How to Clean a Quilt?

[iheartscience]

I have a gorgeous handmade quilt that my husband put on the floor to take the sheets off the bed aaaaand of course my cat promptly puked on it. It said dry clean only when I bought it, and the colors are red and white, so I don't think I want to risk washing it myself, unless there's a fool proof way to make sure the colors won't run. I also don't love the thought of snuggling up to chemicals...is organic dry cleaning any good? Do specialty quilt cleaners exist? I live in Philly so have a zillion options but I don't know where to take it!

Thank you in advance for any tips and advice!

 

[Enerchi]

I've made over 150 quilts in the past (stopped quilting about 10 years ago...) and I always pre washed my fabrics before cutting/sewing/quilting. Do you have any idea if this has been washed before? Is it a commercial or a hand made quilt? I start out washing mine by hand in Zero or other handwashable washing liquid, in our big jacuzzi tub and turn on the jets. Then... as time goes on... i end up throwing them in the wash.

Any chance you may be able to just spot clean where the cat barf is?? (but even then, water and cleaning solution will change only that spot on the quilt) I've also done spot cleaning with club soda... FWIW.

Hard to know how this will react but I would NOT recommend dry cleaning it.

 

[mary poppins]

If you decide to spot clean or use tub method per Enerchi's suggestion, Nature's Miracle works well to prevent stains from cat puke. It's like Shout or Zout stain remover, but for cat bodily fluids. We've used it to pre-treat our white duvet cover a couple of times before putting the cover in the washing machine. Comes out looking perfectly clean.

 

[crown1]

i have a large collection of quilts. at least three are red and white. i have machine washed on gentle cycle, cold water, liquid tide more than once. they were fine. i like to dry in the dryer as it fluffs them up. i do not know if your colors will run but mine never have. i wash all of my quilts, and many are vintage, in the machine. i hope you find a way that works for you.

 

[minousbijoux]

Can you pretest a small area of it first and then if everything is fine, machine wash it in cold on delicate and tumble dry low? My concern would be that without a real washing, you might not be able to get the distinct smell of vomit out...(sorry to be so um, graphic)

 

[Aoife]

Is the quilt solid red, on a solid white background, as in a Hawaiian quilt? Those can be very tricky to wash, unless the fabrics were thoroughly washed before the quilt was pieced. Do you know who made the quilt? If it was made in China, I'd dry clean it. If it was handmade in the U. S., by someone who is a skilled quilter, I would assume that s/he followed the pre-washing the fabric protocol, and you could safely wash it in cold water, mild detergent, but DO NOT SOAK IT. Allowing it to sit in the water drastically increases the chances of bleeding. Never, ever put a hand-made quilt in the dryer if you want it to look anything like it looked before you washed it.

I've been quilting for over 35 years, and unfortunately, it all depends on the quality of the fabric, and how well the fabrics were prepped before piecing. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

 

[VRBeauty]

My mother is a quilter and her palette is mostly brights. She hasn't pre-washed her fabrics in years. When she washes her finished quilts, she tosses one or two sheets of Shout color-catchers in the washing machine. She uses regular detergent, and partially dries the quilt in the dryer before putting it on the line to complete the drying.

However... she uses very high-quality quilt fabrics with all of her quilts. You might check a corner or two to see if the colors run, and take it from there... if it runs a lot, a dry cleaner might be your best option. If not, try my mother's method.

 

[Mayk]

I have two very old ones that were packed away in a cedar chest..until recently. I'm terrified to wash them.... And they really need it.... So glad you said not to dry clean them...I was considering just that Now what?

 

[iLander]

I used to work with a company that produced spot and stain removers and they told me this secret; the only "active" ingredient is alcohol. Rubbing alcohol will do, test in a small area, if the colors don't run, just pour it on and wipe off with GOOD paper towels. Evaporates, so you don't have to wash or rinse.

OR stain extinguisher from home depot. Fabulous stuff. Also evaporates.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Stick it in the bathtub with some quilt wash and about 5 or 6 color catcher sheets and lukewarm water. Swish it around and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Let all the water drain out of the tub and remove the sheets. Repeat the process one more time. Do not ring or squeeze the quilt out at all. Gently fold in and place it on a towel and take it to your washing machine. Spin out as much water as you can.

Place a sheet or plastic on the floor (where the cat cant get to it!) and try to square it up. Just try to get it level looking on all the sides so it will dry correctly. If you have T pins and it is on carpet you can put the T pins in the corners. If you have a fan and can leave it on in the room it will help it dry faster.

Quilt wash can usually be found in any quilt shop, or you can use woolite, but a quilt wash will be gentler. The Color Catcher sheets are found in the detergent isle of your grocery store. That is the step you cannot skip with this quilt.

I dry a lot of my quilts in the dryer because I like the look and I usually have used pre-washed fabric, but if I had and all red and white quilt I would use this method every time.

 

[mary poppins]

Did you clean the quilt, thing2of2? If so, how did it turn out?

 

[iheartscience]

Ack, I'm so rude-I posted this thread and then went out of town and forgot about it! Thank you for bumping this! I actually haven't dealt with it yet, aside from spot washing the area my cat threw up on, which fixed the immediate problem. I'm going to deal with it this week and will update this thread.

Thank you to everyone for posting with advice!

 

[Skippy123]

Catmom gave me 2 gorgeous quilts and some quilt wash (specifically for quilts) so I would hand wash with the quilt wash. I did put my MIL's in the washer and they fell to bits so now I am nervous about it like you and will never wash them in the washer.

 

[selbybaggers]

Hi, I am new here from Australia and I am looking for cleaning the quilt but after reading many comments and posts I make a decision that its better to change the quilt cover rather than cleaning the quilt. I think its simple and also change the look of the bedroom. What you guys thinks about it????