Getting those winter blankets clean and ready to store for summer

As winter is coming to an end we are all putting our winter blankets away and bring out our spring sheets.  We are thinking about getting them clean and how to store them until next year.  There are so many options for cleaning and storing blankets.  Me being a thrifty mom wants to get the biggest bang for my buck so I started doing some research on the easiest way to wash a horse blankets.  You’d be amazed at the different ideas on washing blankets.  Some take them in to professionals, others wash at home, some just brush off the dirt and shake out the hair.  There are also others that have different ideas on whether to use at home laundry soap or to get expensive stuff from the tack store.

With all these different ideas out there I wanted to give everyone a chance to decide for themselves.  Below are a few articles I found on this subject.  Some just make sense.  Obviously fabric softeners can cause irrigation to your horse skin.  Also if it’s not dry when you go to store it for the summer it will rot.  But I didn’t think about how soap can break down the waterproofing on a blanket.  I’d be curious to know if this is true.

 

http://www.petplace.com/horses/how-to-clean-horse-blankets/page1.aspx

http://www.beginninghorsemanship.com/?page_id=384

 

Now for how I do it (please note I hum the Mission Impossible song the entire time):

How to wash a horse blanket Summer style...

Step 1:

Wad messy muddy blanket into a ball of ick, put in back of my car.

Step 2:

Drive by laundry mat... scope out any witnesses.

Step 3:

Drive by again. Drop off  Maddie who will load the supersized industrial washer with needed coins.

Step 4:

Park, unload icky wad of smelly horse blanket... run to said washer and stuff it in. Have Maddie standing at doorway ready to fake an illness if spotted.

Step 5:

Hit Start, make sure it locks... and run back to car, go for 30 minute coffee.

Step 6:

Arrive 5 minutes before washer finishes. Have Maddie at car/doorway opening back of car.

Step 7: Once it finalizes the last Spin and unlocks... Grab damp blanket and run like hell! Stuff it in the car and DRIVE!

Step 8: Take blanket home, Toss over fence to dry in sunlight.