Washing an afgan...need advice

[WyckedWood]

I have a wonderful handmade(not by me) afgan,and need to wash it for the first time. I won it in a silent charity auction last year:)Ive washed them b4,but this one has the raised flowers. Should I just go with woolite and a delicate cycle? Should it by dried in the dryer? Just seems more delicate with those raised flowers,hoping someone here would know,thanks!

[bookmarm]

woolite, delicate, cold cycles. Air dry won't hurt. I'd skip the dryer, unless I knew the fiber content. VERY pretty afghan!

[woodland_miniatures]

I agree - cool wash with Woolite or even Ivory flakes, and air-dry, then gentle steam (NO pressure with the iron!). I wouldn't put it in the dryer either, especially if you don't know the fiber content.

It is gorgeous, what a lucky win! :laughbounce:

[havanaholly]

If there's any long loose tails of yarn you can snip an inch off of without damage, you can test whether it's polyester/ acrylic yarn or wool; wool won't melt into a glob in an open flame (like a match). To be on the safe side I'd wash it by hand in cold water with Woolite, lay it flat on towels to dry and then lightly press those flowers. That is gorgeous!

[heidiiiii]

i agree with holly on laying it flat to dry. You do not want to stretch it out. personally, I would lay it flat to dry on the kitchen table with towels underneath. After it has been drying for awhile, i would hang it out to dry the rest of the way. nice to get some sunshine on there and fresh air.

beautiful!

[KathieB]

What a beautiful afghan.

I would use Woolite, delicate cycle and wash with a couple clean bath towels to buffer it and keep the agitator from stretching it. I'm afraid that it is so large that if you try to wash it by hand, the water will cause it to weigh so much that it will be difficult to handle and will stretch out in strange ways when you try to lift it out of the water never mind what it's going to do to the fabric and your back when you try to wring it out by hand.

Dry flat on towels or on a bedsheet spread on the ground. Stretch it gently to original size and shape and let dry. When it gets to the dampish stage, gently pull/fluff/shape the petals with your fingers (if they need it; I suspect they won't). I'd also keep it out of the sun for fear of fading and/or yellowing (depending on the kind of yarn used).

I would NOT hang it as it will pull out of shape.

I would NOT go near it with an iron.

[WyckedWood]

Thanks everyone! Such wisdom here :laughbounce: It happened to be on my birthday when I went to the auction,my husband kept bidding in secret after I had stopped,so it is extra sentimental to me:) I dont know the fiber content but it is a super soft yarn,almost like you would use to make a baby afgan. I cant imagine it would be wool since its so soft. I really appreciate the advice,I probably would have ended up putting it in the dryer if I hadnt asked here first. I'll lay it out to dry on the dining room table,over towels. I didnt think of Ivory flakes,is that more gentle on fabric than woolite? I have a handwash setting on my washer,I'll use that.

[WyckedWood]

LOL...I knew I was spelling afghan wrong...but I wasnt sure where I was missing a letter;) Thanks Kathie!

[Lisa_F]

I think everyone's got the advice covered on this one, but I'll just add my two cents too since I'm feeling chatty tonight :wub:

I would definitely wash it on the delicate cycle with Woolite and cold water. Warm water could make it shrink. And absolutely keep it away from the dryer - there's a high probability that drying it in the dryer would shrink it horribly. Lay it out flat in it's original shape to dry, as Kathie suggested, on a layer of towels or blankets.

I've crocheted for the past 30+ years and one can only use so many blankets so I've given away dozens of crocheted blankets over the years and I've always cautioned the recipients to wash them in cold water & lay flat to dry. Occasionally someone forgets and they wash it in warm water and toss it in the dryer and then call me, horrified, because their nice large bed-sized blanket is now the size of a large baby blanket :laughbounce:

The afghan is absolutely beautiful!

[havanaholly]

I make a lot of afghans & throws and I use polymer yarns, so washing & drying isn't an issue (wash in cold water, dry at lowest temp setting the shortest time to get it damp-dry, lay it flat and when if there are flowers, etc, use the iron on a low setting and a damp cloth to press the flowers flat). For wool I'd go with washing it in the machine on the gentlest cycle, BUT first I'd put it into a pillowcase and baste it shut or use one of those mesh lingerie bags and wash it with a load of bed linens and afterwards proceed as Kathie suggests. That's why I suggested testing a scrap of the yarn to find out what it is; there are a lot of soft, natural fibers (angora & mohair come to mind) that aren't polymers. If there's no scrap bits to test, err on the side of caution.

[Silvyr]

Another VERY soft natural fiber is Merino wool; it's my mother's favorite to spin and knit with and makes the most amazing socks, hats and mittens :laughbounce:

Something I would be concerned about that I haven't seen mentioned yet is the possibility of felting. This typically happens in a washer, when the fibers become entangled, and it can happen in all water temperatures (though it's worst in warm and hot). It's the agitation in the washer that causes it, and it can do so even on a delicate cycle. So honestly, if it's a natural fiber, I would hand wash it in cold water.

[KathieB]

Something I would be concerned about that I haven't seen mentioned yet is the possibility of felting. This typically happens in a washer, when the fibers become entangled, and it can happen in all water temperatures (though it's worst in warm and hot). It's the agitation in the washer that causes it, and it can do so even on a delicate cycle. So honestly, if it's a natural fiber, I would hand wash it in cold water.

That's a good point! Putting towels in the washer with it will help reduce the felting, but I suppose one could fill the machine and stop it, add the afghan and swish it around by hand, then move the dial ahead to spin it and let rinse water in, stop and swish by hand again, then let it spin out.

[MiniKat]

I agree with the cold water, and woolite (or irovy flakes) totally, but for drying I would actually suggest putting together a frame to re-block the piece IF it's original shape doesn't come back after laying it flat to dry.

It would be a pain in the neck if you don't usually knit/crochet, but perhaps someone at a local yarn shop would know someone willing to help if it does need re-blocking.

[WyckedWood]

I hope it doesnt need reblocking! I was worried about the agitation too,and the felting! I'll surround it with linens. Thanks again everyone! Ill look for a loose thread to see if I can test it first.

[grynche]

Look at the afghan closely in the sunlight. If the yarn is shiny, likely it's synthetic. Wet a corner of it and sniff. If it's a wool or wool blend, even if the wool has been tortured to be machine washable, you should get a wooly smell. Skip the Woolite (former sheep raiser/yarn spinner here). It isn't all that kind to natural fibers and synthetics do just fine with regular detergent. Fill the washer with cold water, add detergent (I use mild shampoo on wool, wool blends, silk -- they're all protein fibers, like hair), add the afghan, let it soak, spin the water out. Take out the afghan, refill the washer, put the afghan in to soak, spin the water out. Spin a second time. Lay flat to dry. As long as there's no agitation, and you don't let the water pound on the afghan during the refill cycle on the washer, even if the afghan is pure non-machine washable wool, felting shouldn't be a problem.

[WyckedWood]

Thank you Freya, the yarn is somewhat shiny. I like the idea of skipping the agitation cycle. Thanks again!