How to Wash a Sherpa Jacket or Blanket Without Ruining It
Washing is not always a friend to clothing items. That is one of the issues you have to face in this technological world. Clothing doesn’t always match up with the machine you currently own. Take for example sherpa jackets or a blanket, machine washing is not always nice to them.
How to Wash a Sherpa Jacket? If you are not sure about how the color dye will react in the wash, you should wash your sherpa jacket or blanket using cool temperatures, the delicate wash cycle and do not use chlorine bleach. Then hang to dry. Some times you need to spot clean first before washing to make sure all the dirt comes out.
To find out more about washing your sherpa jackets or blankets just keep reading our article. It is filled with the information you need to know to get your fleece items nice and clean.
Can You Wash Sherpa?
Yes, you can wash a sherpa-lined jacket. Some people have had excellent results when they let their washer handle the mess. Of course, they are not using very high heat as high temperatures can melt the polyester fibers if you are not careful.
There are only 2 methods of washing you can choose from. The first method is as previously stated, washing it in your machine. The other method is hand washing. The latter method is a lot safer to use even though it may take some time to get the job done.
The key to both methods is the same. You need to pick the right cleanser to use and making sure to prep the fleece first before sending it through the washing process.
What Happens When You Wash Sherpa?
One of the results of washing a sherpa jacket or blanket can be that the clothing items get a lot softer and fluffier. Washing can be a very positive experience if you are using the right fleece fabric for your clothing items.
But that result is for washing and not drying. You are taking your chances when you dry your fleece jacket or blanket in the dryer. The temperature levels the dryer can get to are actually very harmful to sherpa fleece items like jackets and other clothing items.
The best way to maintain the texture, softness and fluffy is to hang dry the jackets and blanket. Then you can put them in the dryer on cool for about 10 minutes. After that, your jackets and blankets should remain nice and soft as well as fluffy.
Can You Machine Wash Sherpa?
Yes you can. You may have to do a little prep work on both your machine and the fleece sherpa clothing item but a washer can be used to make sure you get all the dirt out.
One of the keys to cleaning a sherpa in the washing machine is to use a mild laundry soap. Harsh cleaners are not good and may react with the polyester fibers that your sherpa is made from.
Also, you should watch the water temperature. You do not want to use a high temperature as that will melt the polyester fiber your sherpa is made from. Also, if you are washing blankets, you want to stop the spin cycle about 1 minute after the machine has started spinning.
Doing this will protect your blankets from becoming stretched out of shape.
Does Sherpa Wash Well?
For the most part, yes it will. The sherpa fabric can endure washing by hand or by machine if the proper care is taken. Some people find that their sherpa and blankets become a lot softer after a good wash.
But that may be because they have prepped their clothes and machine prior to start the washing cycle. They also take care of what laundry soap they use and how hot the temperature in their washer and dryer get.
The delicate cycle with cool water temperatures then hang dry is probably the best way to wash your sherpa clothing items. This procedure makes sure that your sherpa items do not get damaged and remain in top shape if not fluffier than before the washing process.
How to Wash a Sherpa Jacket
One of the first things you have to do when getting ready to wash your sherpa jacket is to read the label. You need to follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to make sure you do not ruin your jacket or make it unwearable
Next, you choose the method you will use to clean the jacket. You have a choice between hand washing or machine washing. If you choose the latter, then you need to make sure you do not mix the colors. Separate the colors so you are washing dark with dark and light with light colors.
After you have done that, you need to prep the fleece before throwing it in the washer and hitting the on button. The first step in prepping is to turn the jacket inside out. This should stop your clothes from piling.
The second step in prepping is to remove any lint you find on the items. Once you wash the jacket with lint, you will have a tougher time removing it from your sherpa clothing.
The third step is to make sure you separated the lint producing clothes from your sherpa pile of dirty laundry. Lint producing clothes will make cleaning your sherpa a lot more difficult after you pull them out of the washer.
After all of this, you need to prep your washer by turning the water temperature dial to cold water. Then use liquid detergent over powdered brands. If you want to use powdered detergents, you should dilute it in water first.
Also, use a mild detergent as a harsh detergent can ruin the fleece jacket’s water resistance. When all of this is done, set your washer to gentle and turn it on.
Hand washing is a little different of course. First, you need to fill a shallow tub with cold water. Or you can use the sink if you want or your bathtub if you have one. Just wet the fleece first before adding any soap. When this step is done add in mild soap that are made to work in cold water.
After washing with both hands, rinse well. This may take several attempts before all the soap and foam is gone. Then hand squeeze the fabric and after that flap it several times in the air to get the excess moisture out.
When this process is over, just hang dry it and let the sun do the rest of the drying work. Even if using the washing machine, you should hang dry fleece. It is the safest way to get the cleaning job completed.
Fleece is also quick drying and should be dry in about 4 hours after hanging it up.
How to Wash Sherpa Blanket or Comforter
Unfortunately, blankets may not be as simple to wash as their weave and construction material will dictate how you wash them. Normally, you do not dry clean fleece but some blankets may call for that method, so be on the look out for any cleaning instruction changes.
Other blankets can be machined washed, hand washed or spot cleaned only. You need to read, understand and follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions if you do not want to ruin the blanket. That is always the first step in cleaning any clothing item including sherpa models.
To hand wash, you should fill a tub, sink or bathtub with cold water and add liquid laundry detergent. Before you toss your blanket inside the tub, mix the water and soap very well.
Place the blanket in the water and take it beneath the surface. You should knead it one section at a time. Once you have thoroughly cleaned the blanket, take it out of the tub and only press the excess water out. Wringing it dry will cause the blanket to lose its shape, etc.
Rinse well several times to make sure the soap is gone and press the excess water out as instructed previously. Once you feel you have pressed all the water out that you can, put the blanket between two towels to draw more water out of the blanket.
When the excess water is out, just hang dry it. Hang drying will also help preserve its shape.
Washing fleece blankets in your washing machine isn’t that difficult. One thing to know about fleece blankets is that low-quality ones peel and lose their softness, High-quality fleece blankets should not pil and remain soft for a very long time.
To wash either quality, you need to fill your washer with cold water and put the soap in first. Then put the blanket inside. Turn your cycle dial to gentle and turn the washer on. It is possible to add a fabric softener during the rinse cycle, but it is not always recommended.
After the washer has done its job, then take the blanket out and hang dry it. You can place it in the dryer for 10 minutes after it has been dried by the sun and the wind. This will help fluff up the blanket a bit and keep it nice and soft.
Then if you have a 100% wool fleece blanket, you need to make sure it doesn‘t say to dry clean only. If it does and you ignore that instruction you could ruin the blanket.
If the label does not say to machine wash r dry clean, then follow the handwashing instructions listed above. If it does say to machine wash, then use mild soap as directed above in the machine wash section.
Use the gentle and cold water cycles and temperature. Then after the washer has begun the spin cycle, 1 minute usually, remove the blanket and hang to dry. It’s not that hard to wash a fleece or sherpa blanket. Just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to get the job done right.
Sherpa blankets should be washed in front-loading machines only and if possible. If you do not have one, then remove the agitator from your top-loading machine. Then use a laundry soap that is detergent free.
Detergents can ruin the water resistance a sherpa blanket has. Hang dry and only use the dryer to fluff the blanket up.
How do You Keep Sherpa Soft?
You can use a little fabric softener to help make sure the fleece retains its soft touch. Although this is not recommended. Sometimes the fabric softener will not be evenly mixed in the water and only spot soften your sherpa blanket.
Once you have washed the blanket, make sure to hang dry it. You can also use a hairbrush to brush out any stiffness, etc. Also, you don’t need to wash the blankets that frequently. About once every few weeks should do the trick. Or twice a month if you want extra cleanliness.
Then, don’t completely dry the blanket in the dryer. Pull it out when it is about 80% dry. If you hang dry your blankets, then let the dryer fluff the blanket up for about 10 minutes after hang drying for a few hours.
Some Final Words
Fabrics are not made the same. That means you have to be wary of a variety of cleaning instructions. Sherpa items take a little more care because they are not always made from natural fabrics. They are made from man-made products like recycled plastic and can melt if washed incorrectly.
Follow the instructions above and you should be fine. Separate your fabrics into bright and dark colors, just like you would when washing normal clothes and use cold water.
Then hang dry as that is the best and safest way to dry your sherpa items. You can use a dryer but it is not always a safe option and you could melt the polyester fibers without even trying to do it.
Handle with care are keywords to follow when washing sherpa clothing items.
