Cleaning your own blankets

[soloudinhere]

I throw the blanket over my deck railing and one of those soap mixer nozzles from harbor freight. I douse the whole thing in orvus and whatever that enzyme pet wash carpet shampoo, let sit, then rinse with the pressure washer on low. If one is really nasty I will fill a trash can with water and they enzyme cleaner and let it sit for an hour before doing the usual process.

They come pretty clean and don’t smell bad, but when I build my barn I am adding commercial power so I can have a commercial washer.

[atr]

I have a washer hooked up in the basement specifically for horse and pet laundry. I recommend it if you’ve got the space. I use regular HE detergent, double rinse and an extra spin (this can be a bit hard on the washer with a heavy blanket. It wanders about s bit…) then spread out to dry in the sun, or in the winter, hang in the basement.

[Magicboy]

I hose mine on the terrace but scrub them with a broom because I don’t like using a scrub brush on my knees,

[ryansgirl]

@saultgirl

For really heavy blankets that won’t fit in the washing machine, I usually lay it out on the grass, spray with hose, then scrub with a brush or even a broom with soapy water. Rinse, flip over, repeat. Then I hang it on the fence and give it one more good rinse on both sides, and leave it on the fence to dry.

Same for me. I do have a couple that I use as a base layer (so they are never muddy/covered in manure) that i will take to the laundromat super early in the morning (before anyone else is there) and wash in hot water then I take them home to dry - over a fence. But all others get scrub with a stiff brush and hung to dry.

[IPEsq]

@atr

I have a washer hooked up in the basement specifically for horse and pet laundry. I recommend it if you’ve got the space. I use regular HE detergent, double rinse and an extra spin (this can be a bit hard on the washer with a heavy blanket. It wanders about s bit…) then spread out to dry in the sun, or in the winter, hang in the basement.

I dream of having the room for a Meile machine with the horse blanket program settings in my house.

[Texarkana]

I take them to the laundromat. Go early in the morning or late in the evening on a weeknight. Bring a towel to wipe out the machine afterwards, and enough change to run a second empty load to clean the washer.

Also, they are usually really wet and dripping afterwards, so bring a large black trash bag or a big plastic tub to carry them out.

I just use a small amount of regular detergent and never noticed a problem with it destroying the waterproofing. Although maybe my waterproofing would last more than a few years if I used detergent specifically for blankets?

[Livie]

I usually wash mine in my heavy duty front load washer at home. Occasionally I have had really muddy or really big ones that instead, I have brought to the do it yourself car wash places and spread on the ground and used their equipment to wash. Just lay blanket out, spray down with pressure washer, squirt a bit of blanket wash on it, spray down again until water runs clear. Then put in rubbermaid tub in trunk of car and hang to dry at home. I can wash a heavy filthy winter blanket for under $5 this way