How to Wash and Care for your Quilts
- Inspecting - Before washing your quilt, it is smart to give it a little once-over to make sure there are no loose threads or stretched seams that need to be fixed before you begin the laundering process. Make any minor repairs you need to while your quilt is still nice and dry.
- Washing - You have two choices here: hand washing, or a machine washing.
- Machine Washing Instructions: Set your washing machine to a gentle cycle and choose cold water. I also recommend washing with a gentle detergent, such Quilters Rule or Retro Clean. If you are nervous about fabric dye bleeding, throw in a Shout Color Catcher or some Retayne. The Color Catchers literally catch dye that has bleed into the wash water. Retayne is a chemical that helps lock dye into the fabric and should only be used the first time the fabric is being washed. Always read the packaging instructions before using.
- Hand Washing Instructions: I highly recommend washing all vintage quilts, hand-quilted quilts, and hand-appliquéd quilts by hand. No one is going to treat your quilt as well as you are, especially a washing machine. First step to hand washing is to make sure the tub or sink you will be using is clean. Next, fill it up with some cold water and dye-free, perfume- free detergent. Place your quilt in the water, and make sure every inch of it is submerged. Agitate the quilt gently for about 10 minutes, then drain the soapy water, and refill with fresh water. This time, add ½ cup of distilled white vinegar to the water. This clears the quilt of any residue from the detergent, and also softens it and keeps the colors bright! Repeat the rinsing process until the water is suds-free.
- Drying - You have two options again. You can also do a combination of the two.
- Machine Drying Instructions: Two very important words to remember here - LOW HEAT. Your quilt is delicate, so you will want to use low to no heat when drying it. To be safe, do not dry it all the way. Tumble dry it on low until it is damp, and then let it air dry.
- Air Drying Instructions: I highly recommend air-drying all vintage, hand-quilted, hand-appliquéd, and any quilts in which you want to limit fabric shrinkage, which causes puckering and crinkling. Air-drying quilts can be tricky because they can be very heavy when wet! To prevent threads from popping, support the weight of the quilt well, usually by drying it flat. For safe drying, some people like to use a flat rack, but if you do not have a giant quilt-drying rack, you can make a bed of thick towels to lay it on. Some people like to finish the drying process by laying their quits on a patch of grass on a sunny day.
- Storing - The best place to store a quilt is on a bed. This is for real! Even if you are not using the bed… or the quilt… storing quilts flat in a dry part of the house with a stable temperature is the way to go. You can cover it with another sheet or bedspread for protection, and then check on it from time to time, like a good parent. If you do not happen to have a guest bed for your quilt, cotton or muslin bags are the best choice for storage (never use plastic or cardboard!) Make sure it is clean before you put it away, and take it out to get some air from time to time. If folding it for storage, change the fold creases every time you refold your quilt.