The best way to wash blankets

Whether easy-care cotton, warming wool or cuddly faux fur—each material has its own specific needs. The good news is that most blankets are easy to wash in the washing machine, but make sure to check the care label first. For washing easy-care materials such as cotton, these can often be put in a normal wash and washed with similar colors—and that’s how to wash your blanket in a nutshell!

A quick insider tip! If you can, turn down the spin speed a little, so the blanket doesn't wrinkle so much after washing.

Wondering how to wash a throw blanket made of wool? If you’re happy to use a machine, you can select the wool or delicates setting on a cold wash. With a good machine and the right detergent, even delicate fabrics can get clean. Is it better to pretreat stains? Absolutely; this is a good step so that stains really disappear at low washing temperatures.

Washing children's play blankets is really child's play, if you’ll pardon the pun. They are usually made of robust materials and can be washed in the washing machine on a hot wash without any problems—but do pay attention to the care label! Kids’ play blankets are usually colorful to disguise dirt, but to keep it vibrant, a high-quality detergent such as all® free clear laundry detergent will make sure a robust blanket stays bright and clean.

• It's best to wash colorful blankets separately and use a detergent specifically for colored fabrics to prevent the color bleeding onto lighter fabrics.
  
• To ensure that bigger and softer blankets do not lose any of their fluffiness, use a fabric softener like Snuggle® Ultra™ Blue Sparkle® Liquid Fabric Softener.  It can provide better freshness and reduce wrinkles and static cling, while giving your blanket a little extra boost of snuggly softness that we all love.
  

As gentle as it may be, a machine wash might leave telltale signs of a wash behind on a blanket. Some pieces need a little more care than others to retain their shape. Here are our tips on how to avoid blankets warping after washing:

• Always refer to the washing and drying instructions on the blankets care label. Many blankets can be put in the dryer on the low heat setting.
  
• There are certain types of soft blankets do not belong in the tumble dryer, sadly. These blankets are made of materials that won’t do well in a dryer, and larger laundry items are usually best air dried anyway. To protect the fibers, avoid putting delicate materials such as wool in direct sunlight.
  
• Your favorite blankets can be spread out and dried lying on a big clothes rack. The blankets absorb a lot of water during washing and become quite heavy, so letting them spread out means the water can evaporate faster.
  
• Don't have that much space? Try the following tip. Fold the wet blanket once lengthwise and lay it over the entire rack like a runner—this way it keeps its shape. Turn the blanket over several times in between and fold it the other way around to turn damp spots inside out. This will help the blanket dry faster without needing too much space.
  

Does your favorite blanket have its own spot in the same place, e.g. your reading nook or on the sofa for a movie night? Give it a change of scenery and drape it over a chair, for example, in a different place in the room. This might sound strange, but it actually protects the color—if a blanket is always in the same place, daylight and sunlight can fade the edges of colored blankets or leave yellowed edges on light blankets. It's also enough to flip your blanket over every now and then, or to fold it differently.

If you wash your beloved, cozy blanket gently, at a low temperature and with a good, gentle detergent, it will keep its fluffiness for a long time. And you can snuggle up in your freshly washed, fragrant favorite blanket again in no time. Pure coziness.

Hope this was helpful. We have lots more laundry tips for you, too! Check them out and explore the rest of Ask Team Clean.