The golden rules to machine washing a wool blanket

Washing and drying wool can be a delicate business. While wool is well known and much loved for its low maintenance – just spot cleaning and infrequent washing is needed to keep wool in tip top condition – when the time does come to wash, many people simply don’t know what to do for the best!

Contrary to popular belief however, you don’t have to spend a small fortune on dry cleaning to take care of your wool blanket the right way…

Do machine wash your wool blankets

Most wool blankets are in fact machine washable, with a gentle wash all that’s required to freshen up even the most heavily soiled wool accessories. You should however only wash wool in the washing machine if it’s recommended on the laundry tag, so keep an eye out for the necessary signs and symbols. You’re looking for a symbol that’s a bowl with water to indicate that the item is machine washable.

The symbol is also likely to contain details on the maximum temperature that the blanket can be washed up to. If there’s a hand dipping into the bowl symbol, the blanket is hand wash only, whilst a bowl crossed out means it cannot be washed at all.

Don’t choose just any cycle

If the bowl symbol has lines underneath, the item must be washed on a specific cycle. One line means a synthetic cycle is the best option, while two lines mean a gentle or wool wash cycle should be used. As a rule of thumb, we would always recommend washing your wool blankets using a wool, delicate or handwash cycle.

Here Which? details how these particular cycles differ from other machine wash programs:

“These are typically low temperature programs that have minimum drum rotation during the wash to keep the garments from being damaged, similar to synthetics programs. As with the synthetics wash, if you have a lot of delicate clothes, especially wool and silk, then these could be useful. However, make sure you read the care label first as some clothes recommend that you never wash in a machine.”

Unlike other machine cycles, wool and delicate washes provide only gentle agitation and low water temperatures, reducing the friction and heat that so easily causes wool shrinkage. These cycles also minimise spinning to help natural fibres, like wool and silk, maintain their size and shape.

Do use a wool-specific detergent

The gentle treatment should continue with your choice of detergent too, and specialist wool detergents are worth every penny!

Take our Wool and Silk Delicate Wash as an example – its all-natural ingredients are made to clean and nourish the most delicate materials, with any fine blend receiving the five-star treatment from its extra special formulation.

This wool-friendly detergent contains no bleach, optical brighteners, colourants, zeolites, phosphates or preservatives. More importantly, it is free from enzymes, an ingredient that’s common in other detergents, and known for breaking down and dissolving dirt that contains protein.

Fabrics made from wool and silk contain only protein, making enzyme-based detergents bad news, and capable of destruction and irreversible damage after just two washes.

Don’t overload your washing machine

For the best results when machine washing your wool blanket, wash them alone. By washing your blankets on their own, you can reduce the agitation we mentioned earlier to minimise pilling, prevent shrinkage and keep them in the very best condition.