Who knew the answer was so close to home?

Remember when I asked a few local knitwear aficionados to weigh in on the problem of pilly sweaters? We teased out some good theories and sound practices, but a few days later, in one of those totally random- yet completely ordered-universe moments, I happened upon an Issaquah company that sustainably and mindfully manufactures a lightweight pumice stone that can remove pills and restore the nap of sweaters and other pill-prone fabrics.

Sweater Stones are made by North West Center Industries by disabled adults in downtown Seattle. Turns out you can find the product in many stores, but the company seems to like giving them away for free, (mostly) too.

You might remember that not all of our knitwear experts were in favor of depilling fuzz-removers. With a moon rock-looking tool in one hand and my expensive, architecturally engineered Japanese cashmere cardigan in the other, I had a few reservations as well. But I went for it, and I was pleased with the results.

Here’s Sweater Stone’s Gale Sensing on how her product works: The cause of a pill is the knotting of hairs on the surface of the garment. The soft texture of Cashmere and other materials is created due to fine surface fibers and their amount, length and texture. Pilling is caused by friction, or the rubbing of these fibers on the surface of the garment. These surface hairs or fibers are like our hair with friction; it get knots in it. Just imagine trying to comb out your hair after riding in a car with the top down. Sweater Stone is a pumice stone and when brushed over the surface of the garment it catches these pills and pulls them off. It also combs out the fine surface fibers leaving them intact and soft. Many other de-pillers mow the surface of the garment, removing those fibers and leaving the sweater or other object bald.

And here’s how Sensing recommends tackling your pills, and yes, this is the method that worked for me: Lay your garment on a towel on a flat surface. Brush Sweater Stone over your garment. The direction of your brushing makes no difference. You may do it in long or short strokes. When brushing your garment, hold on to the stone and with the other hand hold on to the garment. Sweater Stone is a unique pumice stone that has cells or air bubbles imbedded in it. These cells break open during use giving the surface a fresh sharp edge to catch the pilling. Due to the cells breaking open, Sweater Stone will produce a fine residue when in use. (WWW note: I attest to this – do plan ahead to reduce the mess of fine pumice dust.) This is why I recommend laying the garment over a towel. Then, after use, you can just shake off the garment and towel to remove this residue (I do this over the
bathtub or outside). Sweater Stone will hold on to much of the pilling, so it is best to remove the built up pills and balls from the edge of the stone by hand. The surface of Sweater Stone is rough so always test your garment, in an inconspicuous spot, to see how much pressure is needed. Always use a gentle hand and pressure. Many of our garments are made from a blend of yarns and care is required.

But wait, there’s more. Order now, and … I know, I know, it is starting to feel like an infomercial around here, but this is useful stuff.

For Sensing, the Sweater Stone doesn’t just de-pill, it cleans and refreshes, making often-toxic dry cleaning unnecessary: Wool, Cashmere, Alpaca and more are all hair from specific animals. Hair can be washed with mild soap. There are so many soaps on the market made especially for hand washables. I have been using my own hair shampoo for many years on all my sweaters with great results. Cold water, shampoo, air drying and a Sweater Stone will make your garment clean, great smelling and looking just like new. I even use conditioner on my wool sweaters; my skin is very sensitive and where the sweater touches my neck it can be an irritation to me. So, I add my hair conditioner to my rinse when I hand wash wool. Because I live in the Northwest I have many sweaters that are heavy and can repel water. For these I add a little Lanolin into the rinse when I hand wash them. Lanolin is a product that is produced from cleaning the wool after sheering and before it is made into yarn. These are the natural oils that were removed — I put them back in and now my sweaters is clean and able to shed water again. There are many garments that can only be dry-cleaned. Suits, dress coats, wool slacks and such are best left to a non-water cleaning process.

How Seattle, huh? A natural product, manufactured mindfully and sustainably in a way that benefits the community, with results that have the potential to reduce environmental toxins - and help you look your best, too.

Let me know if you’ve tried the Sweater Stone, and how it worked.