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Question:

How to get rid of stipples on spandex blend?

I like pants from New York and Company because I‘m very short and it‘s one of the few places I can get with petite, medium, and tall sizes along with the regular sizes. However, they almost always have a 2% blend of spandex in it, which makes it more comfortable, but leads to these little upraised dots of fabric appearing on it and making it look awful. Why does this happen and how can I get rid of them? I‘m sick of having to buy new ones just because this get too bad!

Answer:

Those are call pills and it's not necessarily the Spandex. Cotton, especially short-stable cotton, is famous for pilling, although many fibers can and do pill, among them polyester, rayon, and nylon. The cures are many, and mostly inadequate. You can pluck or shave them off. You can launder the pants in cooler water and line-dry them. You can buy better-quality pants (as if you could find any that actually fit!) made of better cloth which pills less. You can minimize friction wear, which encourages pilling, by walking funny and holding your purse at arm's length. ;-) I take a pilled garment to the sofa and snip off each pill while I'm watching TV, once in a while. Not perfect, but a big improvement.
Are you being careful and following the washing or dry cleaning instructions? My many years of experience suggests that could be the issue. Or are you trying to cram yourself in a smaller size than you really wear, so the spandex is constantly stressed and, therefore, pops out?
Are you being careful and following the washing or dry cleaning instructions? My many years of experience suggests that could be the issue. Or are you trying to cram yourself in a smaller size than you really wear, so the spandex is constantly stressed and, therefore, pops out?
Those are call pills and it's not necessarily the Spandex. Cotton, especially short-stable cotton, is famous for pilling, although many fibers can and do pill, among them polyester, rayon, and nylon. The cures are many, and mostly inadequate. You can pluck or shave them off. You can launder the pants in cooler water and line-dry them. You can buy better-quality pants (as if you could find any that actually fit!) made of better cloth which pills less. You can minimize friction wear, which encourages pilling, by walking funny and holding your purse at arm's length. ;-) I take a pilled garment to the sofa and snip off each pill while I'm watching TV, once in a while. Not perfect, but a big improvement.

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