How do you clean very old and very large crocheted blankets?
by
Cindy Rubin
+8
I have 2 King sized bed blankets and 1 single sized blanket and several others of different sizes and shapes.
My grandmother made them all when I was a little girl and I am 53 now. My mom recently passed and now I get to have the honor of having them in my house. They mean a lot to me but Im not sure how to clean them without shrinking them or distorting the shapes etc.
Help!
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Hello CIndy! I have two large crocheted "blankets" that my grandmother made for me when I was about 18. They are now about 45 years old!
I would put them in a washing machine on the gentle/delicate/handwash cycle and then dry them on the delicate cycle. Mine have held their shape well.
Cindy: I agree... delicate wash with soap that isn't harsh. (Like baby laundry soap.). Then gentle dry.
Something that special and irreplaceable I would hand wash!
You can always wash them on delicate in the washer and then hang outside to dry.
You may be able to hand wash and hang dry, or perhaps talk to a local dry cleaners about them. If you know of a GOOD one, they will be able to help
dry cleaning .. I would not attempt that myself
Hand wash in bathtub, get help, as a king size can get really heavy. Or wash in machine on delicate. I would use cold water (no fabric softener, use vinegar in the rinse cup instead), and then pull out regular king flat sheets or gather up a bunch of towels and lay flat to dry. Hanging will stretch the crochet and over time it puts stress on the fibers and will end up mishshapen. Then cover with more sheets or towels to dry. Will send a couple sites on washing and blocking crocheted and knitted items.
Here are some sites about washing and blocking handmade crochet and knitted items.
https://youtu.be/j_viszqZJ6w
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-care-for-crochet-blankets-2146311
https://crochetnerd.com/wash-crochet/
https://youtu.be/lZuIiDHdpT8
Blocking is important so that the blanket keeps its shape and not get all stretched out.
you could use a commerical washer if it has a gentle cycle but it will take a long time to dry a king size blanket and not shrink it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_viszqZJ6w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6M9CGcIHug
I would take them to the dry cleaners and see what they have to say.
I would either hand wash them or wash them on a delicate cycle with low to no spin. I’d use a gentle laundry detergent, too. Or you could take them to a dry cleaner who uses eco-friendly techniques.