Before You Wash: Check the Label

Always check the care label. Symbols to know: the washtub symbol with a hand means hand wash only. A plain washtub means machine washable. An X through the washtub means dry clean only. When in doubt, hand wash in cold water or take to a dry cleaner.

Machine Washing a Wool Blanket

  1. 1

    Use a large front-loader on the wool or delicate cycle

    Top-loader machines with agitators can felt and shrink wool — the agitator beats the fibres and causes them to mat together permanently. A front-loader on wool or delicate cycle uses gentle tumbling action that is safe for most wool blankets.

  2. 2

    Use cold water and wool wash

    Set water temperature to cold — hot water causes irreversible shrinking of wool. Use a wool-specific detergent (Woolite, Eucalan, Nikwax Wool Wash) or a gentle pH-neutral detergent. Standard detergents contain enzymes and alkaline agents that break down wool fibres. Use the minimum recommended amount.

  3. 3

    Gentle spin only

    Select the lowest spin speed available — 400–600rpm rather than 1000+rpm. High-speed spinning stresses wet wool fibres and can cause distortion and felting.

  4. 4

    Remove immediately and reshape

    Remove from the machine immediately when the cycle ends — leaving wet wool bunched up can cause permanent creasing. Gently reshape the blanket to its original dimensions while damp.

Hand Washing

Fill a large bathtub or tub with cold water and a small amount of wool wash. Submerge the blanket and gently squeeze the water through — do not rub, twist or wring. Drain and refill with clean cold water to rinse. Squeeze out excess water gently. Never wring.

Drying

Lay the blanket flat on a clean dry towel or a drying rack. Reshape to correct dimensions. Air dry away from direct sunlight and heat — sunlight fades wool and heat shrinks it. A blanket may take 24–48 hours to dry completely depending on thickness. Never put wool in the tumble dryer.

How often to wash a wool blanketWool is naturally odour-resistant and does not need frequent washing — once or twice a year is sufficient for most blankets. Between washes, air the blanket outside in the shade for a few hours to refresh it. Spot-clean small stains immediately with cold water and a tiny amount of wool wash.

Frequently Asked Questions

Partially, if caught early. Fill a basin with cold water and add 2 tablespoons of hair conditioner. Submerge the blanket and soak for 30 minutes — the conditioner relaxes the wool fibres. Remove (do not rinse out the conditioner), gently squeeze out excess water, and stretch and reshape the blanket to its original size while wet. Pin or weight the edges to hold shape while drying flat. This works best on mildly shrunken items; severely felted wool cannot be fully restored.
Almost never — the heat and tumbling action of a dryer causes wool to shrink and felt severely. Even a “low heat” dryer is too hot for most wool. Air drying flat is the only safe method. The rare exception is blankets specifically labelled as machine-dryer safe (some treated or blended wools) — always confirm on the care label before attempting dryer drying.