How to Wash a Tie Blanket | Tips to Care for a Fleece Blanket

So you’ve made a gorgeous, soft fleece blanket and now you want to know how to clean it without ruining it. In this post I’ll explain how to wash a tie blanket and general tips for how to care for a fleece tie blanket so that you can keep it looking and feeling great.

Understanding Fleece Fabric

Tie blankets are typically made from fleece. Fleece is one of my favorite knit fabrics, a type of fabric know for its warmth, softness, and versatility.

Fleece is a synthetic fabric type, meaning it’s man-made from chemically-produced fibers. It is often a polyester fabric. There are a variety of types of fleece including polar fleece, sherpa fleece, anti-pill fleece, blizzard fleece, terry fleece, plush fleece, cotton fleece, lycra spandex fleece, and more. Each has its own characteristics and is used to make different projects but there are some overall characteristics that they share.

Fleece is popular for projects like blankets, hats, and jackets because of its softness and warmth. Fleece does not fray, meaning you can cut it and the raw edges won’t unravel. This is why it’s super popular for making no-sew tie blankets.

These cozy blankets make great gifts and fun craft projects. Someone without any sewing skills or really any other special skills can make one. In your local fabric store you can even buy a kit that comes with two pieces of fleece that coordinate and are already squared off and cut to the correct size to make a blanket. Some even go so far as to have the lines you cut the slits on the sides already printed so that you know where to cut without even having to measure anything.

In taking care of your fleece blanket there are two things you want to avoid: pilling and your fabric losing its softness.

• Pilling: Fleece is susceptible to pilling. Pilling is when you get those small fabric balls on the surface of the fabric over time. Pilling is cause by friction.
• Losing Softness: Fleece fibers are synthetic fibers so they are delicate and can lose their softness if not treated properly.

To ensure that your fleece blanket remains soft and doesn’t pill you will need to take care of it properly. I find that there are generally a lot of differing opinions on how to launder various things so I’m just going to share what I think are the best practices for washing this type of blanket.

How to Wash a Tie Blanket

In thinking about how to wash your blanket you need to consider the following things:

• Detergent: Choose a gentle, mild detergent that is fragrance-free. A detergent that is too harsh can strip the blanket of its softness. My favorite gentle detergent is Tide Free & Gentle.
• Temperature: Water temperature is really important when washing fleece.  Wash your tie blanket in cold or lukewarm water to prevent fabric damage and shrinking. Do not wash in hot water.
• Cycle: Pick a gentle cycle or delicate cycle to minimize the amount of friction. This will help prevent pilling.
• Load: Wash your blanket all by itself or with similarly soft fabrics to cut down on the friction some more.
• Hand Washing: I wash fleece blankets in the washing machine but if you want to be extra careful then you could also opt to wash your blanket by hand in a large utility sink or a bathtub. Wash it in cool water.  Be sure to gently swish it around and avoid wringing it out or aggressively scrubbing it.
• Stain Remover: If you need to you can pre-treat your blanket with stain remover.
• Lint Roller: If your fleece has picked up some debris or pet hair you can use a lint roller to remove it in order to help keep it clean.

How to Dry a Tie Blanket

Just like with washing you want to be gentle when drying your tie blanket.

• Temperature: Avoid high heat as this can cause fleece to become rough and shrink. Choose the lowest heat setting on your dryer. Consider taking your blanket out when it’s slightly damp to avoid over-drying. I don’t actually take mine out early but you could try it if you are particularly worried about your blanket.
• Air Dry: Consider air drying if you want to be more delicate with it. Lay it flat to dry or use a drying rack. If you use a drying rack I would spread it over a bigger area rather than hanging it on just one rung as the weight of it could cause the fabric to stretch out.
• Sunlight: If you air dry it outside then try to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight as this could fade your blanket.

Tips to Avoid Pilling

Pilling is the most common problem with fleece in my opinion so I’m going to offer a few extra tips in addition to the washing and drying instructions above to preventing pilling and talk a little bit about what to do if it does happen.

• Don’t use fabric softeners because they can leave residue on the fleece that attracts lint.
• Do not use dryer sheets with fleece blankets because they can also leave a residue that can build up.
• Pick an anti-pill fleece. This type of fleece is designed to help prevent pilling and there is an entire aisle in the fabric store so it’s easy to find.
• If you do get pills on your fleece blanket then you can use a fabric shaver or de-pilling comb to remove them. I have a fabric shaver, they are very inexpensive and readily available on Amazon. I use mine to keep my sweaters looking fresh when they get pills from friction that occurs with wear. Mine is battery powered and I think it works great, especially for being such an inexpensive tool.

Fleece items require proper care but if you follow the simple steps listed above then you will maintain the quality of your fleece blanket. I hope you found this guide on how to wash a tie blanket useful. Let me know if you have some more tips for caring for fleece in the comments.

If you’re looking for more info on fleece projects then be sure to check out my posts below! I have a simple, easy-to-follow tutorial on how to make a no-sew fleece tie blanket that includes a free printable pdf of the instructions. I also have a post that talks all about what kind of needle you should use for sewing with fleece. And I just added a post about how to make a no sew fleece scarf. I’ll be adding more fun fleece and sewing tutorials soon so be sure to keep an eye out for them!

More Fleece Fun