Washing a weighted cover might seem like an easy task, but it’s not always as straightforward as throwing them in the washing machine. The weight of these blankets can make the process more complex, and you don’t want to risk damaging your blanket or any other items that are being laundered at the same time.
Like regular clothes, there are different ways you can use to wash the blanket. You can choose the hand washing method or the machine wash. This article explores the standard steps to follow when washing a weighted cover.
7 Steps for Washing Your Weighted cover
This section covers the seven major steps for washing your weighted cover or blanket.
Step 1: Start by Pre-treating the Blanket
If so, apply a small amount of stain remover to the affected area and wait five minutes. If the stain fades, proceed to step 2. If not, repeat this step as many times as needed until the stain is gone. If the stain is not removed, you will need to use a different cleaning method as described.
Before you do anything, look at your blanket and see if there is any major discolouration or staining that needs to be dealt with before putting it into the wash.
Step 2: Soak in Cold Water
The second step to washing a weighted cover is to soak it in cold water. Use about two gallons of cool or lukewarm water, and then immerse the blanket. You can use a bathtub, sink, or bucket for this process; whichever you have access to, that will allow your blanket to soak.
Step 3: Rinse the Blanket
After a period of thirty minutes to an hour, remove your blanket from the water and rinse it thoroughly with cold tap water. You can use a shower head or hose for this process if you have access to them, but a bucket will also do nicely as long as you thoroughly rinse the blanket.
Step 4: Soak in Cool Water
After rinsing your blanket, place it back in a cool water bath and allow it to soak for another thirty minutes to an hour. Again, use whatever equipment you can access to enable you to immerse your blanket in water thoroughly. If you don’t have a bathtub or other large water reservoir, you could use your shower, laundry tubs, or even the kitchen sink to accomplish this step.
Step 5: Rinse and Spin
After soaking for another half hour to an hour (or however long it takes you to get several loads of laundry done if you are doing another laundry at the same time), rinse your blanket thoroughly one more time. After rinsing, place it in a washing machine and spin it to remove excess water.
Step 6: Dry the Blanket
After removing the blanket from the washer:
- Put it in your dryer on low heat or hang it up to dry. If you use a low heat setting in the dryer, allow thirty minutes of drying time before checking on your blanket.
- If it is still very wet, continue with the low heat cycle until it dries through. You can also hang your blanket up near a window or outside if weather permits; this will considerably speed up the drying process.
- When the blanket is dry, pat yourself on the back; you’ve successfully washed your weighted blanket.
Step 7: Don’t Wring the Blanket
Wringing wet fabric can harm or tear it, so be very careful when handling your weighted cover after washing and rinsing. If you accidentally wring it, you can undo the damage by soaking the blanket in the water again to allow the fibres to relax back into place but try not to wring your blanket during washing.
7 Tips for Safely Washing a Weighted Blanket
Now that you know the steps to follow when washing your blanket, these tips will help you do so safely.
1. Use the Right Water Temperature
90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for washing a weighted cover. If your water heater heats your tap water above this temperature, it’s best to run cool water over an ice cube and let it melt into the bathtub of cool or lukewarm water you will be using. You can also use cold water if necessary. However, washing a weighted blanket in cold water may prolong the drying process.
2. Clean the Washer and Dryer Regularly
As you’re washing your weighted blanket with other items in the laundry, be sure to regularly clean and maintain your washer and dryer so that they don’t accumulate any residue and cause problems for your blanket.
3. Use the Right Soap and Detergent
Use a liquid laundry detergent without bleach or fragrance when washing your weighted cover. It eliminates irritation on the skin. If needed, you can use regular laundry soap, but be sure to rinse well to ensure no soap residue remains on the blanket.
4. Rinse Thoroughly
After you have used a detergent on your weighted cover, be sure to thoroughly rinse it with cold water so that any remaining residues are removed from the blanket. If you have hard tap water, add distilled white vinegar to the final rinse water to help prevent soap residue from appearing on your blanket.
5. Keep it Dry
After you dry your weighted cover, be sure that it is completely dry before packing it away or allowing a child or pet to play on it. If there isn’t enough time to air dry a blanket, use a low heat setting in the dryer to speed up drying time.
6. Don’t Toss It in the Wringer
Wet fabric can easily be damaged or torn, so it’s important to be careful when handling your weighted blanket after washing. If you do accidentally wring it, immerse it again in water to re-fluff it and remove the wringing.
7. Be Smart About Storing Your Blanket
Once your blanket is dry, be sure to store it in a cool, dry place; if you live in a humid climate, keep it wrapped up until you are ready to use it again. Keep your blanket out of sunlight to help it retain its deep colour.
Quick Tips on How to Dry the Blanket
If you have a heavy blanket that’s especially hard to wash, drying it might be the most challenging part of this entire process. Drying can take as long as 24 hours if you have a very wet blanket or an older, more worn one with stains that need time to set in. Here are some quick tips for drying the blanket.
• Dry it on a clothesline, if possible. If you can’t hang the blanket up outside, drape it over a drying rack inside instead. Make sure that you’re using sturdy sticks and wires to support the weight of the wet cloth. You don’t want this holding your blanket crashing down on you.
• If you’ve got an indoor rack that fits your weighted cover, then stack them up and put them there.
• If you’ve got the space, then try putting it over your shower curtain rod and leave them to dry there.
• Use a hook made for hanging clothes or make one yourself for the same purpose. This is again like an indoor rack, but it doesn’t take up as much space.
• You can also dry your weighted cover in a front loading washing machine with no water added. Just put them inside and run the spin cycle until they’re almost dry, then hang them up.
• You can also lay it out flat to dry and ensure that no pets or children have access to the blanket at least for 24hours.
Conclusion
Your weighted cover is a big investment, so it’s important to take care of it by washing your blanket regularly. If you want to get the most use out of your new purchase, follow these steps for how to wash a weighted cover.
Washing your heavy blankets will keep them clean and free from dust mites, which can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. Even more, this process also removes sweat and oils that have been absorbed into the fabric over time, making it easier on both your skin and theirs when cuddling up next to each other. Having a clean blanket is a beautiful feeling.