How to Clean an Amish Quilt

So you've taken the dive and bought that beautiful and expensive Amish quilt you've always wanted. Amish quilts are beautiful pieces of art that represent thousands of hours of hand quilting and an artistic vision. A true Amish quilt can cost anywhere from $700 to thousands of dollars. As such, you will want to protect your investment by properly cleaning your Amish quilt. Cleaning a stain out of the quilt may be more difficult and may require an expert's care. However there are a few steps you can take to try to remove it from home first

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White vinegar
• Salt
• Liquid Cheer detergent

Regular Washing of Your Amish Quilt

1. Set your washing machine on cold and for the largest cycle possible. This will ensure that your quilt has plenty of room to move about in the washing machine to ensure complete cleaning. If your machine is too small to properly wash the quilt, you may want to consider taking it to a laundromat to use an industrial size machine.

2. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of salt along with a regular measurement of Liquid Cheer detergent. This mixture will help to preserve the rich colors in your quilt.

3. Set the machine on gentle cycle and wash.

4. Hang the quilt out to dry on a warm and breezy day.

Removing Stains from Your Amish Quilt

5. Consider the type of stain it is. Removing different types of stains require different methods. There are grease-based stains, wax stains, ink stains and food or protein stains, among others.

6. For grease stains, you will want to use a cleaner such as OxiClean to remove the stain. This will break down the grease and make it easier to remove. Follow the directions carefully.

7. For wax or gum stains, scrape as much of the wax away as possible. Then, place a sheet of brown butcher paper or paper bag material over the stain and iron over it with a warm (but not too hot!) iron. Then, treat the remaining stain as you would a grease stain (see Step 2, above).

8. For food or protein stains, wash as you would normally in COLD water, only. You may have to repeat the washing a few times, without drying in between, to get the stain out. You can also try OxiClean on many food stains.

Tips & Warnings

• You can hand smooth the quilt from time to time during the drying process to help release an wrinkles.
• You may also hand wash your quilt if you prefer and simply use the washing machine's spin cycle to release excess water.
• Do not use fabric softener.
• Do not use Wool-Lite.
• Do not wash on regular cycle as it is to vigorous for the delicate makeup of the quilt.
• Consult the store from which you bought your quilt or a laundering expert such as a dry cleaner if you have concerns or special cleaning needs.