September 30th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

The weather has turned distinctly more autumnal and your thoughts may be turning towards getting your electric blanket out of storage ready for cooler nights. If you didn’t wash your blanket prior to putting it away, or if you just want to give it a freshen up before you start using it again, then now’s the time to do it, especially if you’d like to dry it outdoors while we still have some sunshine.

Luckily, washing an electric blanket is really easy and you will definitely appreciate that freshly laundered scent and softness as we move into colder weather. The majority of modern electric blankets are machine washable (double-check the label to make sure), just follow the following guidelines to keep your blanket in top condition:

1. Remove the power cable

While electric blankets are machine washable, power cables and controllers are not. The power cable on machine washable blankets detaches from the blanket for this purpose. If your electric blanket is an older model that doesn’t have a detachable power cord, you can still clean it by hand! Just make sure you’re very careful to keep the power connection away from water. You can soak the rest of the blanket, but keep the power connector dry and carefully pat the fabric around the connector with a damp cloth.

2. Gently wash it

To wash your blanket, gently roll it and place in the washing machine. Rolling it will ensure that you don’t bend any of the wires inside excessively. Don’t add any other items to the wash and wash it on your machine’s delicate cycle. Use a mild detergent. Again, check the label to see what the manufacturer recommends for your specific model.

You can, of course, hand wash your blanket if you prefer. Due to its size, it may be easiest to do this in a bathtub.

3. Dry carefully

Once it has been washed you need to take some care over-drying it. Always air-dry it, never tumble dry as this could cause damage. You can hang on a line outdoors or spread over a clothes horse or airer but spread it evenly as the weight from the water could potentially distend the fabric and pull it out of shape. If the fabric gets pulled out of shape, it can pull the heating elements inside out of alignment, which will mean your blanket heats up unevenly.

4. Check over the surface

Once you have completed the washing process it makes sense to give it a visual check over and feel for any bumps or kinks in the wires. This can happen when the blanket gets a bit old and tired or through incorrect storage. If you do feel anything, and certainly if any wires are protruding outside of the fabric, then the blanket could potentially be dangerous and should be discarded.

Your electric blanket is now ready to be used again. We would recommend spreading it over the bed as laying it straight is the best way to keep it. If it’s not cold enough yet to be needed you can simply use it as a throw or standard blanket. However, it is a good idea to turn it on to test it now rather than wait until winter weather arrives.