There are six simple steps on how to wash acrylic yarn blanket: soaking, washing, rinsing, squeezing, drying, and reshaping. True enough, acrylic yarns, like other crochet and knitted items, are a bit more susceptible to deformations compared to other common materials.
Besides knowing how to wash the item, questions about taking care of their blankets plague many people: if it’s okay to machine wash, heat dry, and other typical inquiries to having valuable items. We will try to address such questions here.
Steps On How To Wash Acrylic Yarn Blanket
Knitting or crochet creates acrylic yarn blankets by detailed twisting of yarn into sophisticated designs. As they take much time to complete, these blankets are a bit pricey but delicate. If you’ve had one for some time, you’ll notice that they are pretty absorbent. Spillage and stains stick annoyingly to them and are hard to remove.
We suggest you first check the manufacturing guidelines attached to your blanket before jumping right to washing. See if there is any recommendable soap for machine-washing, and if it will suffer discoloration. Meanwhile, here are some easy steps in cleaning your blanket.
Step #1. Soaking
You would want to dip your blanket on a basin of cold water first to help distribute soap later on and soften any sticking stains. This step is a preparatory step that allows you to check for any item that might have gotten stuck on your blanket.
Ensure that your blanket is fully submerged and that you’ve removed any knot that may have formed. Pick the blanket from the basin and drain the water. However, you shouldn’t wring it as it will end up with loose threads.
Step #2: Washing
After prepping the blanket, dissolve your detergent in cold water before submerging the blanket. Ensure that there are no clumped soaps if you’re using powdered detergent as it might stick to the blanket. If you’re handwashing, do not scrub its surface to avoid felting and gently swish and squeeze until you remove all specks of dirt.
Step #3: Rinsing
Dip the blanket into generous batches of water and squeeze to remove all the soap and residual dirt. You can rinse it until you see no suds anymore, but three to four basins should suffice. You can add a fabric conditioner on the final rinse; check first if the manufacturer recommends it.
Step #4: Squeezing
After the last rinse, squeeze out as much water as you can from the blanket. Removing a lot of the water will shorten the time for drying. If you’re in a rush, you can wrap the blanket on an absorbent towel before pressing on it, but never wring it.
Step #5: Drying
Though some prefer hanging their blankets on a wire or pole for drying, it is not advisable. Doing so will stretch the yarn where the wire is, and repeated occurrence will permanently thin out your blanket. Instead, it would be best if you dried it flat on a surface to fully support its weight, which usually takes 24 hours to finish.
Step #6: Reshaping
Push on the knots gently to help it return to its original shape. However, you mustn’t tug or pull it as it can get damaged the same way from hanging. Adjust your blanket as gently as you can.
Acrylic yarn blankets will get damaged if even a single thread gets tugged or gets caught on wires. Make sure you watch out and put aside any item that can accidentally scratch on your blanket.
Is it safe to machine wash an acrylic yarn blanket?
Generally, acrylic yarn blankets can be machine-washed. However, you should check the product’s description. Use a gentle cycle, especially if it’s the first time you’re washing your blanket. Though you can wash acrylic yarn blankets with other blankets, this is not advisable for clothes with hooks or loose parts.
Washing machines twist all the loads around to remove dirt, so mixing other laundry clothes might put your blanket at risk. Plus, you wouldn’t want to get your blanket stained by possible discoloration of other garments, so it’s best not to risk it.
Can acrylic be heat dried?
Acrylics can be dried using heat in modern washing machines, but you should still check on the package if it is advised. Do note that they are made from plastic materials, so you should expect that they will not behave in the same manner. Keep the thermostat of the machine at a low temperature to keep the blanket in perfect condition.
Drying it under the sun will depend on how hot the temperature climbs on your area. If it’s within the values indicated by the manufacturer, then you can dry them outside.
Does acrylic yarn lose color when washed?
They don’t typically lose color with the use of detergents. Acrylics don’t bleed color since they are synthetic and petroleum-based. You should avoid using bleach, though, as it won’t only destroy the color of your blanket but also affect its threads’ texture.
Conclusion
It’s always comforting to come home and alleviate a bit of the stress on neat and clean beddings. Knowing how to wash acrylic yarn blanket and how to keep it in perfect condition is a skill that everyone can learn. If it’s a skill, then we hope you can teach someone else as well.