Defusing hook and loop fastener's dangers to other materials

Question

Hook and loop fasteners (hereafter shortened to velcro) are incredibly handy.

But it is also dangerous to other material. Especially outdoor clothing is often found to be adorned with many velcro straps that wreak havoc on wool or many other types of loose or loop exposing material.

Now, washing an unfastened velcro strip ruins socks and material like them in no time. That is easily solved by not combining them, by closing the two opposing strips, by using washing bags etc.

But wearing velcros unfastened exposes them to come into contact with sensitive material:

• a jacket with velcros tears up the bag pack shoulder straps and any woolen clothing worn beneath
• a velcro fastener on a hat destroys the woolen liner worn together with it when it gets colder

While this image is supposed to illustrate the default mechanism of action for the velcros it also shows exactly what it does to knitwear.

I am looking for methods to defuse these dangers from velcros to other materials while still keeping full functionality the fasteners provide.
(And keeping the fasteners in the first place. Replacing them altogether is not always an option.)

Answer 1

This will not work in all situations, but I have used it in some.

Take a bit of soft fabric which does attach to the hooks side of the velcro. Cut it to the size of the exposed hooks and put it on and leave it there.
I have used polar fleece, also as you can cut it into the size and shape you want without it coming undone. If it does not show, cut your piece of fabric slightly larger than the velcro hooks patch you need to cover.

This only helps for the fixed size connections, whether you leave them closed or open and close them to the same size every time.

If you need to close the hooks part of the time but need them other times, you will have to find a piece of material that can be taken off and be re-used.
The loops side of velcro would do the job but it is often too thick. But you can try whether it works for you.

The 'does not work' part is where the hooks stick out to the side of the velcro when closed. If the hooks are not closed carefully, you may still have threads getting into the hooks, even when the closure is properly closed. Having your piece of soft cloth bigger than the hooks patch helps, but there is also a risk of the hooks where you close the velcro as it is suposed to close.
And I have also had that Velcro came undone while wearing a coat and 'ate' my shawl, and I find it very hard to prevent that happening.