Sticky lint roller VS vacuum

**tundramanq** · 31st October 12, 06:32 AM

Bugbear started a string about vacuuming kilts 15 months ago. In my mind the sticky (peel off the loaded sheet) lint rollers do more damage pulling fibers than vacuuming with the upholstery brush and leaves potential sticky residue. Stickys seem to leave behind a static charge or residue that causes the kilt to then really attract the dust and hair.

Just using a brush alone only moves the now even more static charged hair and dust to another spot requiring even more brushing.

I just did a black cotton duck that I wore yesterday picking up and mulching leaves with my lawn mower. I shook the kilt out after this dusting

and layed it out for the night.

BTW - around the rose bushes, the duck lived up to it's reputation, several times we tangled and the duck always won.

Not even a pulled thread - armor.

This morning I ran a wee experiment to compare rolling vs vacuum. I am using my ShopVac which is not a wimp on the suction side.
I vacuum while wearing the kilt, opening and lightly brushing the pleats undersides too. I rotate the kilt as I go using my thigh as my work surface. The vacuum was the only method that removed almost all the dust and got to the hair and dust in the underpleats with ease. The roller can only get to the surface dust. The vacuum pulls air through the fabric, agitating and removing all the loose dust. The dog hair comes off with the light brushing action and is sucked away. This kilt has sewn in pleats and the roller can't even get to the debris that collects in the underpleat edge.

I have done this on wool and Rocky's PVs also and find it creates a lot less fabric fuzzing. The Rocky PVs saw a lot of use and dehairing this summer to no ill effect. I used the roller only for quick spots and away from home.

I am really afraid to try either method on the fuzzing and pilling Acrylics.

I tried the silicone, wash-em-off, static attraction roller to very mixed results. Gentler than the stickys and no residue. Many synthetic fabrics seem to have more to about the same attractive power as the roller. You would need about a half dozen of them to do a whole kilt as they lose power very fast, then need rinsing and drying time to reuse. It now lives in the land fill.

**TheBrus** · 31st October 12, 06:49 AM

Interesting experiment. Anyone care to weigh in on the use of brushes and those lint-removing devices that are kind of like cats' tongues?

**Tobus** · 31st October 12, 07:43 AM

I totally agree on the sticky lint rollers. I don't use 'em on any garments that have good fabric. They tend to pull fibers out of the cloth, and they are just a pain to use. The only time I found them really necessary was cleaning up after visiting someone's house who had cats, and everything was covered in cat hair. But even then, I only used the roller lightly on the surface to pull the cat hair off, trying not to let it come into solid contact with the cloth.

Never tried vacuuming a kilt. When my Utilikilt gets filthy/dusty from hiking, I just shake it out real good or hang it outside and beat it with a stick like I'd do with a rug. If it's so dirty that I'm trying to pull dirt out of the fibers, it's probably time to wash it.

My wool kilts do get an occasional brushing, but despite the reassurances from others, I still have reservations that the long-term effects of regular brushing would be the 'fuzzing up' of the fabric. So I do it sparingly. And to answer TheBrus's question, I completely avoid using the typical lint brush (the one like a cat's tongue, with one-way action to pull lint off) for similar reasons. I just don't like the idea of dragging a rough surface across the coarse twill weave of a wool tartan. That has to degrade the cloth over time with regular use. I will use that method on tighter fabrics like pants and such, but not tartan cloth.

Back to vacuuming versus brushing, why not try both? The brush attachment for most vacuums might be the best of both worlds. If you lightly sweep the surface with a brush attachment that has soft bristles, it will loosen dirt which is then sucked up by the vacuum. It won't just move it to another location. I haven't tried it, but it would seem to make good sense.

**LitTrog** · 31st October 12, 07:50 AM

Vacuums suck.

**tundramanq** · 31st October 12, 08:08 AM

I usually wait to make a mess until the last wearing day of the kilt. But duffus here put this clean one on, tossed the dirty one in the wash and then decided to chase the leaves.

Black really makes dust stand out - did really show the difference in effectiveness of the methods.

The worn Shopvac brush I use most is a boar hair. The bristles are over and inch long and extend past the "sucky hole" about 1/2 inch. I never have to "scrub". The suction holds the fabric in contact with the brush and off of my thigh so air can flow thru from the back side.

I have an air compressor, and have taken a crack at blowing the lions share off. It works pretty good if you blow along the fabric, not towards the fabric. The first creates a suction pulling air thru the fabric from the backside. Blowing towards the fabric just embeds a lot of the dust.

**LitTrog** · 31st October 12, 08:12 AM

Air compressors blow.

I'll stop.

**tundramanq** · 31st October 12, 08:35 AM

OK litTrog,

you unearthed an old joke-

Some people are like fans.
If you stand in front of them, they blow
If you stand behind them, they suck.
If you stand beside them, they don't do a thing for you.

**LitTrog** · 31st October 12, 08:48 AM

Ha! See? I'm not entirely useless--I have no wisdom of my own, but I create pathways for others to share their nuggets!

Glad you started this thread. With two dogs and a cat, my kilt gets assaulted by hair. I've always defaulted with the sticky roller, not even thinking about fabric damage. Those hairs must be barbed, though, the way they get inside the weave and refuse to come out. Maybe I'll try the combo method Tobus suggested.

**tundramanq** · 31st October 12, 08:51 AM

Hmm - Anyone tried the anti static fabric sprays? Even wool has lanolin (a wax) or oils reapplied to the wool after the cleaning process in manufacture. Some fabrics collect charge more than others and attract the dust and hair.

LitTrog - RE pets - I only need one Apricot Fawn pug here - double coat - one downy under and one thicker outer coat - all short and high contrast on dark color kilts - shed every day of their life - and Yes I swear there are barbs. Love the breed and live with the hair..