hopehope
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Post by hopehope on Jul 31, 2010 23:26:39 GMT -5
I have this wonderful cream wool blanket. which covers my bed, where I live 90+% of my life.
consequently, the blanket -- well, the other side of the blanket since I turned it -- is, um, dirty.
and I want to wash it in cold water, woolite and oxi in a washing machine.
but -- then -- how do I get it dry? no i can't hang it outside -- big city.
dryer on cool? for two 7 minute cycles? then hang over shower rod and hope it doesn't go mildewy?
or ?
how?
dry cleaning will leave it saturated with chemicals. which will not be good for sleeping, lying on, sitting around and living on.
laundry is not my strong suit -- at least machine laundry.
I solicit your collective and individual wisdom.
thank you.
hopey
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Post by usedtobeneat on Jul 31, 2010 23:46:49 GMT -5
I would wash it with Woolite, then when it's done washing I would reset the washer to the final spin and let it spin again. Then take it and hang it over the shower rod, with the shower curtain pushed back. If you have a fan you can plug in in the bathroom on it that's even better. Do it early in the morning and every hour or so, turn the blanket over so the other side gets the fan or the air. It shouldn't get mildewy. I wouldn't put it in the dryer at all if it's 100% wool. Is there a tag on it with instructions?
Mary
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Jul 31, 2010 23:51:29 GMT -5
I also have a cream colored wool blanket with stripes on sides from Canada or Minnesnowta....I have never washed mine...I did take it to the dry cleaner....I have spot on it...unfortunately from my butt....uggg I wish I had not sat on it like that....it will not come out....I am afraid to run it thru the washing machine...might stretch it out of rectangular...be careful on that........you might have it ruined doing this
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Post by usedtobeneat on Jul 31, 2010 23:55:57 GMT -5
The washer shouldn't hurt it if you wash it on the gentle cycle. It's mainly the way it's dried that can change the shape. If its delicate, you could dry it flat, on towels, on a table. Turning it every few hours and replacing the towels with dry ones. If it's thin you could hand wash it in the tub, but if it's a thick one I imagine it would be really hard to wring out.
Mary
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Post by eagle on Jul 31, 2010 23:58:49 GMT -5
Hope, here's a link. Skip down to the section about drying the wool blanket. I would also use a fan if you have one. Heavy thick wool doesn't dry as fast as thinner wool. DO not use the dryer. ETA: Oops, forgot the link. It's there now. |
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Post by eagle on Jul 31, 2010 23:59:55 GMT -5
BTT, too much information.
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Post by hopehope on Aug 1, 2010 1:02:18 GMT -5
eagle --
I appreciate the info -- but the link didn't print in your post -- it's a beaut of a blanket -- but large and not thin -- so --?
I have no floor -- except possibly the wood floor in the lr which is not suitable -- to lay it out flat (maybe over the edge of the tub and into the tub? nah...) --
and utbn-- I don't OWN a washer (they're forbidden in my building) -- this is all at the groovy laundromat -- so I can't just dial back to spin again.
I could solicit my friend in another state -- but she seems to have dropped me lately...
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Post by hopehope on Aug 1, 2010 1:02:50 GMT -5
I have fans.
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Post by hopehope on Aug 1, 2010 1:35:57 GMT -5
have been researching.
what's the scoop on my oxi-magic plan?
it's a kind of bleach -- peroxide style -- - my go-to tool for gently cleaning dirtied white stuff --
bad idea?
on wool?
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Post by Rory on Aug 1, 2010 2:23:50 GMT -5
I would take it to a dry cleaner if I could afford to.
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Post by eagle on Aug 1, 2010 3:03:40 GMT -5
No, according to the Oxiclean site, you should not use it on wool. |
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Post by lizzie on Aug 1, 2010 5:33:56 GMT -5
Hi Hope, check the driers at the laundromat as they may have a cool wool setting - and if there are staff at the L, they will have good advice, regards, Lizzie
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Post by yearning4order on Aug 1, 2010 12:22:24 GMT -5
As someone who grew up wearing wool, has done felting (both wet and dry) with wool, and has even purposely felted 100% wool blankets to make potty pads for the bed for night time toilet learning, as well as intentionally felting 100% adult wool sweaters to make baby sweaters and leggings for my daughter (oh so many years ago)--this is what I would do.
What damages wool during washing is the friction and changes in temperature while wet. To intentionally felt wool, you use a combination of water, soap, friction, and even changes in temperature from hot to cold and vice versa to "shock" the fibers and help them mat. The yurts of the Mongol Plateau are made by taking camel hair (which felts just like sheeps' wool), water, and wrapping them in a long mat and either attaching to a horse or camel and having it trot, or women rolling the mat to create the long sheets of felted camel hair into a material that will be strong enough to form the walls of their houses.
So basically you want to minimize friction, and minimize the changes in temperature once that blanket is wet.
First, read your label (if you have one still) and find out if it's 100% wool or a blend, and what the actual instructions are.
I would go to your laundromat--and this might be an exclusive trip where you only bring the blanket and only deal with the blanket. Wash in cold water on gentle cycle, and be sure to set the water at it's highest setting even if that blanket doesn't fill the washer--less water means more agitation which will felt your blanket (causing it to shrink or distort). Unfortunately gentle won't spin out all the water, but it will reduce the friction which is crucial at this stage.
Personally I don't like using Woolite as it actually bleaches fabrics. I've found that using regular laundry detergent is just fine (although if solo washing a wool blanket on gentle, I might use a smidge less of it). When I want to re-lanolize the wool (which helps with water proofing), I use something made here in Oregon called Kookabura Wool Wash.
It's hard for me to want to recommend an air dry "wool" setting of a commercial dryer, in part because that's still friction, and regardless of the temperature, the friction on wet wool is the thing that creates felt (ie the shrinkage).
When the blanket comes out, I would simply put it gently into a garbage bag and take it home, prepared to deal with it immediately. Have on hand 5-7 clean towels as someone else mentioned. Find a clean spot, preferably some sort of linoleum, and put the towels down, then your blanket, then more towels on top. Gently walk across the towels (no crazy slip'n'slide!) and blot the water out. If you have more towels, change the towels and repeat.
Then, depending on the size of the blanket and your place, find a place with decent air flow or set up a fan and hang your blanket to dry:
-My mom used to take two chairs, and place them at a decent distance from each other, and place the blanket over the chairs. That would create a space hanging in the air, and the chairs would keep it off the ground.
-I have used two doors close enough together to mimic the same idea above--place the doors carefully and place the blanket over the top of them
-If you only have a single door to work with, place the blanket on a towel over the door and flip it every few hours until dry.
Where ever you place it, the fan idea is a good one--the air flow helps.
You might actually be suprised how fast it can air dry. Our wool blankets (felted and unfelted) all air dry suprisingly fast.
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Post by gifted on Aug 1, 2010 19:29:53 GMT -5
Hopie, I read that there are cleaners that have a water washing process that works for things that are labeled "dry clean." I worry about the time it may take to dry while inside. Also if the blanket falls, or brushes on something dirty, it is more likely to become soiled while it is wet.
If you do the self-washing machine route, depending on how heavy it becomes while wet and how fragile the material is, and how well the spin cycle works, you may want to "support" the blanket after it comes out of the machine, by using a bed sheet, or something large enough to contain the blanket put this under the blanket and use this to lift the blanket out of the machine.
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hopehope
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Post by hopehope on Aug 2, 2010 20:59:01 GMT -5
I've been reading this attentively -- with so much thanks for you guys, and your information. I took the advice offered -- and looked for a tag. it is 100% egyptian cotton. recommends machine wash cool, gentle. and tumble dry, medium, remove promptly and fold right away. ?! who knows? it is so lovely and soft now, I would be sad to lose that....  |
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