I have some cotton blankets and throws that seem like you could wash them if you put them in a gentle cycle or didn't use spin. What do you guys think? I took one of the throws to the dry cleaners last time, and some of the threads got loose. It seems like washing them might be better.

It's times like these I wish I lived in the country so you could hang things like blankets out to dry instead of trying to drape them over things.

I use the "hand wash" or 'delicate"cycle....cold water.....lowest dryer temp.....for all my cotton quilts, throws.....I've never had a problem with shrinkage.

Ditto.....anything cotton is washable -- with gentle care.

I don't buy anything that can't be washed! Dry cleaning is so expensive and the chemicals...ewww. There is even a cashmere blend for sweaters that can be washed....or so I read.....

Agreed......dry cleaning is way, way too expensive -- and I can't stand that chemical smell afterward either. I have a down comforter that I wash -- it would spoil it to have chemicals on it. Cold water wash; slow spin; air dry until damp; then in the dryer to plump it up. It works every time.

As for cashmere......well......I'll take your word on that, Amy, 'cuz Lord knows I would have no knowledge of cashmere!!

Me either....no first hand knowledge, that is! I've seen the washable cashmere advertised in catalogs....plus, even if I could afford it, the stuff makes me itchy(wool=rash)....

Go for it, Beamer. Dry on air fluff. And if it makes the blanket shrink up and/or fall apart, your attorneys can find me in my country home in Vermont.

Vermont, eh? Are you a snow-bunny now?

Only in my rich fantasy life! (and for a few days after Christmas each year)