Teri asked: How do I wash a moving furniture pad? I have furniture moving blankets that are cloth and seem to be quilted with cotton batting type stuff inside. I cannot find anything on the web about how to clean or wash them. I need them washed without destroying them. I was going to take them to a laundry mat to wash them myself, but I don’t want to ruin the pads or the washer. What do I do?
Moving
blankets are made from a variety of materials and come in different levels of thickness. Keeping the blankets clean is important to extend their life as well as ensure you get your full deposit back if they are rented. These guidelines are general cleaning instructions that apply to most blankets. If available, consult the care instructions for your particular type of blanket.
You Will Need:
- Vacuum cleaner
- Commercial sized washing machine and dryer (Laundromat)
- Bath tub
- Laundry detergent
- Tennis balls
- Towels
- Stain treatment
Steps to Hand Wash the Blankets:
For machine washing scroll down
Vacuuming will allow you to remove the loose dirt and dust that can build up during the move.
- Spread the blanket flat on the floor.
- Vacuum both sides of the blanket.
- Look over the entire piece to check for stains. Pre-treat all stained areas prior to washing with your favorite laundry pre-treatment product.
- For smaller blankets, it is best to hand wash them.
- Fill the bath tub or large sink with cool to cold water.
- Add detergent and agitate it to mix.
- Place the towel in the sudsy water and agitate it around to wash.
- Pay special attention to stained areas. Hand washing allows a great opportunity to scrub each of these areas to ensure the stain is removed.
- Once clean, drain the sudsy water and refill with clean water.
- Rinse the blanket with the clean water.
- Repeat rinses until the soap is removed from the blanket.
- Squeeze out all of the excess water.
- Hang the blanket to dry. Ensure it dries completely before storing. If the blanket still contains moisture, it could result in mold and mildew growth.
- If the blanket is too large or cumbersome to wash by hand, it will be necessary to machine wash it.
Steps to Machine Wash your Blankets:
Home washing machines are often too small, so it is best to utilize a commercial sized machine at a laundromat.
- Again, ensure that all stained areas are pretreated with a stain remover.
- Place the blanket into the machine and add the appropriate amount of laundry detergent.
- Run it through the normal wash cycle with cold water.
- Place the blanket in a commercial-sized dryer on a low-heat setting.
- Add a tennis ball or a couple of damp towels to the dryer to help toss the blanket and ensure even drying.
- Before storing, ensure there are no wet areas on the blanket to avoid mold and mildew from forming.
Additional Tips and Advice
- Check the color-fastness of the blanket by dipping the corner into some laundry detergent. If the color runs, the blanket will need to be dry cleaned to preserve the color. (That is if you care about the color.)
- If renting, check with the rental company to ensure you understand the cleaning requirements. While some require the blankets to be cleaned prior to returning them, most will not require it because it is included in the rental fees.
- Because the moving blankets are not used regularly, cold water and mild detergents are sufficient for cleaning.
- If there is any mildew on the blankets, use the information in the guide How to Remove Black Mold/Mildew from Washable Fabrics.
Can you please tell me if I can wash my packing blanket at home or not, that’s what I want to know.
Debbie,
It really just comes down to size. Look at your blanket to see how it compares to your other home linens that you have washed (comforter, etc.). If it is a similar size then you can try putting it into the machine to see if it fits. Usually they don’t, not only due to size, but also because they are a thicker more rigid material that doesn’t cram into a small space as easily as other linens. Folding it in a way that it became a long, thin rectangle might work to get it into the machine, but the middle areas inside the fold might not get as clean, so if you try that, you may want to re-fold it and wash it a second time. Also, any time you wash a large heavy item like that there is the chance that it could damage the machine, especially a top-loader that has a center agitator, so that may be something to consider if your machine is old or is that style. Good luck!