Hair. Dust. Dandruff. Fur. All disgusting and unsightly. And they cling to clothes like a baby chimp to its mother. They are our enemy. And our weapon? The lint roller.
As someone who runs a clothing brand, I have rolled hundreds of garments. And, as you may have guessed, I feel passionately about these tools. They allow us to refresh clothes and resell them, saving huge amounts of waste. And you can use a lint roller every day on your own clothes, especially if you own a pet.
But which lint roller is the best? (Spoiler: it's this one).
Most lint rollers are standard ‘sticky paper’ rolls. However there are some reusable versions which you can wash. I did some testing, using the following lineup:
- PetLovers Extra Sticky Lint Roller
- Hangerworld Washable and Reusable Lint Roller
- Korbond 5m Roller
- Melerio Lint Rollers
- Vibbang Washable Lint Rollers Ball
How did I test the lint rollers?
Using some very hairy items.
Number 1: a cot which we lent to a family with a dog.
Number 2: various shirts which I accidentally washed with a vest covered in my toddler’s hair. Disgusting? Perhaps. Invaluable, certainly.
I then evaluated them using the following criteria:
- Price: overall price and price-per-sheet, in the case of the disposable rollers.
- Performance: how well they removed hair and debris from the garments, marks lost for having to repeatedly roll.
- Longevity: how long they last.
Let's roll.
5 of the Best Lint Rollers
PetLovers Extra Sticky Lint Roller
| Price | 3.6p per sheet (£15.99 for 6 rolls) |
| Performance | 5/5 |
| Longevity | 4/5 |
I initially rolled my eyes at these. 'Extra sticky' was the sort of baseless claim I expect on a Krusty Burger, but you you know what? They are extra, extra sticky.
Much stickier than any other lint roller I've tried. And much better. They really remove lint and hair and everything. They'd take up tarmac, if you tried them on the road. I loved them. And each sheet is extra big, so they last well, too.
Price is maybe the only downside, but it's marginal. They're worth it. Buy these ones.
Who are PetLovers?
PetLovers are a Hong Kong based company run by a man called Kyle and a dog called Jax.They sell lots of pet-hair-removal products.
Hangerworld Washable and Reusable Lint Roller
| Price | £5.99 |
| Performance | 4/5 |
| Longevity | 4/5 |
I also rolled my eyes at this (it was a big day of rolling, all round). Surely you can't re-use a lint roller? Not with the crap I get on my clothes. Are you for real?
Answer: yes, they are totally for real.
I was so surprised. It worked well. It washed. It worked well again. I don't know what the gel is, but it's apocalypse-proof, this stuff.
Only downside, weirdly, is the upside. If you need to roll a lot of garments (say, because you process a lot of clothing returns) then this doesn't work. You have to wash it each time, rather than just peeling a sheet off. However, if you're a civilian, it's great and I would recommend it.
Who are Hangerworld?
Hangerworld are a British company based in Blackpool, and have been going since 2007. They sell clothes hangers and other related products.
Korbond 5m Roller
| Price | 3p per sheet (£11.86 for 7 rolls) |
| Performance | 4/5 |
| Longevity | 3/5 |
Another more standard lint roller, the sort of 'normal sticky' kind I've been buying so far.
It works well, it's good. It's cheaper than the PetLovers version. But the sheets are smaller and you'll be doing more peeling, and it's just, well, less sticky.
Who are Korbond?
Korbond have been going since 1956 and are the UK's #1 supplier of sewing, crafting, and clothes care supplies.
Melerio Lint Rollers
| Price | 1.9p per sheet (£7.89 for 6 rolls) |
| Performance | 3/5 |
| Longevity | 3/5 |
Very cheap, a bit underwhelming. But, you know, very cheap.
Who are Melerio?
Melerio are a Chinese company based in Shenzhen who do a lot of Amazon selling.
Vibbang Washable Lint Rollers Ball
| Price | £5.99 |
| Performance | 1/5 |
| Longevity | 4/5 |
Well done Vibbang: you got me. I thought these neat little rollerballs looked cool (apparently so did everyone on Tiktok). Unfortunately, they do not back up their glossy, Star Wars-style aesthetic with good, solid hair removal.
They're too small. Obviously. And the edges keep catching in the clothes. And they're not sticky enough. And they're round, so you only capture roughly 10% of the surface area of the other rollers in each pass. And they're even overpriced.
Positives? Well they do work after washing, although that is a basic requirement of a washable lint roller. Also they're small. So you could put them in your hand luggage, if your idea of a holiday is endlessly rolling garments with a tiny sphere in a hotel room. Oh, it is? Oh well go for it.
Who are Vibbang?
One of multiple random Amazon sellers importing these. Vibbang is the trading name of Guangzhou Chenyuan Technology Co Ltd, who sell all sorts of trending nonsense, including helicopter slingshots, stress balls, push up bra inserts, and capybara hats.