Recently scored a wool Pendelton from a stoop sale and wondered the same thing... looking forward to seeing what others have to say about cleaning wool blankets.

I would dry clean it, as per directions in my "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House" book by Cheryl Mendelson

dry cleaner

Maybe sacrilege BUT, i have a wonderfull Pendelton that I have owned for years and yeah I has gotten dirty, so.....I washed it. OMG! right? Well as it turns out not really. I used a frontloader washer set it on delicates and then air dried. It still hangs off theback of the sofa looks and feels great, maybe even better!

Yeah, just dry clean it.

For $2.50, I'd consider it worth buying and trying to clean it in the washing machine. I've got two old wool coats that are now my "backup" winter coats, I've washed them (on gentle, using shampoo instead of detergent) with no problem.

My biggest worry would be introducing wool moth larvae. These are killed by CO2 or freezing - I would probably first freeze it for 2 weeks, then buy dry ice, and put it in a bag with a big chunk of dry ice. After that, I'd hand wash it (in the tub). Wool is just hair, right? So I'd wash it with shampoo (yea KimberlyRose!).

I would probably just wash the blanket in cold water with a tiny amount of a gentle laundry detergent and some drops of eucalyptus oil (to repel moths and condition the wool). Definitely use the delicate cycle or just the rinse and spin cycle only. I wash my wool coats every winter using this method and have no problems.

I bought an awesome wool J. Crew sweater once for $2...and then decided to pay the grand total of $7.50 to have it dry cleaned. I'd do the same with a wool blanket.

If you find information that sayings dry cleaning will cause moths, then take that option.

Otherwise I would wash on cold (twice) with a wool cleaner like Eucalen. Measure before washing. Dry flat in the sun, stretching occasionally to original size. If you have a lot of wool in your house, then bag to kill larvae.

kill, not cause, moths

I've bought a few wool blankets (& coats) from thrift stores and rummage sales. Cold water and vinegar is what I usually clean them with - gentle cycle in the washer (especially if already felted) or by hand. For drying, I just give it a quick spin or just lay flat to dry.

My washing machine has a setting for wool, so I've washed wool (well, wool blend milsurp) blankets before. They came out beautifully. I cant imagine that regular wool wouldnt come out nicely as well. I have two little kids: things that cannot be cleaned cant live here.

All you people saying "dry clean", did you know that it's super-expensive to get a blanket dry cleaned? I just brought one in to 2 places and they both wanted over 40 bucks.

For a $2 investment, I certainly try washing it at home. Cold water, gentle wash and spin. Tumble dry on lowest setting. Why not?

Good point about expense--the worst that could happen if you washed it by hand or on a wool setting (my washer has such a thing and it works wonders with my husband's sweater) and it gets ruined is that you're out the 2 dollars that the original blanket cost, versus the dry cleaning expense.

I revise my original statement. :)

Exactly what I was thinking! At that price, I'd chuck it in the washing machine with my regular detergent and hope for the best. The blanket in the picture looks like felt, which might even be okay in the dryer.

Love the point about moths, though. Seems like I'm always battling some kind of bugs around here.

if it's washable wool, i'd machine wash it myself. if not, i'd take it to a green dry cleaner.

Freeze for 1 month to kill moth then machine wash on delicate cycle and air dry.

Of course I would, without hesitation. I would just soak it in the bathtub with a no rinse product like Eucalan, which I use for hand knit garments, or Woolite. It's really not that big a deal. These issues don't stop me buying or making wool sweaters. Why should it stop my having a wool blanket?

I have washed my Hudson Bay blanket multiple times in my washing machine on warm water. I dry it on low. It has felted some, but not significantly. A very dense blanket, or sweater or coat, won't have a many problems as something light and fluffy.

I was taught that to felt (interlock the fibers, causing shrinkage) wool, you need heat, moisture and motion. Lose at least one of those (cold water or no agitation) and the wool will not felt.

Wash it and save the money and chemicals!

Take it to a commercial laundry and put it in the biggest machine. Set on cold delicate, use some shampoo and wash the blasted thing. Don't worry about it. You paid 2.50 for it.

I've bought a few Pendelton wool blankets for $5 & under!!! Beautiful blankets and are tough. They get a lot of wear and get put in the wash and fluffed dried. Good as almost new.

As a knitter, I'm very fond of wool. I even made myself the most gorgeous wool blanket. I don't trust sending this blanket to any dry cleaner, just due to the shear amount of time I put into it. So I hand wash the blanket instead. And it's actually not so bad.

This is probably only do-able in a top loading washer - but the same could possibly be done in a large sink or bathtub. Fill the washer up with cool water and add no-rinse soap such as Eucalan or my personal favorite, Soak. Let the blanket soak in the water in the washer for about 20 minutes. Turn the washer to the spin cycle to get out the excess water, being careful not to agitate the blanket too much. Remover the blanket from the washer and allow to air dry.

If it's nice outside and you have the space, the blanket could be hung from a clothesline. Or do what I did. I laid some old towels on the floor and placed the blanket on top of the towels to dry.

I'm firmly in the "I paid very little for the blanket, so I'll take the risk and wash it in the regular washing machine on delicate." And yes, I even dry my wool things in the clothes dryer (mostly on air dry, although I have been known to start it out on low).

As a knitter I have to say wool is not that hard to clean.

uh,you can't wash wool? glad I never knew that, because I've washed many a thrifted wool item over the years and never had any problems. Just pop it in the washing machine and air dry. I even washed one of those sheepskins you gat at ikea after the cat had an accident on it. I did add consitioner to that washing cycle to keep the fibres untangled.

Wool isn't "just hair", I learned that the hard way when I tried washing my own hair with the Orvus livestock shampoo I used on my sheep. Greasy mess. Looking back, my hair doesn't have lanolin, why would it make sense to use sheep shampoo?

My point. Maybe try livestock shampoo? Only half-joking.

I kinda like it when wool becomes felted. Not for apparel, but on a $2.50 blanket, why not?

For the price of $2.50 I'd definitely buy it and either wash it myself or take it to the dry cleaner down the street or dry clean it myself at home. ANYTHING! but leave that blanket where it was!!!!

I washed my little lambskin in the washing machine with just water and let it air dry, the wool came out nice and clean, soft and fluffy. Next time I might try a lanolin wash but it got out all of the grime and spilled nacho cheese (I am looking at you brother). The leather portion was stiff at first, but eh, it was $9.99 at IKEA.

Wash your blanket, what have you got to loose?

I never pay attention to laundry tags and wash everything. I use the delicate cycle with homemade soap and air dry. In my many years of washing, I have only shrunk 2 things. One was 100% rayon and the other was boiled wool. Aside from those 2 items, all my wool, linen and silk do beautifully in a delicate cold water wash.

I'd just throw in in the washing machine on a delicate cycle, then hang it to dry. For only $2.50 it's worth the risk that you might ruin it.