothes inside out ensures that the greatest friction during washing, where unwanted fiber accumulations can occur, happens on the inside of the garment. While you can’t completely avoid lint, you will see significantly less of it when you turn your favorite shirt inside out.
How to Remove Existing Lint?
Rolling Pin with Tape
If you don’t have a lint roller at hand, you can easily make one yourself. Provided you have a rolling pin and packing tape at home. Wrap the tape around the rolling pin so the sticky side is on the outside. Simply roll it over the lint-covered area, and you’re done. The lint sticks to the tape. For individual lint spots, you can also wrap the tape around your hand or stick strips onto the wool piece and peel them off.
Pantyhose Helps Remove Lint
If the cozy sweater only has light lint, pantyhose can help remove it. Rub the pantyhose over the wool, and small lint will stick to it. However, this trick doesn’t work for heavily linting sweaters and knots.
Disposable Razor for Lint Removal
More effective than pantyhose is the disposable razor. It removes annoying lint and knots. But if you don’t shave your sweater carefully, it can also leave holes. Therefore: Stretch the area you’re shaving with your free hand. The disposable razor should be used wet.
Remove Lint with Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are antistatic—even if you don’t own a dryer. To free your favorite sweater or scarf from lint, simply rub a dryer sheet over the surface of the garment. In no time, the lint is gone! If the sheet becomes too charged, you can dampen it slightly beforehand.