How to Keep Fleece Blankets Soft Forever
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Many fleece blankets start out as soft blankets, but how to keep them soft blankets is the secret.
First things first: Wash and dry your fleece blanket before use. Although we try to remove loose fibers by cleaning and vacuuming your blanket before shipping, some loose fibers can remain on the blanket. This is just the nature of fleece fabric in general; so give it a quick wash and dry before you get too cozy.
Always wash fleece blankets in cool water with just a small amount of soap. Excess soap doesn't necessarily make the blanket cleaner; in fact, it can actually stay in the base fibers of the fabric and make your blanket feel less soft if the rinse cycle isn't super thorough.
Dry your blanket on low heat, or no heat if that setting is available on your dryer. The high heat of a dryer can melt the tips of the yarn when they're tumbling in the dryer. If the tips of the yarn melt - even slightly - it hardens the end of each strand of yarn, decreasing the plush softness of your blanket.
High heat (in the washer or dryer) can also create curling, reaming or scalloping on the edge of the blankets. High heat can shrink the blanket threads at a different rate than the base fabric. When this happens, the blanket threads pull on the base fabric threads, causing the blanket edges to curl or ream. This isn't just specific to fleece either; you can often see this in garments as well, when too much high heat is in play.
Irons aren't good for soft blankets either - the weight of the iron itself, even on cool, can affect the plush pile of your blanket, and of course, a heated iron can melt the naturally soft fibers of a blanket.
Oh! We almost forgot: bleach! Bleach isn't your blanket's friend. It's an abrasive cleanser and can also affect blanket dyes. Polyester fleece is naturally stain resistant, so just a teeny bit of soap and water and a light wash will do the trick.
Machine wash blankets on cool + tumble dry low or no heat + keep the irons and bleach at bay = Soft Blankets Forever.
