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Bedding & Curtains

How to Wash a Throw Blanket (Fleece, Knit and Wool)

Fabric softener is the enemy of fleece, and drying flat is the whole secret with chunky knits.

By The CalcBold Kitchen Desk5 min readUpdated 1,039 words
Rust ribbed fleece throw blanket draped across a bed
A throw gets more use and less washing than anything else in a living room. Both are worth changing.

A throw blanket lives on a sofa, gets used every evening, and is washed roughly never. It is not a criticism — throws feel like decoration rather than bedding, and the care label is usually cut off within a month.

The routine depends almost entirely on which of three fabrics you own.

Table of throw blanket fabrics and their washing methods
Three fabrics, three quite different routines. Getting them mixed up is how throws get ruined.

Fleece: cold, and no softener

Fleece is polyester with a brushed pile, and its softness comes from air trapped between raised fibres. Anything that coats those fibres flattens it, which is why fabric softener is the single fastest way to ruin a fleece throw — and dryer sheets do exactly the same thing.

Comparison showing what fabric softener does to fleece
Fleece works by trapping air between fibres. Softener fills the gaps and the pile goes flat.

Wash cold on a gentle cycle with about half the usual dose of liquid detergent. If you want the softener effect, add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse instead: it strips detergent residue and leaves the pile open rather than coating it.

Dry on low heat or air dry. Polyester melts at temperatures a hot dryer reaches easily, and a melted pile does not recover.

Chunky knits: dry flat

An open chunky knit soaks up an enormous amount of water — several kilos on a large throw. Hang that up wet and the weight pulls the stitches down permanently. It will not go back.

Four-step method for washing and drying a chunky knit throw flat
An open knit full of water weighs several kilos. Hang it and it will not go back.

Wool: hand wash or professional

Wool felts. Agitation plus heat plus alkaline detergent makes the fibre scales interlock, and the blanket shrinks and hardens irreversibly. A wool cycle on a modern machine is usually safe if it genuinely runs cool with minimal agitation, but hand washing in cool water with a wool-specific detergent is the reliable option.

Press the water out between towels, never wring, and dry flat away from direct heat.

Pet hair, pilling and smells

Checklist of how to remove pet hair, pilling and smells from throws
Pet hair comes off before the wash, not during it. Washing it in spreads it everywhere.

Remove pet hair before washing, not during. A washing machine does not remove hair well; it redistributes it, embeds some of it deeper, and leaves the rest in the machine for the next load. A rubber glove dragged across the fabric or a lint roller takes it off in a couple of minutes.

Pilling on a knit or fleece throw is normal with use. A fabric shaver removes it — on a flat, taut surface only. Never take a razor to an open knit.

Smells usually clear with a day outdoors. If not, a cold wash with white vinegar in place of detergent neutralises most of them.

How often

Chart of how often to wash a throw blanket based on use
A throw used nightly on a sofa is dirtier than most people assume, and washed less than anything else.

A throw used nightly on a sofa is collecting skin, oils and food debris in the same way bedding does, and every two to four weeks is reasonable. If a pet sleeps on it, weekly to fortnightly. A purely decorative throw needs washing once or twice a year.

The short version

  • Fleece: cold, gentle, no softener, low or no heat to dry.
  • White vinegar in the rinse instead of softener.
  • Chunky knits: mesh bag, low spin, dry flat and reshape.
  • Wool: hand wash cool with wool detergent, dry flat.
  • Take pet hair off before washing, not during.
  • Every 2-4 weeks if it is used nightly.

For choosing a throw in the first place — including the size that actually covers a person — see what size throw blanket do you need.

Common questions

How do you wash a fleece blanket?
Cold water, gentle cycle, mild liquid detergent at about half the usual dose, and no fabric softener. Dry on low heat or air dry. Softener coats fleece fibres and flattens the pile permanently, and dryer sheets do exactly the same thing.
Why is my fleece blanket not soft anymore?
Almost always fabric softener or dryer sheets, which coat the fibres and collapse the raised pile that traps air. High-heat drying does the same by partly melting the polyester. Washing with half a cup of white vinegar and no detergent can recover a coated blanket; melted pile cannot be restored.
How do you wash a chunky knit blanket?
In a large mesh laundry bag on the gentlest cold cycle with a low spin speed, then press the water out between towels and dry it flat, reshaping it while damp. Never hang an open knit up wet — several kilos of trapped water will stretch it permanently.
Can you tumble dry a throw blanket?
Fleece and cotton waffle, yes, on low heat. Chunky knits should be dried flat rather than tumbled, faux fur should be air dried only because heat melts the pile, and wool must be dried flat away from direct heat.
How do you get pet hair off a blanket?
Before washing, not during. Drag a rubber washing-up glove across the fabric or use a lint roller — a washing machine redistributes hair rather than removing it, embeds some of it deeper, and leaves the rest for the next load. Half a cup of vinegar in the rinse helps release what remains.
How often should you wash a throw blanket?
Every two to four weeks if it is used nightly on a sofa, and weekly to fortnightly if a pet sleeps on it. A throw kept mainly for decoration needs washing once or twice a year. It collects skin cells and oils in much the same way bedding does.

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