What is Fuzzing, Shedding and Pilling?

Fuzzing, shedding and pilling are three things that might happen to carpet that is not cared for properly.

Carpet is a beautiful, affordable floor covering that has long been a popular choice for business owners and home owners alike. Recent advancements have made carpet last longer and look better, too. While carpet won’t last as long as some hard surface flooring options, such as hardwood, it has many advantages to it as far as warmth, sound reduction, a range of style options and more.

In order to ensure the carpet has a long life, it’s important for owners to maintain it properly and have it professionally cleaned frequently.

One of the drawbacks of carpeting is that the carpet fibers will eventually break down over time, leading to fuzzing, shedding and pilling. These three conditions can make an otherwise beautiful carpet look old and worn.

Fuzzing happens when carpet fibers slip out of the yarn bundle. The filaments snag and break, causing a furry or fuzzy appearance. There are several causes for this, such as embedded dirt and grit that cuts the fibers, a vacuum beater bar that is too low, or poor carpet quality. Fuzzing can also be caused by vigorous rubbing, such as when cleaning up a stain. Sometimes, a professional cleaning can pull carpet fibers back into place.

Shedding is a normal part of the life of a carpet. It takes place when fibers release from the carpet pile via vacuuming or foot traffic. Shedding happens more in the early months of a carpet’s installation, and diminishes over time. However, shedding will happen to a small degree over the life of the carpet.

Pilling takes place when strands of carpet fiber separate and knot with other strands. This creates carpet with a rough and bumpy appearance. To solve a pilling problem in carpet, the pills need to be cut off carefully with sharp scissors.