How to Wash a Fleece Blanket without Pilling Tips

Fleece blankets are so warm and comfy and whether you have a store-bought fleece blanket or you’ve made your own you’re going to want it to stay super soft. To keep your favorite blanket from getting rough then you’re going to want to follow the tips in this guide to learn how to wash a fleece blanket without pilling.

Understanding Fleece Fabric

Fleece is known for its warmth and softness which makes it one of my favorite knit fabrics. Fleece blankets are super fun to make and you can even make them without any sewing skills if you make a tie blanket.

Fleece is a man-made, synthetic fabric type made from chemically-produced fibers. Quite often fleece is made from polyester. Fleece comes in a bunch of different types including sherpa fleece, polar fleece, blizzard fleece, anti-pill fleece, plush fleece, terry fleece, cotton fleece, lycra spandex fleece, and more. Each fleece variety has individual characteristics and has different uses but overall they share some characteristics in common.

Blankets, hats, and jackets are great projects for fleece because you want a fabric that is soft and warm for those projects. You can cut fleece and it will not fray, meaning you can cut it and the edges don’t unravel or come apart. This characteristic is why fleece is commonly used for making no-sew tie blankets.

Fleece tie blankets make for easy crafts and fun gifts. A person without sewing skills and even a child can make a tie blanket. Most craft and fabric stores even sell kits that come with two coordinating pieces of fleece that are cut to the same size and ready to be made into a tie blanket. There are even kits available that have the lines printed around the boarder edge so that you just have to cut the slits on the sides without having to measure out anything.

We have had fun making fleece tie blankets with our kids and then donating them to those in need. It’s a lot of fun and as long as your child is old enough to tie a knot (I’d say like 7/8 years old or older) then it’s a great opportunity for them to make something for someone else.

To take good care of a fleece blanket you want to avoid two things: pilling and roughness. 

• Pilling: Fleece is prone to pilling. Pilling is when the surface of the fabric gets little balls on it over time. Friction causes the pilling.  Pilling makes fabric look old and ratty.
• Roughness: Because they are synthetic fibers fleece fibers are delicate and can become rough if not treated properly.

Fleece is not the most delicate of delicate fabrics but to keep your fleece blanket from pilling and becoming rough you have to take proper care of it. Generally there are a lot of different opinions on how to clean different things so I am going to just share what I think the best practices are for washing a fleece blanket in the simple steps below.

How to Wash a Fleece Blanket without Pilling

Consider the importance of each of the following factors when deciding how to wash a fleece blanket without pilling:

• Detergent: For best results you should use a mild detergent that is fragrance-free to wash fleece blankets. If your detergent is too harsh it can strip the blanket of its softness but the right detergent can help your blanket keep its fluffy texture.. Tide Free & Gentle is our family’s favorite gentle detergent.
• Water Temperature: This is important! You should wash your fleece blanket in cold water or lukewarm water so that it is less likely to get damaged or shrink. Absolutely don’t wash it in hot water. If you are washing a store-bough fleece blanket then be sure to check it for a care label with specific care instructions.
• Cycle: To minimize friction pick a delicate cycle or gentle cycle to help prevent pilling. Most washing machines have a wash cycle for delicates and that is the one you should use. I know, a blanket is chunky and doesn’t feel delicate but the fibers of the fabric are delicate, that’s what makes fleece feel soft.
• Load: To cut down on the friction even more you should wash your blanket on its own or with other soft fabrics. I put a couple of blankets in together to make a load to make things efficient while not sacrificing the softness of the blankets.
• Hand Washing: Honestly I typically wash my fleece blankets in the washing machine but if you want to be more careful then you can wash your blankets by hand in the utility sink if you have one or in a bathtub. You still want to wash it with cool water.  Be gentle when you swish it around and don’t wring it out or scrub it aggressively.
• Stain Remover: If necessary you can pre-treat your fleece blanket with stain remover, however try to avoid using overly harsh chemicals. Avoiding harsh chemicals is also why dry cleaning fleece items is not a good idea. I try to wash the blanket right away if something gets spilled on it so that I can avoid having to use a stain treatment.
• Lint Roller: Use a lint roller to remove any debris or pet hair that your fleece blanket has picked up. I have personally found that this works really well and I keep a lint roller in the laundry room to give blankets a quick going over if they need it before I launder them.

How to Dry a Fleece Blanket

After gently washing your fleece blanket you want to gently dry it using a gentle drying process with a low heat setting.

• Temperature: High heat can make fleece shrink and become rough so you want to avoid it by choosing the lowest heat setting available on your clothes dryer. To avoid over-drying think about taking your blanket out when it’s slightly damp. Honestly I don’t take my fleece blankets out of the dryer early but you may want to try it if you’re more worried about your blanket.
• Air Dry: The very best way to delicately dry your fleece blanket is air drying. Use a drying rack or lay your blanket flat to dry. If you use a drying rack try to spread the blanket over a larger area instead of hanging it over one rung because the weight of the blanket could possibly cause the fleece fabric to stretch.
• Sunlight: If you line dry your blanket outside you want to try to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight as this can cause fading so try to find a shaded area to hang it up in or put your rack. You can also try to put your fleece out to dry on a cloudy, overcast day since it diffuses the light.

Tips Avoiding Pilling

The biggest problem with fleece is pilling so I’m going to give you some extra tips in addition to the washing and drying instructions above that you can avoid pilling and I am going to talk a little bit about what you can do if it does happen to your fleece blanket.

• Fabric softeners can leave residue on fleece that attracts lint so don’t use them. Make sure that the detergent that you use does not have fabric softener in it, as they sell some now that are detergent combined with fabric softener.
• Dryer sheets also leave a residue that can build up so skip those as well. I never use them anyway, so this step is easy for me.
• This sounds obvious but you may not know that you can pick an anti-pill fleece designed to help prevent pilling and there is an entire aisle in the fabric store so it’s easy to find. I find that generally speaking buying anti-pill fleece is not a guarantee that your fleece will never pill but I think it is less apt to pilling than some of the other formulations of fleece fabric that you can buy.
• If you do eventually get pilling on your blanket then get a fabric shaver or a de-pilling comb to remove the pills. I have a fabric shaver that I use on my blankets and sweaters. They’re inexpensive and there are plenty available on Amazon. I most often use fabric shaver to keep my sweaters looking new when they get pills from friction that occurs with repeated wear. My fabric shaver is battery powered and works well, especially for being an inexpensive little tool you can get for under $10.

Fleece blankets need proper care but by following the special care instructions above then you can easily maintain the soft quality of your fleece blanket and avoid pilling. I hope you found this guide on how to wash a fleece blanket without pilling to be useful. Let me know if you have some more tips for caring for fleece in the comments. 

More Fleece Fun

Be sure to check out my posts below for more information on fleece projects! I have a simple, easy-to-follow tutorial on how to make a no-sew fleece tie blanket and a post about what kind of needle to use when sewing with fleece. And I just added a post about how to make a no sew fleece scarf that’s super simple. I’ll be adding more fun fleece and sewing tutorials soon so be sure to keep an eye out for them!

Thank you so much for reading, truly I appreciate it so much! And please let me know if you have any ideas for posts that you would like to see in the comments below!