Problem: Pilling

Solution: To remove the clingy balls caused by abrasion, use a battery-operated sweater shaver or a plastic depilling comb. (Evercare makes both; they're $16 and $3, respectively, at drugstores.) Another tack: "The hook side of Velcro works great," says Jane Rising, manager of education and training at the International Fabricare Institute, in Silver Spring, Maryland.