Cleaning a Quilt – A Specialized Spa Treatment
Do you feel it is time to wash?
Or, are you a weekly washer, whether something needs to be washed or not?
If it is a quilt – STOP!!!
No matter the age of the quilt, it is better to never, never wash that quilt again. Especially the way those of us in the 21st century consider washing.
Today’s washing machines come in front-loading or top-loading styles.
This machine drenches the quilt in water, rolling it around frequently and alternating the direction of the roll.
The problem with this is that water weighs a lot—8.34 pounds at room temperature. Your quilt, regardless of size, is being sloshed around, propelled by several pounds of water moving at high speed.
If your washing machine fills with 5 gallons of water to cover your quilt (or clothing), that’s equivalent to 40+ pounds of water pounding your quilt. AND, if your washer has an agitator, that 40 pounds of water and soggy quilt is being churned around by the agitator.
Next, we yank the soggy, water-logged quilt out of the washer and transfer it to the dryer.
With no fault to any of us, we want to finish the task quickly. There is a lot of yanking, tugging, and shoving from one machine to the next.
In the dryer, many of us have several settings for custom drying features. Whatever your favorite choice, once started, your quilt is hurled back and forth with bursts of air bombarding it. For several minutes, the quilt rolls and rolls as air is forced around it until it is dry.
Let’s also think about the chemicals used to wash and dry the quilt. Not only do we put a detergent of some sort into the wash cycle, but these chemicals are designed to break down dirt, oils, and stains with their chemical makeup. Then, we like to add fabric softeners to the drying cycle to keep fabrics smelling fresh.
The problem: chemicals break down fibers.
Fabric softeners make fabrics water-resistant, making them more difficult to clean in the future.
To date, there are few long-term studies that show the results of 21st-century cleaning techniques on textiles. As a comparison, consider the washing techniques our grandparents or great-grandparents used to wash clothing: old wringer-style washing machines and lye soap. Many of the quilt repairs I receive show wringing gone awry! And too much soap breaks down fibers faster than you can say “squeaky clean”.
The alternative: ask your local quilt shop or contact me for suggestions. There are too many considerations to recommend a specialized soap for your quilt:
How old is the quilt?
Has it been washed before?
Is there evidence of previous color-bleeding?
Is there potential for additional bleeding?
What is the batting made of?
Are there special fibers or embellishments included on the quilt?
Each answer will require special consideration.
I have washed many quilts. All of them by hand. Few use more than a tablespoon of specialized homemade soap, if any at all.
In order of frequency, here are the primary reasons for washing a quilt:
Mold and mildew.
Body oils.
Pet fluids – of any type.
I enjoy the process! Soaking a moldy quilt is a fascinating process to witness. Decades of grime can quickly turn clean water deeply grubby.
After several rinses (five so far) and airing outdoors, you get a cleaner, fresher result than any soap, fabric softener, or dryer can offer.
If you have a quilt that could use a “spa treatment”, give me a call and let’s discuss it.
I’m always happy to extend the life of any quilt!
Hi Kristen! This is so interesting. I have a quilt my grandma made for me more than 40 years ago and I’ve never washed it. It’s not really used but not fresh anymore either. I knew not to use the washing machine and I’ve thought about hand washing in the bathtub. However, I didn’t know about not using modern day detergents. Thanks for the information. Do you have any suggestions for me to wash it myself? I was thinking about a little Borax and that’s it.