I have the afghan my grandmother gave me when I graduated
from high school and all of my children were made special
afghans by their grandmothers when they were born. They
make us feel cozy and give us a connection to the people
who made them. How do we care of these treasured afghans?
If the afghan is made out of wool or wool blend yarn it can
be washed in the washing machine IF you don't allow it to
actually agitate. All settings must be on cool or cold, and
the gentle cycle. Fill the washer with cool water. Dissolve
a mild soap or detergent in the washer water. Then add the
afghan. Allow it to soak, moving it around gently with your
hands, for about 15 minutes or so. Then turn the machine
to the spin cycle. After it finishes spinning and the water
drains, stop the machine and add cool rinse water and a
fabric softener if you wish, but do be cautious. Some fabric
softeners can cause colors to run. If in doubt use a gentle
PH Balanced hair conditioner instead. Again, allow it to sit
for 15 minutes or so, then spin out the water.
Dry the afghan flat away from the sun, or any type of heat
source. You can place it on the floor on a large clean blanket
to dry if it's a large afghan. This is just one method of cleaning.
You could also gently hand wash the afghan using a similar
method in the bathtub or a large sink. Even doing this, you
should be careful as far as scrubbing or stretching too much.
For afghans made out acrylic yarns you can usually wash in
warm soapy water in the gentle cycle and dry gently in the dryer
as well. If the instructions are available from the yarn package it
should give specific instructions. If in doubt, use the gentle
method above.
For all cotton blankets or afghans, use the washing machine with
cool water on the gentle cycle. Dry flat or line dry. However,
chenille must always must be hand washed or dry cleaned.
Of course, no bleach should ever be used on any of the afghans.
Store them out of sunlight and heat sources. The same goes for
displaying them. Use gentle care on all of your afghans and
they will be treasured keepsakes for your family.
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a wife, mom to three kids and a freelance
writer. She is the editor/owner of Old Fashioned Living and sends out
two free email newsletters. You can sign up for them HERE
