How to Get Lint Off a Polyester Jacket After Washing and Before Drying

Black polyester twill fabric texture background, open jacket zipper closeup

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In the majority of cases, clothing can be separated into two categories: lint givers and lint receivers. Towels, cottons and chenille throws are all examples of lint givers, meaning they produce most of the annoying little balls of hair, threads and fabric on your clothing. A polyester jacket is a lint receiver, and can easily become covered in lint if accidentally laundered with a lint giver. It is possible to eliminate much of the lint from your polyester before putting it into the dryer, where it would otherwise transfer the lint onto other garments in the dryer.

Rub the polyester coat gently with a pumice stone to help lift the lint from the garment. Avoid excessively rubbing; instead, lightly work the stone over the entire garment.

Wrap your hand with masking tape and dab at the clothing. Twist your hand while lifting it off the garment to help remove the lint. Once the masking tape is completely covered with lint, pull it off and wrap your hand with a fresh piece.

Run a lint or sweater shaver over the polyester coat. Available at department stores, lint shavers act like razor blades by carefully shaving off the unwanted balls of hair and loose threads from the garment. Use a model featuring a small vacuum and reservoir; the vacuum sucks the unwanted lint into a reservoir that is easily emptied between uses.

Rub a dryer sheet over the polyester jacket. The dryer sheets helps lift the fuzz balls and lint off the coat while leaving behind a pleasant odor. Use quick, short strokes to effectively remove the lint.

Dampen a hand towel with cool water and gently rub the polyester coat. The damp cloth helps loosen the lint, which then adheres to the cloth rather than your polyester coat. Using extended, sweeping motions is effective.