The Proper Care of Your Wool Blanket
Barb Anderson

Defined Tag: Wool Blanket.

Newer wool blankets are sometimes machine washable, thanks to special chemical treatments that are now available for wool. But some older blankets, where the wool is more fragile, require dry cleaning, and most of them require hand-washing at the very least.

How can you tell which kind of wool blanket you have? If your blanket was fortunate enough to come with a care tag, that question is already answered. Read the care instructions that came with your wool blanket, and follow them to the letter. If not, you should always err on the side of caution. Never machine wash wool unless it has a tag saying you can, or unless the person you got it from says that it is machine washable.

If a wool blanket is not machine washable, or doesn't have a tag saying that it can be washed by machine, you have two options. The first is dry-cleaning, an expensive option, but probably best for expensive garments where you don't want to so much as take a chance on doing something wrong and ruining it. For most wool clothes, though, or for those on a budget, a simple hand washing often works just as well, and is far, far cheaper.

These blankets must always, *always* be washed in cold water. Hot water can cause colors to bleed and cause the wool to shrink and distort out of shape. In some cases, hot water can also make the wool stiff once it dries. In addition to using cold water only, you must use only mild detergent if you use any. And never, under any circumstances, must you use bleach on your wool blanket. Even if your wool blanket has a stain on it that you think only bleach will get out, do not use it. Bleach will cause your wool to simply disintegrate.

Swish the wool blanket gently through the water, then dry it flat. Never hang wool to dry, as it stretches it out.

Barb Anderson has edited or written numerous articles for family-oriented ezines and sites on the worldwide web. Barb is Editor of the Power Learning Tips and Tricks newsletter, which is available at:
http://MastermindLearningSystem.com.