I would remove the pills by wrapping a length of Velcro ( the hook side) around my had and press/pull it against the sheet. It grabs the pills just as it would the loop side of the Velcro tape. Clean off the hooks as necessary.

Sew a strip of flat elastic diagonally across each corner to help keep it in place.

i'd set them aside for when i might need a "drop cloth".

Life is to short to get aggravated by unnecessary stuff. Toss!

I would cut up the fitted sheet for disposable rags and use the flat sheet as a drop cloth. No amount of effort will make them smooth. You're better off to get a replacement made with long staple fibers.

I would donate them to our animal shelter. (And never buy sheets are Walmart again.)

Not worth the effort considering you will likely have to continue removing the pilss. Donate to an animal shelter as mentioned by maddielee

They don't necessarily pill again if you remove the cause of the pilling. ( friction or heat )

If they are super cheap, they will most likely pill. I like the idea of rags for one time use messy jobs. Being thrifty, I try to get some added use before tossing.

I hadn't thought of that Lucille...Interesting. :)

Sounds like there's some polyester in the fabric. My cotton sheets have never pilled. One set, however, needed help with the elastic after a lot of use, so I fixed each corner by stretching a piece of elastic and sewing it onto the existing elasticized section.

If I have a worn-out sheet I put it in a plastic bag and store it in my ice house to cover plants if frost is expected.

First of all, I giggled like an idiot at "chimichanga". I agree to cut them up for drop cloths, or donate to a shelter. Lucillle's idea is pretty good too LOL.

Dances.

I usually toss when they're that cheap. Sometimes it's worth it to spend a little more to get better quality. I go to Winners/HomeSense or Marshalls to buy sheets. I prefer a thread count over 1000. They last for years! In the end, you'll spend about the same price, probably less.

I'm with Moni! I threw out a set of sheets I washed once. They came out so wrinkled (they were wrinkle resistant.....HA! I wouldn't even donate them, they were so bad.

I have CuddlDuds fleece sheets which have never pilled. Very hot though.

donate, re-purpose, return. can use as a shade cloth over a garden, if u have one. or ties for tomato plants. many uses for sheets. dropcloths, pet cover for car or furniture, cover rugs if u have a messy dinner or diners. think crabs and spaghetti!! super messy!!

i would not try to un-pill.

I would return them to Walmart -- receipt or no receipt. They are defective.

I struggle every day to smooth bottom sheets that have elastic all around. I don't have that problem with elastic only at the corners. My mattress is only about 8 inches thick; any thicker and I'd need a step stool to get into bed.

I hate having to figure out the long and short sides of the bottom sheet since it is shaped like a circle when I unfold it.

Don't worry, MamaP can get them clean again :)

JeCrigler, My name is Moni, and I am from Oklahoma.... thus, my name here is a play on location and name.

I like the re-purpose ideas. Just let them go in to recycling mode.

Moni

Towels and sheets to the animal shelter.

Start investing in Linen.

Drop cloths for painting? No! Anything cloth is porous and paint will soak through. I always, always use a plastic tarp. You could put the old sheet over the plastic I guess.

If you don't repurpose then and want to toss, you can still donate to goodwill - they recycle fabric/textiles in any shape, so it won't go to the landfill.

To be expected from Walmart. Spend more money at a quality store next time. Use as a drop cloth, to cover plants at frost, or donate to Humane Society.

I would also donate them to an animal shelter. Even if you manage to remove all the pills you can expect more after you wash them. When you buy sheets read the package. 100% **long staple threads** is what you want to look for. If it doesn't say long staple threads its probably short threads and great chance of pilling. As for thread count IMHO its a gimmick. Thread count is the amount of threads in a one inch space going horizontal and vertical so if its a 1000 thread count.. 500 threads H and 500 V. How do you think they fit that many threads in a one inch area..LOL... they twist them together making X amount of equally wrapped threads...they may wrap 20 threads together to form one thread but it would count as 20 threads. But all of these strands stand a chance of snapping do to the process and there's your pill. Not to mention these high thread counts are often short threads. Short threads will pill...long staple threads not nearly as much. If a sheet is made using long staple threads the package should say so as its a major selling point.

I can feel all the google-ing. Haha

Do you remember when sheets were made in the US...great sheets they were.

I save old sheets and towels for multi-purposes. I've used them fro protecting things being moved, as dust covers, and sadly for getting large pets who couldn't walk or were incontinent for their last trip to the vet. If I get too many I toss them, But it's always could to have a few.

You could tear the sheet into narrow lengthwise strips and join them all end to end. Wind them into a large ball and crochet a rug out of it. Lay that rug down at your back door and every time you wipe you boots on it, mutter " Serves you right you pilly little monster"

Hahahaha....Elizabeth I like how you think.

I wouldn’t use them to sleep in, but you’ve gotten lots of great ideas so they’re not a waste; Elizabeth’s is quite creative and fun.

More times than not, you can find some good bargains on sheets at HomeGoods. I got a couple of sets 2 years ago that have worn exceptionally well (better than the Pottery Barn set I paid over 100.00 for), they’re a cool and crisp 100% cotton and generous in size like PB’s but I only paid 40.00 or so per set in a queen size.

$9.99 for a set of sheets? And you've gotten use of them for over a year? My goodness - toss them.

Lucille's suggestion will only work if that sheet is already on top of that old shower curtain liner!

Chimichanga made me LOL, too. Some of my favorite sheets came from a Fred's discount store. I think I paid $20 for a king size set of flannel sheets and we used those for about five winters in a row. They were the best sheets ever.

I have a thing for sheets. LOL Not just on my bed but for the boys, Amiee and Mike although Mike will use any sheet and Amiee loves flannel in the winter. My thing is for 100% cotton percale. They must be of the highest quality and they must be white. That is not easy to do when one is on a tight budget rarely allowing for even Walmart sheets Haha. Some of you know this but since I **have a thing for sheets** I'll tell it again. Haha. I only buy the very old sheets like from the 50's. I've found them easier to find at flea markets than thrift stores. Last summer I really hit the jackpot finding 60 pillowcases and at least 30 flat sheets not all in the same day. All were from around the 50's all made in the USA, all 100% cotton percale and all were WHITE. Ok that's a lie they were more of a nasty medium brown and reeked to the high heavens, but I knew they were of the highest quality and I knew once I was done with them it would take a whole lotta $$$ to equil their quality if in fact they could be. I stored them in big black garbage bags behind Mikes garage under a tarp along with all the others I had been stashing. Let the work begin because we all know I have more time than money and I have a whole lotta laundry knowledge. ( ok I exaggerate) I did one sheet at a time, full size flats. I used a huge old soup pot put the sheet in filled with water, put it on the stove top added a dash of a whites detergent like Tide with Bleach powder or Persil Perls and a splash of phosphates, grabbed a long handled wooden spoon and brought it to a boil. Turned it off stirred once in awhile and once it cooled I emptied it and did the process again, and again until the water was clear and the stench from many years of built up body oils were finially flushed from the fibers. Only than did they go in my washer for a heavy duty hot wash than a nice long sanitize wash as if all that boiling water didn't already have them sanitized.. It took many moons, well over a year to do all the sheets and pillowcases but I did finially finish. I ended up with bedding SCREAMING white, fresher than a new spring day, smooth crisp and fit for royality. And yes I iron them however its fairly easy to iron flats and pillowcases. So what's next in my bedding search LOL. Well Amiee dreams of REAL linen...flat sheet, duvet cover and pillow case. That is one dream that won't come true. No one tosses them into a flea market and O-M-G have you ever priced them ...I know Rough Linen sells them but talk about EXPENSIVE. But I'll of course keep looking because **I have a thing for sheets** LOL

I have some old old sheets of my Grandmother's that no-one used. She said they were muslin. What the heck is that ?They are very thick and heavy and yes, yellowed.

Elizabeth I enjoy Muslin. It is 100% cotton but its been weaved to be sturdy. Many years ago muslin sheets were mostly reserved for the childrens room because of how sturdy they are while madam used the better sheets in the masters rooms. Muslin was also used in hospitals again do to how sturdy they are and they hold up well to chemical sanitation. but they are 100% cotton. I suspect they would be lovely if given some hot washes and a hot steam iron. Muslin tends to be not quite as smooth but much much nicer after ironing. I use muslin sheets as a summer blanket.

Muslin sheets make the most wonderful quilt backs.

First of all, if I bought cheap sheets (I don't) I'd expect them to pill, and would adjust my expectations accordingly and use them for rags.

You get what you pay for.

I certainly wouldn't return them after that long. Animal shelter, use for rags or donated elsewhere. Not sure about other places but Goodwill sells them as rags if they don't think they're good enough to sell as sheets. It's where we used to buy our rags.

Good info mamapinky. I've had my suspicions about high thread count advertisement but never did any research on it.