Originally Posted by nestork

Pebe:

Apparantly, the correct term for those bobbles forming on a carpet or sweater is "pilling". This web page:

http://www.woolclassics.com/download...cteristics.pdf

claims that pilling occurs on loop pile carpets (like level loop and berbers) and is the result of the breaking or tearing of the fibers at the top of the loops caused by an abrasive acting on the carpet pile.

To my way of thinking, the only abrasive that could be acting on the carpet would be dirt embedded in the leather soles of your shoes, but more probably an old vaccuum cleaner rotating brush. Dirt can get embedded into plastic just the same way as it gets embedded into floor "wax" on hardwood or vinyl composition tile floors. When the plastic bristles of a vaccuum cleaner rotating brush get embedded with dirt, they can be abrasive, and that's what could be causing the fibers at the top of the carpet tufts to be breaking or getting torn.

So, again, I suspect your vaccuum cleaner's rotating brush.

Any vaccuum cleaner repair shop can replace the rotating brush, or replace the brush inserts in the rotating brush, or sell you the parts to do it yourself.