How to Wash a Crocheted or Knitted Blanket
A homemade knitted or crocheted blanket is a labor or love that may need special care when it has to be washed. Make a note of which type of yarn was used when the blanket was made. Whether the yarn used was a synthetic, like acrylic, or a natural fiber, like wool or cotton, makes a difference in how you care for it. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Washing machine (with gentle or delicate setting)
- Detergent for knits or delicates
- Fabric softener
- Drying rack
Instructions
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Fill the washer with cool/cold water as the directions on the washer and the detergent, with enough water and detergent to wash the blanket. Since the colors in the blanket may run, especially with older, natural yarns, wash it only with similar colors or by itself, and make sure there is not anything in the wash that could snag the blanket.
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Let the washer run as normal.
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Add fabric softener to the final rinse if your blanket has fringed edging. The fabric softener helps the strings become less likely to tangle.
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Remove the blanket when the cycle is complete and either lay it flat to dry, or if the blanket is able to withstand it -- a synthetic or a cotton blend -- put it in the dryer on low heat or air only -- the gentlest cycle available if possible. Remove a fringed blanket before it is totally dry. Lay it flat and comb out the fringe with your finger. Do not line dry the blanket, as this may cause it to stretch.
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Examine the blanket to see if any yarn ends have come free from the blanket and work them back into the piece with a yarn needle or a small crochet hook. Thread the end on a large-eye needle and run it back into the work, moving up and though different rows with the end hidden again within the work.
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Tips & Warnings
When possible either save the yarn bands or record the yarn type and washing instructions.
Note what yarns were used to make the piece.
Minor snags can be fixed.
If you have a netted drying rack, you can lay the blanket over it.
Put the piece in a mesh bag to launder to keep it safer while in the machine.
Really delicate or older pieces should be hand washed (use Woolite or some other gentle detergent that has hand wash instructions) and make sure to rinse well.
At times even when hand washed blankets will fall apart. This is either a sign of a poorly made piece or the piece was beginning to dry rot.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
