I wear a lot of black, in fact I usually travel with black pants and skirts almost exclusively, and I've come to believe it's the fabric. Some fabrics attract and hold onto lint and others don't. Some cottons have a 'softer' finish which attracts lint and some have a harder or more glazed finish which doesn't, same with wools. Most of traveller's-style knits don't hold lint at all, but a few do. It's one of the things always in the back of my mind when I shop and I try to buy only the most lint-free.

I usually cut off the feet from old stockings/pantyhose, pull one over my hand and use it to remove the lint. It works pretty well and doesn't take up any room at all in a purse or backpack or suitcase.

Marsh i am going to try that with the fabric softener sheet - i wonder if i do have an 'air fluff' setting on my dryer ( one machine i have not fully experimented with, obviously)

and thanks Julia for your tip - ill try the pantyhose trick

speaking of lint, i went into a clothing store today and saw linty black pants hanging on the racks
LINT IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD!!!

thanks for your vote of confidence, Adrienne
i have visited your country and want to return
apart from the beauty of the land, you guys have more varieties of bagels ever!!!!

So what country do you represent? You've not put any info in your profile. Inquiring minds need to know!

Adrienne
i am from oz
theres a few of us on here!

You'd better keep up the standards since I've never seen a linty Aussie!

oh hahaha adrienne
i must be the only lonely 'lamington' then!

i am working on standards - dont you worry

if i have to hand groom every article i take, i will but lintless i will be!

I have this 4" x 1" travel lint remover. The cover opens to become a handle and there's a tacky roller for removing lint that works very well. When full of lint, you just rinse it off and let it dry. I've had it for years (no clue where I got it).

A microfiber washcloth (dry) works great, too.

I travel with a lot of black, and, except for my cashmere blazer and the occasional black sweater, hardly ever have a problem with lint.

How do I cope? I am nearsighted.

Good luck!

How do you cope with being obsessed with lint?

I have made something like 200 trips to Europe and never once, once, worried about lint. I don't worry about it at home here, either. I'm totally mystified by this. I can think of a thousand things to get torqued about regarding a trip to Europe, but lint? LINT? Seriously, if lint is an issue with you, I can only begin to imagine the horrors you will encounter in Europe.

Hey, Lane,
This is a funny thread, but I understand it. I have lots of pets, gray one, black & white, brown & gold, multi-striped, even a red Aby. I always say, I have fur to contrast with and decorate everything I wear. I went to a party once and went to get my coat. Another guest was looking for her green coat. The hostess held up my green coat and asked if it was hers. The guest looked at it agahst and replied something to the effect that it "looked liked rats had slept on it" and no "it most certainly wasn't" hers. I pretended I was looking for another guest and slipped out. So, I understand your pain.

I got rid of the green coat.

What I have found is some fabrics just pick up more lint than others. I have some great black pants that nothing seems to stick to and others that seem to suck stuff towards them. Now, I try to check it out in the store to see if stuff will stick to it before I buy it, and I do think about it for traveling. I don't mind a little fur, but don't want to look like "rats slept on me either."

I've slept with a lot of rats and I'm not ashamed of it at all.

By the way, I've been drinking.

I did read the post above about lint-attracting people. I am one of those and I'm also one of those people who gets tons of static cling no matter what I wear, even when I wear a slip. So maybe there is something to the adrienne's theory. After a big glass of wine I stop caring.

Avoid white napkins, at all costs.

I just got back from a brief business trip during which I noticed white pet hair on my navy blazer. The only way it could have got there was when hanging in the closet on the plane, rubbing against a fellow passenger's garment. I foolishly tried to remove it using a damp washcloth in the hotel room - trust me, that does not work. Guess I need to start packing a lint brush or a roll of duct tape.

Leely2, Were you sleeping on my coat with the rats? I thought it was more than just cat hair.

Have you ever dried something like a fluffy towel or a sweatshirt and seen the lint that is produced..it has NOTHING to do with animal hair

The problem with using tape of any kind is that it leaves a sticky residue on the clothing itself -- which attracts more lint.

Lint is not a problem on smooth black cloth, and for travel, I only wear black synthetics. Acetate (slinky) is especially great for never attracting lint. (I have two strawberry blonde cats.) Sweaters, wools and velvet are just lint magnets.

Clothes dryers are great, but I don't have one in Italy!

I have found a dry sponge can be good.

We don't have lint in Europe.

djkbooks
i will try the microfibre towel - thanks for that
i have checked my dryer and there is no setting for 'airfluffing'

Leely youre lucky - lint is an eyesore so dont go getting your eyes fixed with any of that fancy eye surgery
the world can be an ugly place! lol

Iregeo- i havent noticed the effect of white napkins - oh to add to my terrors!

shame about the damp cloth not working for you Seamus cos i was just trying it out on a fleece and it was doing a good job but i think ive got RSI now!

zeppole- i notice that with my synthetic pants too but some nonetheless attract a lot of lint - have to know the chemical composition of the fibre i think - that is for the experts lol

kerouac- the lint thing..dont worry it will catch on! europe is only a few hours away afterall

and st cirq- lucky you- all those trips! as for the lint - hey dont worry- i wont be worrying about it when im biting through my lip as we drive the trolls road in norway!

i might be more worried about hurtling down the side and wondering about how long it takes an emergency helicopter to come in after me ...and whether they bother retrieving linty people anyway!
i am SO not going to wear anything that attracts lint THAT day - dont want the rescue crew tut-tutting about the lint avalanche that i caused

rest assured, theres plenty more for me to worry about this trip- im just getting starting!

You're from Oz? Ex South African with a name like Johann? Live in Perth do you?
Just about every lad from the dutch side of this nation is called Johann!
Nice name.

About getting rid of lint, which I've never noticed sticking to my black pants, black shirt, black sweater, black coat etc., : If it's already on your clothes use PRESTICK by dabbing a big clump of it on the lint.
To avoid getting lint adhering to your clothes (through electricity) put a little fabric softner over the palms of your hands, and lightly smooth over your garment covering as much as you can, even re-appplying until all done. This may help to repell the lint.

Best of luck OzzieJohann!

I think Leely2's advice is the best of all - just keep drinking and even if you can see the lint you won't give a darn about it.

I'm near sighted too - maybe that's why I don't notice the lint!

About the static cling - rub hand/body lotion on your bare legs or stockings and that will definitely help. And avoid those nylon slips which contribute to the static.