[QUOTE=Larkspade;9001504]
I highly recommend learning hand sewing skills (atleast the overhand and back stitch) [/QUOTE]Or buy the Rambo rug repair kit.
I sent one away once…friend of a friend sort of thing. I ended up paying more for the service than I paid for the turnout sheet. Nope. Never again.
If you go the route of buying your own machine, try and find a used coin-operated laundromat machine - they are sturdier bigger and would hold up to the rigours of tossing a wet horse blanket around. The place I take mine to uses such a machine.
Thanks guys.
I appreciate the advice to buy a commercial washer, do repairs myself, join up with other horse owners. But my reason for posting this is b/c I offer a repair/ cleaning/ waterproofing service through my business. I wanted to see if it was worth advertising in a national publication like CoTH before doing so. However, advertising in threads on the forum is prohibited so I didn’t want to mention that up front. Many here seem to be under the wrong impression, so I’m sharing now so they understand.
Insofar as blankets losing waterproofing in the wash: I’ve found a few contributing factors impact the longevity of factory installed waterproofing.
Better blankets are constructed of a fabric with a gummy backing. This is the most durable form of waterproofing out there and, so long as it’s not washed in hot water, will last for several washes. Matter of fact, it will wear out in spots before the waterproofing fails.
Non-detergent soap is vitally important to extend the life of waterproofness. I made the mistake of my blankets in Tide. Ugh. Epic fail. Worse still, I could not re-waterproof them because the blanket washed in Tide made the waterproofing just pill up and run off it. I use Nikwax, sponge-on application. It’s pretty snarky about how the blanket is prepped before use.
Just offering some helpful hints. But I appreciate the input here from everyone. Thanks.
Oops, I mis-understood your post.
No worries Foxtrot. I just purchased a 50lb capacity, older model Heubsch this spring. It’s wonderful!!
FWIW, I was pretty sure you were doing some rudimentary market research.
One thing you may want to consider, if you aren’t doing it already, is to partner with local tack store(s) so people can drop off/pick up their blankets there. It’s a very attractive option to the people from small barns who might not be able to gather up enough blankets to otherwise schedule pickup/dropoff services.
It also gives you a way to extend your service area, since you can focus on picking up/dropping off from limited locations in the extended area rather than picking up/dropping off at multiple different barns.
The one thing that is clear from this thread is that if someone has a blanket that just needs washing, they are very unlikely to ship it out anywhere. And their friends are probably going to advise against that, too. National publication probably doesn’t make sense.
Finding ways to extend your local/area presence probably would.
I knew you were doing market research as well. I still won’t mail a blanket to be washed.
I’ve hauled them 500 miles home in the back of my car because my definition of clean doesn’t match my mother’s. That is one reason why I wouldn’t mail you a blanket - if our definition’s of clean don’t match it’s too much of a hassle.
I also don’t buy expensive turnout blankets. If it cost me $50+ a year to maintain them, I’d just buy a new one. Most of mine cost ~$50 (end of season sales + odd size horse :))
I looked into this several years ago and concluded that the ROI wasn’t worth it. I wash/repair my own and repair washed horsewear for my barn mates. I bought a used singer metal gear driven machine for $85 and it handles most repairs. I wash my blankets at the local laundry. We’re in a rural area and they don’t seem to care.
Red Mares: This is exactly my concern as well.
I have been offered by a local laundromat to wash my blankets in bulk for a discount. The idea of dropping off 40 blankets at a time and miraculously coming back to them clean is enticing. However, when I wash them myself --though extra time consuming-- I can watch each load and know when an extra cycle is needed based upon how clear the water is on the final rinse.
I’d already pretty much concluded that having folks ship blankets to me isn’t worth it for them. Just wanted to hear how the majority feels. I appreciate everyone’s contribution to this thread.
My mother is yipped because she gets her blankets washed for $6. Which is great, but they aren’t clean. I’m pretty sure the guys at the tack shop take them to the local laundromat. This laundromat has a dedicated wash/dryer for horse blankets (Amish area, lots of dirty horse blankets), though for some reason I seem to remember it costing $10 at the laundry.
Heck no techno.
$7 per load at the local laundromat at 6 am. We have too many blankets to send them to a service affordably. My young horse alone has six.
The last time I shipped a blanket it was around $30. Add that to the cost of washing ($15-$20) and waterproofing ($15ish) and … ouch. 
I wouldn’t do it. I have several services nearby that do a good job, so I send mine out. If I didn’t have those, I’d probably just hose really well and call it good … they’re only going to nastify them again come winter. 
