The cotton blanket is still used in many homes, despite the advent of modern polyester or eucalyptus fiber alternatives. Its main advantage is complete hypoallergenicity, which is why the product is often used in cribs. Owners of such bedding are faced with the question of how to wash a cotton blanket. Cotton wool is a very “capricious” material. It can easily become crumpled or moldy, so the washing procedure must be carried out strictly according to the rules.
Is it washable?
Washing a cotton blanket is not forbidden, but the owner needs to take into account the existing risks. Main problems:
- after cleaning in water, it can be greatly deformed, lumps of cotton wool will appear inside it;
- improper drying will lead to complete unusability of the product, it will have to be thrown away;
- cotton wool does not dry well; if it is not possible to dry the blanket in direct sunlight, it may become moldy;
- To remove contaminants, you must use only liquid cleaning products; the powder will be difficult to remove from the surface;
- It will not be possible to wash a large blanket in a washing machine; you will have to spend at least an hour for manual cleaning.
If these shortcomings do not bother the owner, you can proceed to the main process - hand washing. There are other cleaning methods. A baby blanket can be washed in an automatic machine: it is small in size and is unlikely to cause equipment breakdowns due to its heavy weight. You can also take the product to dry cleaning.
Note! Not all dry cleaners accept cotton wool products.
Is it possible to wash a cotton blanket?
Despite the innovations in the field of bedding and their diversity, there are still many supporters of the quilted blanket - you can find it in almost every home.
But, covering yourself with the usual cotton blanket, few people think about how many years it has already served your family. If you sleep under it comfortably, then you completely forget how long ago you bought it. And the lifespan of such a product should not exceed 30 years!
During use, it absorbs a lot of dust and odors. The fabric of the cover loses its fresh appearance, and the cotton wool becomes an excellent breeding ground for dust mites and microbes. And now you are probably asking, what to do with such “wealth”?
We answer: you can use dry cleaning services. This is the simplest method, but it often leaves noticeable stains on the surface, and this procedure is expensive.
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There is another way - to wash the blanket at home.
Another question immediately arises - what will happen to the cotton filler after washing? Don't worry, if you choose the appropriate cleaning method and follow all our recommendations, a positive, safe result is guaranteed.
Now let's look at all the existing options so that we can choose the most suitable one for ourselves.
Handwash
When you clean your blanket by hand, you are less likely to get cotton wool clumps. However, the owner needs to take into account that the procedure will take a lot of time.
How to hand wash a cotton blanket:
- Knock the product to remove dust. This step must be completed before washing in the washing machine.
- Carefully inspect the product for heavy dirt and old stains. Treat them with stain remover, if available, and soak for 1–2 hours. If there are no serious stains, this step should be skipped.
- Fill a large basin with warm water at a temperature of 35–40 degrees. Place a blanket in the container and pour in liquid cleaning agent. Carefully treat all problem areas manually. You can use a soft brush or sponge to rub in the product.
- Gently squeeze. You can’t do this by twisting: the cotton wool will become crumpled. It is better to place the blanket between two large terry towels and roll it into a roll, squeezing it slightly. Excess water will go away and be absorbed into the towels.
- Lay out the bedding on a horizontal surface in the sun, in a dry and warm place.
If the contamination is local and a full wash is not required, you don’t have to wet the entire blanket. It is enough to lay it out on the table and go over the greasy or stained areas with a sponge. First apply detergent, then remove with a sponge and clean water.
Pre-soak
Pre-soaking before hand washing is not recommended. Pathogenic microorganisms form in cotton wool very quickly, and fungal spores develop. This method can be used only if the owner plans further washing just 1.5-2 hours after soaking.
It is worth soaking the product if it has stubborn stains. First, the main areas of contamination should be treated with a stain remover or liquid cleaner. Then immerse the blanket in warm, but not hot, water. After a few tens of minutes, you need to start washing by hand, changing the water in the container.
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Features of using a washing machine to clean products
A baby cotton blanket fits into an automatic washing machine, so there won’t be any problems with this product, which is rapidly losing its purity and freshness (at least before the drying procedure). True, you first need to make sure that after getting wet the item will not weigh critically and will not cause damage to household appliances.
In this case, it is necessary to wash a cotton blanket under the following parameters:
- The maximum water temperature is set at 40ºС.
- The washing mode should be delicate or manual. The number of revolutions can be set independently at the very minimum value.
Tip: It is recommended to load several new tennis balls into the machine along with the blanket, then the material will not roll up so much.
- It is better to replace traditional washing powder with a liquid analogue, then there will be no problems with the procedure for washing the composition out of the fibers.
- The spin cycle on the washing machine will have to be turned off altogether, otherwise the blanket will have to be thrown away. The bulk of the water must be removed manually using pressing rather than twisting movements. Additionally, you can use terry towels.
Immediately after removal from the washing machine, the item must be dried, otherwise it will be almost impossible to break the lumps later. And this is not only not very attractive and not convenient, but also the risk of mold and yellow stains.
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How to wash in a washing machine
In the washing machine, the blanket can only be processed in a gentle or delicate cycle. It is important to cancel the automatic spin. The water temperature should remain within 40 degrees. Washing time - 30 minutes.
Important! Do not load large items into the washing machine; the device will break under the weight of the cotton wool, which has absorbed a large amount of water.
After washing, spinning must be done manually. Drying is also carried out in the sun or, in extreme cases, near heating devices.
We restore the product after washing
By the way, it is during drying that you can prevent possible deformation of the product. For example, if the inside of the blanket has rolled up into lumps, you can correct the situation while the thing is still wet and has not dried out properly. First of all, you should know that you cannot dry a cotton blanket in a vertical position, as this will lead to deformation of the product from the inside .
It is best, of course, to carry out the procedure outdoors in a shaded place and in the breeze, but this is not always possible. As a last resort, you can dry the blanket near a radiator or heater, but only in a horizontal position.
Now about the lumps. To prevent the filler from drying out improperly, you need to thoroughly break it with a stick while the product is still wet. But it’s better to do this as quickly as possible. The whole point is that it is categorically impossible to leave the blanket wet for a long time, since mold or other fungus can form inside, and this is not pleasant, you must admit.
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Steam treatment
Steam washing is the best option for cleaning the product. Why you should steam clean the cotton filling and cover:
- Small volume of water. The treatment requires a small amount of steam, as a result the blanket dries faster.
- Safety. Since steam treatment does not require mechanical action, there is no risk of crumpling the filler.
- Disinfection. Steam kills 80% of bacteria and some fungal spores.
Cleaning rules: steam from a steam generator or iron must be directed to the product laid out horizontally. When the material is slightly saturated with water, you need to move on to the next section. Then standard drying is performed.
How to dry properly
The blanket should be placed on a horizontal surface, preferably on a large table. It is advisable to put oilcloth or other water-repellent material under it.
Important! Under no circumstances should you dry a blanket vertically. After this, the bedding will have to be thrown away.
It’s good if you can leave the product outside in direct sunlight.
Ultraviolet light disinfects and prevents the appearance of fungus during drying. If the weather is not sunny, or it is winter outside, a phytolamp is suitable, since it also emits UV rays. Another option is heating devices. You can leave a blanket next to the radiator or turn on a heater near it. With proper cleaning, the cotton blanket will not crumple and will serve its owner for a long time. If you have doubts whether the entire procedure can be completed without errors, it is better to take the product to the dry cleaner.
Rules for manual cleaning of a cotton blanket
The only option for restoring the freshness and cleanliness of an oversized cotton blanket is to process it manually. It may take more than one hour to carry out it at home, but the result will be optimal. To carry out the manipulation, you need to prepare a basin with warm water, washing gel or powder, laundry soap shavings, stain remover, a foam sponge and a stiff brush.
Features of cleaning and sequence of steps:
- Soaking will have to be abandoned in favor of surface treatment. The blanket should only be soaked if there is extensive organic contamination. In this case, you will have to use a bath and gel detergents (it is almost impossible to wash the powder out of a cotton product).
- Before starting wet processing, the object must be cleaned of dry contaminants and dust removed. If you immediately wet the fabric, harmless dust particles will be absorbed into the filler, which will lead to its deterioration.
- We lay out the prepared blanket on a dense horizontal surface. Prepare an active solution by adding laundry soap shavings and liquid or dry laundry detergent to warm water. It is necessary to achieve complete dissolution of the product, otherwise stains and a specific smell from the product are guaranteed and these phenomena can only be eliminated as a result of repeated washing.
- Next, the actual cleaning begins. We dip the selected tool in the prepared solution and use it to treat the obvious stains first. Ideally, you need to run the detergent over the entire surface of the product on both sides. If necessary, treat particularly stubborn formations with a stain remover. The main thing is that the clothes do not get wet through.
- After achieving the desired result, you can begin rinsing. To do this, we fill a basin with cool, clean water and use a clean sponge to go over the entire surface of the blanket. Only after all signs of soap have been eliminated is the item allowed to dry.
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Even if puddles have formed on the surface of the blanket during the cleaning process, you should not wring it out. Just blot the problem area with a dry cloth until the material remains dry.
