Proper washing or cleaning of a sheep's wool blanket

A blanket made of natural sheepskin not only provides a comfortable sleep due to its heat-saving properties, but also has a beneficial effect on human health. To enjoy the benefits of sheep wool products for a long time, careful treatment and delicate care will allow you to enjoy them. You also need to properly wash your sheep's wool blanket in the SMA.

• Features of sheep wool
• What do the icons on the tag mean?
• Features of washing wool blankets
• Dry cleaning at home
• Handwash
• Automatic washing
• Drying
• Proper care
• Recommendations

Features of sheep wool

The product of processing the hair of sheep of various breeds contains a special substance - lanolin, the so-called natural wax. When interacting with human skin, this natural antiseptic penetrates the pores and has a healing effect on the human body.

Lamb

Home textiles made from natural sheepskin provide a relaxing effect and relieve insomnia. Wool products are recommended for use by those who suffer from:

• arthrosis;
• rheumatism;
• osteochondrosis;
• muscle pain;

• allergies;
• asthma;
• circulatory disorders.

The peculiar structure of wool fibers contains a large number of air cavities, which makes the blanket:

• soft;
• warm;

• hypoallergenic;
• absorbs moisture well.

The evenly distributed natural filler is not electrified and does not attract dust particles.

Expert opinion

Irina. Housewife.

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Sheep wool has a positive effect on the development of children: it improves their muscle tone and blood circulation, and serves as a prevention of colds.

Thanks to the air between the fibers, sheep wool products retain their shape well. The elasticity of raw materials allows products to quickly return to their original state after use.

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What do the icons on the tag mean?

To properly care for a sheep's wool blanket, you must carefully study the manufacturer's recommendations on the product tag. You should take prohibition signs especially seriously so as not to spoil the item.

Labels typically contain five basic types of characters:

• wash;
• whitening;
• drying;

• ironing;
• professional cleaning.

Table of signs on clothing

Additional images inside the signs indicate a specific regime or requirement:

• The number on the wash icon shows the maximum permissible water temperature.
• The dots on the “iron” indicate the permitted ironing temperature.
• A crossed out sign prohibits action.
• Recommendations for the direction of drying (vertical or horizontal) can be understood by the lines inside the symbol.
• The letters in the professional cleaning icon regulate the treatment methods.

Most often, the following symbols can be seen on the tags of sheep wool products:

• Hand/machine wash recommended;
• bleaching is prohibited;

• ironing is not recommended;
• Dry/wet professional cleaning is allowed.

The manufacturer will also indicate the permissible temperature conditions and type of drying.

Features of washing wool blankets

You can care for sheepskin blankets in the following ways:

• dry cleaning;
• handwash;

• machine washable;
• professional dry cleaning.

The choice of method depends on the type of product, depending on the type of manufacture. Natural sheep wool blankets are:

• quilted;

• seamless;

• fur.

In quilted, the woolen fabric is in a fabric cover, on the surface of which stitches are evenly laid. Most often, the manufacturer allows such blankets to be washed in a machine.

Expert opinion

Irina. Housewife.

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A full-fabric product made from wool is a homogeneous fabric. It is recommended to wash it by hand, but there may be other information on the label. It all depends on the composition of the raw materials.

Fluffy rugs and blankets are created this way: fibers are woven into a solid-woven base. Such a voluminous fabric does not tolerate wet processing. You can dry clean it at home or use dry cleaning services.

Do you store laundry in the washing machine?

Oh yes! No.

Material advantages

A sheepskin blanket is considered one of the warmest. This is due to the fact that the material contains downy fibers with many curls. Therefore, air remains between the fibers, which is the best heat insulator. A wool sheepskin blanket warms well and retains heat, but does not overheat and does not steam in the warm season.

Among the advantages of sheep wool are the following:

• Warms and retains heat in cold weather, protects against overheating and provides the necessary coolness in hot weather;
• Lets air through, regulates air exchange and “breathes”;
• Natural material is safe. It extremely rarely causes allergies and does not irritate the skin;
• Resistant to wear and fire;
• Long service life. The blanket will easily last 10-15 years;
• Absorbs and absorbs moisture 30% more than its own weight. Stays dry;
• Light weight and comfortable to use. Pleasant to the touch surface;
• Improves sleep and relieves fatigue, increases performance;
• Improves skin condition, gives elasticity and rejuvenates due to lanolin content;
• Improves material metabolism and blood circulation;
• Helps with colds, sore throat and cough, arthritis, radiculitis and osteochondrosis.

Sheep wool perfectly eliminates colds and helps with coughs, warms the chest, relieves back and lower back pain due to arthritis, osteochondrosis or radiculitis. In addition, it improves material metabolism and blood circulation, improves skin condition and enriches skin cells with oxygen.

A wool sheepskin blanket relieves fatigue and helps cope with stress. When using the product, you will wake up rested and productive.

Dry cleaning at home

To dry clean a blanket or rug yourself, you need to:

• add a small amount of lanolin gel to the water and foam;
• lay the canvas on a horizontal surface;
• apply foam to the product;
• leave the product on for a few minutes;
• collect foam with a sponge;
• turn the item over and do the same on the other side.

Then you should dry the blanket well in the open air. This cleaning method can become a regular preventive action to keep the product in excellent condition.

sheep's wool

What types of sheepskin blankets can be washed?

• A quilt is a woolen fabric that is covered with fabric on both sides and quilted over the entire surface. This wool is easy to use. It does not clump or fall off, so machine and hand washing is acceptable;
• A whole-woven product is a single piece of wool, which is characterized by high strength, fine structure and light weight. Dry cleaning and dry cleaning are allowed, sometimes hand washing is allowed;
• A fur blanket is a fabric with wool fibers applied on one or both sides. The blanket turns out fluffy, light and voluminous. Such products cannot be washed; they can only be cleaned dry.

Handwash

To wash a sheep's wool blanket by hand with minimal loss to its presentable appearance, use the following proven procedure:

• fill the bathtub with water so that its volume exceeds the size of the blanket by about 10 times;
• dissolve and foam a suitable detergent;
• immerse the blanket in water for a few minutes;
• then begin delicate washing, avoiding friction and twisting of the fabric;
• rinse the product, changing the water several times.

After this, you should leave the blanket in a clean, empty bath to drain the water, periodically gently pressing on it to speed up the process. The wet canvas becomes quite heavy for one person. It is easier for two people to lift and distribute it horizontally in the open air.

Preliminary preparation

Before any type of washing with water, a sheep wool blanket should be prepared:

1. Any type of canvas must be freed from dust. What happens if you skip this step? After soaking, dust will appear on the surface in the form of dirty streaks or lumps. Removal methods: spread the product horizontally and thoroughly vacuum it; or hang it on a bar or rope, and then carefully, without intense pressure, clean it with a broom or brush; Lightly knock it out with a plastic carpet shovel.
2. Clean stains, moving from the edges of the stain to the center.
3. Before washing a quilt, you need to check the integrity of the woven cover, as well as the seams connecting it to the filling. During the washing process, wool will come out through damaged areas and become matted. Therefore, such defects must be eliminated.

Automatic washing

Before you start washing sheep wool in the machine, you need to roll it up. This way it will load better into the drum. Then you need to:

• turn on the “Wool” or “Hand Wash” mode at temperatures up to 30 degrees;
• use the extra rinse function without spinning.

Next, as after washing by hand, let the water that the product has absorbed drain off and dry it.

Do you turn off the water tap after washing?

Oh yes! No.

How to wash in an automatic machine

In the case of a blanket made of natural wool, when washing in a washing machine, you must follow a number of rules:

• Washing in a machine is possible only if the fabric fits easily into the drum (overloading can damage the machine);

• you should choose the most gentle mode with a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees;
• It is not recommended to use a spin cycle for wool blankets;
• You need to choose a gel wool detergent (designed for delicate fabrics).

Note! A quilted sheepskin blanket withstands machine washing best. It is easiest to load it into the drum rolled into a tube.

If at least one of the conditions cannot be met, preference should be given to hand washing the product.

Drying

As mentioned above, it is better to dry woolen fabric in a horizontal position, while turning it over from time to time. If necessary, a semi-dry product can be hung on a rope to minimize the risk of deformation.

Expert opinion

Irina. Housewife.

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It is worth choosing a warm sunny day for washing the blanket so that it dries well, since it is not recommended to dry such products using heating devices.

Wool blankets should never be ironed. To maintain freshness, preventive steaming and ventilation are recommended.

How to remove difficult stains?

If stains appear on the product, but in general it does not need to be washed, you can remove them using safe means at hand, including:

1. Laundry soap solution . It is grated and diluted with water until a thick paste is obtained. To enhance the effect, you can add a small amount of shampoo. The resulting composition is applied to the stain and left for 30 minutes.
2. Salt, soda and liquid soap . All components are mixed in equal proportions and applied to the stain for 1 hour.
3. Ammonia . A cotton pad is moistened with it and the stain is treated until it disappears completely.
4. Turpentine. It is used by analogy with ammonia.
5. Lemon juice . Use it only to remove stains from white or light-colored items. The juice is applied to the stain and left to act for 30 minutes.

Regardless of which composition was chosen for washing, after exposure it must be washed off with clean water. Do not leave the substance on the fur.

Proper care

Experienced housewives share their secrets for caring for wool textiles and recommend:

• wash the blanket in the duvet cover so as not to clog the machine drum filter with lint;
• shake the washed product thoroughly to restore its airiness and softness;
• When drying, place a light sheet over the blanket to protect from direct sunlight;

• do not wash such items more than once a year;
• Temporarily hide the unused blanket in a vacuum bag.

Video

Method No. 2

Grate regular soap. Soak the blanket in water, adding 5 grams of soap flakes for each liter. Stir the mixture to a rich foam and leave the blanket in it for 10 minutes. Then scrub the dirty areas with a brush and rinse the blanket under running water. Wringing or twisting woolen items is contraindicated as this may affect their structure.

Of course, the most reliable and safe way to wash a wool blanket is dry cleaning. Typically, information about the possibility of washing a product exclusively in this way is contained on the label.

Recommendations

If you use a duvet cover and change it regularly, the blanket will be protected from dirt, since it is better to wash woolen items as rarely as possible. But if necessary, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• The water temperature should not be higher than 30 degrees.
• When machine washing, turn on the “Wool” mode.

• Do not use bleaching agents or iron the product.
• Use only specialized products marked “For woolen items.” The composition must contain lanolin; it retains the volume of fragile wool fibers well.

If in doubt, you can always seek the help of specialists. Dry cleaning performed by professionals delicately removes even heavy stains.

The main thing that needs to be done to extend the life of a blanket made of natural sheepskin, preserve its original appearance and useful properties is to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations indicated on the tag, and also air the product once a month.

How to choose a detergent

When choosing, you should give preference to a liquid product - gel or balm. Pay attention to the composition: it must contain lanolin - as a substance that preserves the integrity of the wool fibers. In addition, the product must match the type of washing you decide to use. Here, for example, is what housewives are actively buying today for similar purposes:

• liquid gel-like detergents for washing woolen products – Laska “Wool and Silk”, “Vorsinka”, “Meine Liebe”, AlmaWin, etc.

• balms “Wool Care from Miele” or “Frosch”;
• and for cleaning at the preliminary stage, fabric-friendly stain removers such as “Vanish Oxy Action” are usually recommended.

For hand washing, you can also use regular hair shampoo. Of course, it is not at all necessary that it contain any special additives or oils. In this case, your choice should be guided only by the pleasant smell of the shampoo and not too liquid consistency. You can also take liquid soap or even powder, but for children's things.

For your information. Regardless of the washing mode, do not use shampoo in the machine - it has increased foaming, which is unacceptable for a washing machine.