I would add that long fibre cotton is better than short, if you can find it. This is why Egyptian cotton is highly thought of, and by contrast a certain mall chain with "Cotton" in its name and short fibre cotton in its clothes is about the worst you can get for pilling. I've had one wearing out of some items before they showed pills - at least until I got smart. As someone observed about clothes: always buy the best you can afford - it's worth it the long run.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try a pill shaver. We have one somewhere, but I never used it. For what it's worth, I only use the dryer for towels and sheets. I sometimes put clothes in for 10-15 minutes to fluff, but never more than that. I'm afraid of my clothes shrinking. I have had that happen too often. Can anybody tell me how to purchase clothing that won't wear out right away? My husband seems to think that anything expensive must be good, but I've had trouble with expensive clothes too. Price is not a guarantee of quality! (And I'm less forgiving of poor quality in expensive clothes than cheap clothes, because I paid for quality.)

If nobody responds ask over in the laundry room. They know their stuff. Besides shaving it off, pilling can be plucked off piece by piece. Sometimes I've found that pilling stops eventually, and wears off as you use and wash. But...sheets...idk.

Hope it is OK if I jump in here - I don't think I have ever posted on the KT, but do read some and you all seem like a nice gang. Occasionally spend some time on the Decorating forum.. A couple of things - the more poly, the more it will pile. The inside fleece nap sheds and attaches to the poly. Also, a lot of the cheaper shirts, i.e. "souvenier" shirts, cheap store brand shirts that the teens like so well, usually contain much more poly, sometimes as much as 80-90%. My favorite blend is 80% cotton, 20% poly to give it a slight sheen or a good quality 100% cotton. I have a beautiful pink Virginia Beach shirt that is 80cotton/20poly that is at least 10 years old and has no piling. My daughter has purchased sweatshirts from her favorite beach her last two vacations and they laundered terribly (but they were sure cute :). The fleece inside shed really bad and stuck to the outside of the shirt. When she showed them to me, I checked the tag and they were mostly poly. I helped her clean them up with a razor. I would recommend fluffing them in the dryer for several minutes BEFORE you wear them or at least before laundering to remove some of the loose, fleece fibers. The dry fibers will not adhere to the fabric as easy. Also, when laundering, turn wrong side out, dry them for just a few minutes wrong side out ALONE, remove from the dryer and shake the loose fibers off. Also, clean the dryer vent at this time. If you need to completely dry, repeat this process. Once you have removed the loose fleece fibers, the shirt should launder without so much piling. I also never wash fleece with my dressier clothes which usually contain a lot of poly.