I love sweater season.  I yearn for the first chilly days of fall like most people look forward to the first signs of spring.  As soon as the temperature starts to drop I stock my closet with stacks of cozy cashmere, cotton, and wool.  Of course the downside to all that sweater binging is that by mid-January my favorite sweaters and jackets are inevitably showing signs of wear.

Little fuzzy balls and bits of woolen fluff can make even the most expensive sweater look cheap and unattractive.  Over the years, I’ve tried several sweater shaver gadgets and gizmos but never been pleased with the results.  Then, a few weeks ago I was watching a home makeover show and saw the host use a cheap little plastic razor to remove the pilling from the cushions of an old sofa.  I immediately thought about my sweater pilling problem and wondered if this easy solution could work for them as well.

I whipped out one of my favorite sweaters and grabbed a little pink daisy razor from my bathroom drawer.  Much to my surprise it worked fabulously.  Thirty minutes and two razors later, I had managed to remove the annoying fuzz balls from 10 sweaters, 2 jackets, and my favorite wool coat.

Generally I’ve found that I get the best results if I lay the sweater out flat on the kitchen table but if you’re in a pinch it also works when you’re wearing the sweater.  Just pull the section you’re going to shave very taught use short vertical strokes.  Sharp razors yield the best results and you’ll want to replace it when you find the razor rolling over the pilling instead of cutting it off.  Don’t worry about using the more expensive multi-blade razors, the cheap one or two-blade razors work just as well.  One package of those little pink disposable wonders can save a whole closet full of sweaters and cost you less than a dollar.  It’s tough to beat a bargain like that.  Just through I’d pass it on.