A lint roller or lint remover is a roll of one-sided adhesive paper on a

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

barrel that is mounted on a central

spindle Spindle may refer to: Textiles and manufacturing * Spindle (textiles), a straight spike to spin fibers into yarn * Spindle (tool), a rotating axis of a machine tool Biology * Common spindle and other species of shrubs and trees in genus ''Euony ...

, with an attached handle. The device facilitates the removal of lint or other small fibers from most materials such as

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English w ...

and linen. Once expended, the roll can typically be replaced with a "refill" roll. Invented in 1956 by Nicholas McKay, Sr., his most well-known (and first commercial) product was the Lint Pic-Up, the world's first lint roller. Reusable lint rollers use elastomers, including

silicones A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cookin ...

and polystyrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene as a reusable tacky surface. The material is similar to

polymers A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic an ...

used in walking toys such as

Wacky WallWalker The Wacky WallWalker was a toy molded out of a sticky elastomer. It was shaped similar to a spider, and when thrown against a wall would "walk" its way down. It was a hugely popular toy in the early 1980s. Before its introduction in the United Sta ...

. A lint roller's design enables fast 360 degree rotation, which facilitates the easy removal of unsightly fiber (often animal hair). Lint rollers can be purchased in many sizes, from

pet store A pet shop or pet store is a retail business which sells animals and pet care resources to the public. A variety of animal supplies and pet accessories are also sold in pet shops. The products sold include: food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, c ...

s, supermarkets and online. The product is popular among dog and cat owners, as it will also remove

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

and

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

hair from fabrics, carpets etc. A similar device, the lint brush uses a fabric cushion mounted to a handle, that when rubbed one way across the fabric to be cleaned, picks up the small fibers. By reversing the direction of movement across the fabric or by picking off the excess lint, it is possible to clean the lint brush. Some lint brushes are double sided in order to allow the brush to be used in both directions and to extend the use of the brush by limiting wear.

References

Cleaning tools American inventions {{tool-stub