Unfortunately there is no other way to get rid of them other than shaving them off. I suggest a lint shaver with an extra-large head like this one: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/RazorTek-Cordless-Clothes-Shaver-and-Mini-RazorTek/690765/product.html?

Good luck!

That actually looks like pilling to me. I find if I buy 100% Egyptian cotton or 100% supima and a high thread count, my sheets don't pill. All of my Wamsutta sheets like this still look brand new and I have had some of them for over 10 years.

go design pirate - pilling is the correct term. lint you can brush off. pilling either has to be prevented (buy higher thread count) or shaved off, you can buy little battery operated de-pillers from lincraft and spotlight and I am pretty sure you could get them at a discount superstore like k-mart.

While I've never had this problem with sheets,
I have the most awesome way to get pilling off of sweaters and other things---the cat's flea comb. It takes those pills off really quickly and easily. I can de-pill (is that a word?) a sweater in a few minutes. I hate those shavers they never seemed to work very well.

Great tip, chrisB!

This is not what you asked for, but I am sharing what I do to avoid this problem altogether.

I wash such items in the delicate cycle in cold water with woolite. If there is serious need of a wash, I soak the item with lukewarm water mixed with woolite, and wring the item before washing.

I do not machine dry the item, but air dry the item, or dry it on a gentle heating towel rack.

The items last forever and remain as beautiful as always

I've always used a regular shaving razor on sheets and other items that pill, since those commercially sold shavers don't get the job done. It requires some finesse and a light touch, but it works much, much better.

If it's pilling and not lint, then I would use a regular shaver, or buy a sweater stone. Sweater stones are used on knit wear obviously, but would probably work on sheets as well.

You simply need to buy sheets that are 100% cotton. Not specifically Supima or Egyptian. Thread count doesn't matter as far as the pilling is concerned. Pilling usually occurs on sheets with a polyester/cotton blend.

Put on your rubber dishwashing gloves and wipe the sheets.
It magically rolls the lint off.

Hi Brian, if you really did mean lint and not pilling, I'm looking for a quicker trick as well.

I have high thread count egyptian cotton sheets, and wash and dry them separately, but my washer and dryer either hate me or hate these sheets. I get a lot of tiny lint balls all over the sheets of colors and materials that are not in the sheets -- ghosts of laundry past. Obviously I can painstakingly lint brush every square inch of the entire sheet set, but if there is a) something I can throw into the dryer, in addition to or instead of the dryer/fabric softener sheet I already do put in, that would keep this from happening; or b) something I can run through a bad washer and dryer to clean out wherever this lint is coming from; I would love to know about it! Thanks