While hardwood is all well and good, most chic, comfortable furniture is of the padded variety, which means it’s partially or entirely made of fabric. As cozy as these pieces can make a room look and feel, they do have one definite drawback: fabric pilling.

You might see pilling on your old jeans or sweaters, but it is possible for your fabric furniture to pill as well. And we’re guessing this really isn’t the look you were going for when you chose your dining or living room chair set.

Well, never fear, because we have the perfect tip to nix those pilled chairs forever! It’s super simple and will leave your furniture looking brand new; and whether you’re living in your house or looking to sell it, having a house that looks “like new” is always a good thing.

But first, we’re going to cover briefly what pilling is. Why do these annoying little balls of fabric even exist and is there a way to stop them before they even begin?

Unfortunately, pilling is hard to avoid. Most man-made fibers, like acrylic, nylon, or polyester, will pill when met with any abrasion. “Abrasion” sounds aggressive, but it can really be anything, from cleaning to taking a seat that makes a fabric pill. This contact with the fabric causes the fibers to unravel and the loose ends ball up on the surface, creating the look we all despise.

So unless you plan on buying a couch or sweater and never touching it again, there’s a good chance it might start to pill.

The only way you can truly avoid pilling is to avoid man-made fibers all together. Go for pure cotton, wool, cashmere, and the like to avoid pilling permanently.

But if sticking to these fibers for your furniture is unrealistic (and it is for a lot of reasons, price being a huge one) then you might have to see those little fabric balls form. Not for long, however.

According to setyourstage, all you need to de-pill a fabric surface is a razor and a lint roller.

Use the razor to gently shave off the fabric balls from the surface, then clean up your handy work with the lint roller to make sure all the fibers have been picked up. This will leave you with a smooth, clean piece of furniture that looks like it just came from the store!

While a men’s shaving razor is often used for this cleaning trick, a regular or disposable razor will also be up for the job. Some DIY blogs even go as far to use sandpaper sponges and trim off tough pills with scissors before breaking out the blade.

Besides cleaning your home, this is a great trick for real estate agents or people who set houses for a living; this hack really gives fabric furniture the appearance that it’s never been used before, which is something that will greatly appeal to buyers!

What do you think of this brilliant cleaning tip? Share your thoughts on this technique in the comments section below.