Make Your Old Clothing Look New Using Only Your Leg Razor
Shave yourself some trouble with this easy trick.
Honestly, the last time I used a razor on my clothes was when I was trying to perfect my “Johnny Rotten” look in 10th grade– a look which also involved a lot of spray paint from the paint discard pile in the apartment building I grew up in, and countless boxes of those cheap safety pins from the notions section in the drug store.
My goal was to look tattered and vaguely threatening. Which is why the irony is not lost on me that as an adult, I’m using a razor on my clothing to make it look like NEW again.
I’ve actually spent weirdly long amounts of time browsing the reviews section on Amazon under the de-linting devices, wondering if a mere $12.99 was REALLY worth it to spend on a plastic tool that may or may not save my cheap-o clothes from the threat of pilling: an unsightly phenomenon that happens to low quality fabrics featuring a looser weave, where the little fibers split causing them to tangle up in tiny balls across the surface of the material. In my quest to find a lazier solution to de-pilling, I skimmed over more than a couple articles about using a common razor to remove lint build up on knits until, one day– yesterday to be specific– after deeply questioning whether the obscene amount of fuzzy balls on my pants affected my general credibility, I grabbed my bathroom razor and began to shave.
And whadayaknow? It worked!
You see, I’m very attached to my pink Zara suit– the one that 9 out of 10 female bloggers purchased in 2018. I wear the thing damn near every week, and I’m genuinely considering purchasing one in a new shade for 2020, but the pilling on the legs and along the shoulders where my tote bags rub is giving my “boss look” an old tracksuit-feel that bodes bad for my energy. Who knew this whole time I could have been looking like a person who only shops for high thread-count textiles, simply by utilizing my dang razor?!
Which brings up an interesting point: Less of the clothing we buy would end up in the landfill if we knew the proper ways to care for it. The fast fashion we’re all shamefully addicted to doesn’t hold up especially well or long, but by learning methods of restoring our worn out garments, we can extend their lifespan and wearability, which is a great way to take action as a consumer.
Here’s how it works:
You’ll need:
A standard shaving razor with no moisturizing strip
A pilling piece of beloved clothing
Your own knee
A sticky lint roller for easy clean up
Set up your workspace
Place the garment over your knee and pull the fabric taut. If you’re de-linting pants like I was, you can just put on the pants! The curve and slight give that your knee and thigh have, make it easiest to maneuver the razor over the fabric without catching.
Run a test shave
Test an area: Some fabrics will catch easier than others. This depends on how loose the weave is. If you can test shave in a less obvious location like the inner leg or in an armpit, do it.
Start Shaving
Best practice is to go with the grain, not against, meaning look at the direction the little threads are pointing in: up and down or side to side? For a smoother experience, don’t shave side to side on an up and down grain– kind of like shaving your actual hair.
Relaaaaaax
At this point you’ll realize this is both a satisfying and tedious process and you should probably put on a movie you’ve been meaning to watch, and relegate yourself to spending the next 2 hours on the couch shaving your favorite sweatshirt.
Clean Up
After finishing a section, run a sticky roller over the excess lint to clear it. Otherwise the lint will travel through your home like a brightly colored tumbleweed.
Beware!
Look, I was feeling like a total genius about this, and got a little too carried away shaving my pink Urban Outfitters turtleneck when my razor slipped and I CUT OFF AN ENTIRE QUARTER OF MY FINGERNAIL. Blood happened. Not on my turtleneck thank goodness. Bandaids were employed. I’m trying to stay partially in denial of the entire experience because I still love shaving my clothing and also, just ew.
Here’s the before and afters of my de-pilling experience:
Zara Pink 2-Piece Suit.
Fabric: Polyester, rayon, and spandex blend.
Verdict: This is a tight weave that provided a smooth shave. Even when my razor slipped it didn’t even knick the material. 10/10 would shave again (let’s face it, I’ll probably have to).
Urban Outfitters Ribbed Turtleneck.
Fabric:
Polyester, rayon, and spandex blend. Again. Okay wow, this is the high fructose corn syrup of the fashion world.
Verdict: A thinner material. Because of it’s ribbed nature, shaving was really easy because I just followed the stripes, but I got carried away and ended up cutting a few tiny knicks into the sleeve which was bogus. And then I nearly cut my finger off which I can’t really blame on the garment but here we are.
Topshop Plaid Belted Pants.
Fabric:
Polyester, rayon, and spandex blend. Whaat? The same materials blend as my suit? I’m seeing a trend here…
Verdict: This soft jersey material was sturdy enough to go hard with the razor, and the pants looked like new when I finished because when I started they were covered both in pilling AND my cat’s hair.
Vintage Knit Suit.
Fabric: No ingredients tags here, but this fabric is synthetic with stretch. Could it possibly be a ‘60s version of a p
olyester, rayon, and spandex blend?? I’m kind of willing to bet money on it.
Verdict: This has been a favorite staple in my closet for a decade which is why it resembles a well-loved teddy bear, up close. I definitely caught the material in the razor more than a few times because of the loose weave and general thinness of the worn fabric. After a little practice on this one I managed to get a whole sleeve done with only a few minor damages and I’m loving the results.
Obviously this is the perfect quarantine activity, and just think about how great you’re gonna look popping fresh outta isolation dressed in only the smoothest of knits. Tried it? Leave a comment below.
