Removing piling/bobbles from expensive merino jersey

[confusedcyclist]

Mrs Confused Cyclist bought me a TØRM T7 jersey for our wedding anniversary, it cost a few bob and is lovely and snug on cooler mornings like today, past exeperiences of merino items is that they are just as functional as man made stuff and durable to boot. Despite utmost care during laundry, this jersey is bobbling and piling heavily and looks rather unsightly only a few weeks into ownership. I prefer wool over synthetics on account of the pong problem, and also there's the fact wool is biodegradable whereas man made (plastic) fibres in lycra will be filling our oceans and food chain with micro plastic for millennia to come, but damn, this pilling of natural wool fibres is so ugly! It's odd, because this hasn't happened with any of my merino base layers, it must be the knit technique used by Torm is more prone to piling.

It's only washed at 30 degrees, on sports (gentle) cycle and I'm careful not to put anything that will snag or tear at the wool fibres (e.g. Velcro'd secured gloves). I did use fairy non-bio for a couple of weeks, but have since switched to wool friendly detergents for my cycling kit. Has anyone experienced similar with their merino wool jerseys?

1. How do I quickly fix bobbling now it's happened. (I spent 40 minutes hand picking fibres the other week, now I'm back to square one, ain't nobody got time for that!)
2. How do you stop it happening again?!

 

[derrick]

I would send it back.

 

[Randomnerd]

Send it back and keep your fingers crossed - I didn’t have much joy with that brand.
Hand wash in future, using Olive soap or Dr Bronners
Expect bobbling, and don’t worry about it. Look at the view.
Job done

 

[Bazzer]

Bobble shaver?
https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/jml-bob...V77vtCh2FlgUmEAQYAiABEgKNOfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[confusedcyclist]

Bobble shaver?
https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/jml-bob...V77vtCh2FlgUmEAQYAiABEgKNOfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I googled these, lots of people saying they take ages to do a whole garment, might as well pick them by hand. I'll maybe post a pic of garment later to demonstrate the scale of the problem. I look like a fuzzy bear wearing it .

 

[confusedcyclist]

I would send it back.

I e-mailed TORM, they said it was because I used non-bio detergent, and I needed to use wool specific, i.e. user error.

 

[derrick]

I e-mailed TORM, they said it was because I used non-bio detergent, and I needed to use wool specific, i.e. user error.

And did you?

 

[BromptonChrispy]

I googled these, lots of people saying they take ages to do a whole garment, might as well pick them by hand. I'll maybe post a pic of garment later to demonstrate the scale of the problem. I look like a fuzzy bear wearing it .

Second that. Fleeces take forever

 

[MarkF]

De-bobblers are rubbish, my mother had Remington in the 1970's for my school jumpers and my lad bought one from Amazon a year or so ago, it reminded of the Remmington. They just leave smaller and smaller bobbles until the material is practically transparent. It was fun watching him.

 

[PapaZita]

I've got the same problem with a TORM jersey. It's a shame because it's otherwise a really nice jersey, but I probably wouldn't buy one again now. I've always washed it, along with the rest of my cycling gear, in a wool/delicates specific liquid, so I doubt very much that that is the cause. Now I try to make sure it's zipped up and inside-out when washed, in the hope that that might slow down the process, but it's too soon to say whether it is helping. I'm sorry, I don't have any good tips for de-bobbling it.

 

[guitarpete247]

Keep the bobbles you remove then spin the bobbles and knit another 2 for the price of 1.

 

[BromptonChrispy]

Still using 2 Endura baa-baa-base layers. After 11 years of moderate use. More than paid for themselves.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I've got the same problem with a TORM jersey. It's a shame because it's otherwise a really nice jersey, but I probably wouldn't buy one again now. I've always washed it, along with the rest of my cycling gear, in a wool/delicates specific liquid, so I doubt very much that that is the cause. Now I try to make sure it's zipped up and inside-out when washed, in the hope that that might slow down the process, but it's too soon to say whether it is helping. I'm sorry, I don't have any good tips for de-bobbling it.

Well it's comforting to hear that I'm not the only one following the washing guidelines and still having the problem. I guess I'll be avoiding the brand now too sadly.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Keep the bobbles you remove then spin the bobbles and knit another 2 for the price of 1.

 

[confusedcyclist]

And did you?

If only you had bothered to read the OP.

It's only washed at 30 degrees, on sports (gentle) cycle and I'm careful not to put anything that will snag or tear at the wool fibres (e.g. Velcro'd secured gloves). I did use fairy non-bio for a couple of weeks, but have since switched to wool friendly detergents for my cycling kit.