Sticky lint roller VS vacuum

[Tobus]

I totally agree on the sticky lint rollers. I don't use 'em on any garments that have good fabric. They tend to pull fibers out of the cloth, and they are just a pain to use. The only time I found them really necessary was cleaning up after visiting someone's house who had cats, and everything was covered in cat hair. But even then, I only used the roller lightly on the surface to pull the cat hair off, trying not to let it come into solid contact with the cloth.

Never tried vacuuming a kilt. When my Utilikilt gets filthy/dusty from hiking, I just shake it out real good or hang it outside and beat it with a stick like I'd do with a rug. If it's so dirty that I'm trying to pull dirt out of the fibers, it's probably time to wash it.

My wool kilts do get an occasional brushing, but despite the reassurances from others, I still have reservations that the long-term effects of regular brushing would be the 'fuzzing up' of the fabric. So I do it sparingly. And to answer TheBrus's question, I completely avoid using the typical lint brush (the one like a cat's tongue, with one-way action to pull lint off) for similar reasons. I just don't like the idea of dragging a rough surface across the coarse twill weave of a wool tartan. That has to degrade the cloth over time with regular use. I will use that method on tighter fabrics like pants and such, but not tartan cloth.

Back to vacuuming versus brushing, why not try both? The brush attachment for most vacuums might be the best of both worlds. If you lightly sweep the surface with a brush attachment that has soft bristles, it will loosen dirt which is then sucked up by the vacuum. It won't just move it to another location. I haven't tried it, but it would seem to make good sense.