How to Wash a Cashmere Blanket
Ask a mom about cleaning and caring for her favorite cashmere blanket, and she'll tell you that cleaning a cashmere blanket can be tricky. Many of these blankets never keep their original feel once washed improperly. Unfortunately, following the laundering instructions on the blanket's label may not get your cashmere blanket as clean and fresh smelling as you would like. What you may not know is that how you wash this fabric is what matters most. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Wash a cashmere blanket in 20 gallons of warm water. Use a half-full bath tub to let the blanket soak, submerged in warm water until all of the fibers become wet. Use your hand to agitate the blanket, swirling it and turning it over to be sure all surfaces are soaked through with clean water before introducing the cleaning solution.
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Add one cap of Suave shampoo for every 10 gallons of water. Add two caps to a half-full bath tub. Pour the shampoo into the water but not directly onto the cashmere blanket. Agitate the blanket in the shampoo water for three minutes, making sure to turn the blanket over and evenly distribute the shampoo solution into the blanket's soft fibers. Drain the tub.
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Fill the tub half full with cold water for rinsing. When the tub is filled, agitate the blanket in the cold fresh water. You should be able to see the blanket lose some of the cleaning solution it soaked into its fibers. Continue to stir the blanket in the clean water for three minutes and then drain the tub again.
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Fill the tub one quarter of the way with luke warm water. Pour one cap full of hair conditioner into the tub away from the blanket's surface and mix the conditioner into the clean water. Agitate the blanket in the conditioner water until the blanket has been saturated with the clean water and conditioner solution. Let the blanket sit in the water without agitation for three minutes before draining the tub.
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Squeeze excess water out of the blanket. Refrain from twisting and wringing or the blanket will lose its original shape. Lay out the blanket on a table covered with clean, dry towels. Let the cashmere blanket dry completely, at least overnight.
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Warm an iron and let it cool so that you can place and hold your hand on it but still feel the warmth. Press the cool iron over the blanket. This pressure will help to keep the blanket's original shape. Once the cool iron has evened out the surface, you can gently fold and store the blanket in a clean and cool storage area for its next use.
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Tips & Warnings
When drying your cashmere blanket, keep it out of direct heat and sunlight. This will cause the color to fade.
Do not store the blanket unless it is completely dry. Even a little moisture can ruin cashmere. Do not use concentrated water when cleaning a cashmere blanket. Harsh cleaners will degrade the fabric's fibers. Always use more water than you think you need to avoid ruining the cashmere.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Lana image by Stefano Maccari from Fotolia.com
