You love your anxiety blanket, but now you are probably asking yourself: how to wash a weighted blanket?

The short answer is to wash your blanket in cold or warm water using a gentle machine cycle. Use a gentle detergent that doesn’t contain any bleach and don’t use any fabric softener.

However, there are a number of additional factors you should consider before washing your weighted blanket, such as its materials, its weight and if it was designed to be machine washed or not.

If your weighted blanket is not easy-care like Relixiy®, then simply follow the steps below!

How to wash a weighted blanket?

Let’s see how to wash a weighted blanket. With this method, you can safely wash your weighted blanket at home.

1. Before washing the blanket

Before washing your weighted blanket, you can first check it for stains.

Most of the time, we don’t see a stain when it happens, so it’s important that we check the blanket for any stain and then do any of the following:

Run cold water on the stained spot and rub your finger on it. This may remove the stain.
If the stain is still on the blanket, you first need to be sure of the material your blanket is made of before using any laundry product on it. You can try to use a delicate soap if it is made of cotton.
Rinse the area where the spot was, then put the weighted blanket in your washer.

Inspect the blanket for any damage to the stitching or fabric. It is not advised to machine wash a damaged heavy blanket, because the weighted beads may spill.

2. Washing the weighted blanket

Your weighted blanket should come with a laundry care tag, so you should check this for valuable instructions before throwing the blanket in the washing machine.

Generally, you should only wash weighted blankets that are 9kg (20 lbs) or less at home (depending on the maximum load allowed by your machine).

Use a gentle cycle and make sure you’re using cold water.

Use a mild detergent for the weighted blanket. You should avoid using bleach or fabric softener.

If the weighted blanket exceeds the max load of the machine

It’s recommended that if a weighted blanket is over 9kg (20 lbs), you should take the blanket to the laundry mat.

Machines at the laundromat are designed to handle bulky blankets, and you should use them for heavy weighted blankets.

You have to ensure that you check the tag for instructions to set the machine properly.

Hand washing a weighted blanket

If you have a heavy weighted blanket and don’t want to use a commercial washer, you can hand wash the blanket. The following steps will help you.

Use your bathtub. Clean it first to ensure that you don’t get the blanket dirtier.
Fill the bathtub about halfway with cold water.
Add ½ cup of mild detergent.
Mix the detergent with the water.
Put your weighted blanket in the water.
Agitate the blanket well using your clean bare hands or your feet.
Drain the bathtub.
Fill the bathtub with clean water and agitate your blanket again.
Drain the bathtub.
Fill the bathtub with clean water a third time and agitate the blanket for the final time.
Drain the tub and ensure that the blanket isn’t soapy.
Flatten the weighted blanket.
Fold it in half and gently roll it to remove the water.
Repeat the process until most of the water is gone.

3. Drying A Weighted Blanket

After washing your weighted blanket, you need to dry it next. There are several ways you can dry your weighted blanket, and they include.

Air dry

This is the best method for drying your blanket.

You should lap the blanket flat. As an alternative, you can hang dry it, however, this may reduce the lifespan of your weighted blanket.

Most weighted blankets are filled with plastic pellets, and some make use of beads or glass beads for the highest quality blankets.

Using this drying method ensures that the filer won’t melt and that the padding material keeps its shape and properties. It also reduces peeling on certain fabrics and fleece.

It is the safest way to go.

Use low heat on the machine dryer

Machine drying with low heat is safe for most blanket fillers. However, it may negatively affect the blanket’s padding material, so please refer to the blanket’s tag to check if this drying method is feasible for your weighted blanket.

By all means, avoid using high heat so that it doesn’t affect the weighted beads and padding material. Also, ensure that there is enough room in the dryer for good circulation.

You can dry 9kg (20lbs) or less weighted blankets using your regular dryer, but if the blanket weighs more than 9kg (20lbs), go for a commercial dryer.

Things to Avoid when washing a heavy blanket

You should not use any detergent that has a fabric softener or bleach to wash your weighted blanket. It might cause the blanket to be stiff or feel scratchy, but this depends on the material used to make the weighted blanket.

On the other hand, bleach or chlorine will make the fibers in the fabric break down, reducing the blanket’s lifespan, and causing it to wear out faster.

Should You Iron Your Weighted Blanket?

Resist the temptation to iron your weighted blanket, no matter how crumpled it may look.

The fabric may be iron safe, but the weighted beads and padding material in the weighted blanket are probably not.

It may melt and get ruined if you apply too much heat. Even if the beads don’t get damaged, placing a weighted blanket on an ironing board to straighten it out may be difficult to maneuver.

Every weighted blanket has a unique washing requirement. Before you start washing, read its tag for the washing instructions suitable for the blanket.

Use this guide alongside the blanket’s instructions, and you will find it easy to effectively clean and maintain a weighted blanket. If in doubt about your washing skills and if you will be able to handle such a washing load, head to a laundromat.

How to clean a weighted blanket stain?

What if instead you just need to clean a weighted blanket stain?

Well, the good news is that if the blanket has just a small stain, you can probably clean it without having to wash the entire weighted blanket! If possible, you should avoid using any soap or chemicals, because then it will be difficult to remove them without having to actually wash the entire weighted blanket.

The best way to clean a weighted blanket stain is by simply using a bit of cold water to make the fabric humid where the stain is.

Then start to gently clean the interested area by bubbling the blanket fabric. Try to rub it for a couple of minutes and check if you can remove the stain.

Sometimes it may be useful to let the wet area dry and check if the stain is gone, then eventually repeated the procedure.

If you can’t remove the stain, then it is best to actually wash the entire blanket with a gentle soap.

A Removable cover can simplify the weighted blanket care

Washing a weighted duvet can be quite tricky in some cases and you have to be especially careful when you dry it. To increase the lifespan of your weighted blanket it is advised to use a removable cover for your blanket. This will allow you to easily remove the cover and wash only that!

If you get a removable cover for your blanket please make sure that it has high-quality ties corresponding to your weighted blanket loops. This will avoid the weighted insert shifting around while you sleep. For the same reason, it is not advised to simply use a normal duvet cover for a weighted blanket.