Muslin care · How-to

How to Wash a Muslin Blanket (Cold, Gentle, Hang Dry)

Cold water, a gentle cycle and a place to hang it. That is the whole routine for our muslin blankets, and here is the reason behind each step.

By The Cherish CompanyUpdated Oct 28, 20266 min readCare steps match the product care label

This guide is written for our AltiCoddle™ six-layer muslin blanket, and it fits the nine-layer premium too. Both are 100% muslin cotton. The label says: machine wash cold, gentle; hang dry; no tumble dry; no iron; no fabric softener; avoid hot washes. Brands differ, so check your label first. See all of our blankets.

Why does muslin need gentle care?

Muslin is cotton gauze: a light, open weave stacked in layers. That open weave is what lets air move through the blanket, and it is also why heat and rough handling change it faster than they change a tight weave. Our label gives two causes of shrinkage: hot water and the tumble dryer.

Public care guides add a second rule. Softener and extra detergent leave a coating on the fibers. Consumer Reports says liquid fabric softeners “leave a film that decreases a towel's absorbency” (Consumer Reports, bath towels that last). Family Handyman says dryer sheets, like softener, contain oils that can coat fibers (Family Handyman, fabric softener on towels). Cold water, a little detergent and a line cover both problems.

What do you need to wash a muslin blanket?

• A washing machine with room for the blanket to move, set to cold and gentle.
• A small amount of mild liquid detergent.
• A washing line or a drying rack big enough to hang the blanket open.
• No fabric softener and no dryer sheets.

How do you wash a muslin blanket?

1. Check the care label

   For AltiCoddle™ blankets: machine wash cold, gentle; hang dry; no tumble dry; no iron; no fabric softener. If your label says something different, the label wins.

2. Give it room in the washer

   A large blanket needs space to move through the water. Wash it alone or with light fabrics, and do not cram it into an overloaded machine, because that makes both washing and rinsing less effective.

3. Choose cold water and a gentle cycle

   Cold water protects the cotton. Hot washes are one of the two things our label says cause shrinkage.

4. Use a modest amount of mild detergent

   Use less than you would for a full load. More detergent does not mean cleaner bedding, and what does not rinse out stays in the layers.

5. Skip the fabric softener

   It will not make cotton feel better and it coats the fibers. Cotton washed with detergent alone is washed the way the label asks.

6. Rinse again if it feels coated

   If the blanket feels heavy, coated or stiff when it comes out, run one more rinse in cold water. A thorough rinse removes detergent that stayed behind.

How do you dry a muslin blanket without shrinking it?

7. Shake it out and hang it open to dry

   Give it a firm shake while it is damp to open the layers. Hang it over a line or a rack so air reaches both sides. Do not put it in the tumble dryer.

8. Skip the iron

   The crinkled texture is how muslin looks. Ironing adds heat the label says to avoid.

The blanket this guide is for

AltiCoddle™ Six-Layer Muslin Cotton Blanket

• Six layers of 100% muslin cotton in an open weave
• Throw 50 × 60 in, Large Throw 60 × 80 in, Queen 80 × 90 in, King 95 × 110 in, at full stretch
• Pre-washed once and hand-checked before it ships

Good to know: Wash cold, hang to dry, no softener. It is in the Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer.

Solid throw $69 · prints from $79

See the blanket

Should you wash a new muslin blanket before you use it?

You do not have to. Our AltiCoddle™ blankets are pre-washed once and hand-checked before they ship, so they arrive ready for the bed. If you want a first wash anyway, use the routine above and wash a new color on its own.

How do you wash each Cherish fabric?

Values come from each product's care tab. Muslin items cannot go in the dryer. The two neighbors at the bottom can.

What ruins a muslin blanket?

• A hot wash. Our label lists hot water as a cause of shrinkage.
• The tumble dryer. Our label says no tumble dry, because dryer heat causes shrinkage.
• Fabric softener and dryer sheets. Softener coats natural fibers, and the buildup changes how cotton feels and breathes.
• Too much detergent. What does not rinse out can leave the layers feeling stiff or coated.

Fixes for common muslin problems

My muslin blanket feels stiff after washing

Stiffness often comes from detergent or softener left in the fibers. Rinse it once more in cold water and use less detergent next time. A poster in r/laundry described muslin blankets with a “starchy and friction-y feel” that did not go away after several washes done as directed. Family Handyman suggests a quarter to half a cup of distilled vinegar in the wash instead of softener, for towels (Family Handyman). Our label does not mention it, so the safe fix on our blankets is an extra cold rinse.

My blanket seems smaller than I ordered

Our sizes are measured at full stretch, so a slight variation is normal. Hot water and the dryer both shrink muslin, so check how it was washed before you assume a sizing error.

My blanket looks crinkled

That is the weave. The layers are meant to crinkle. It is not damage, and ironing is not part of the care.

I pulled a loop or a thread

Leave the loop be and do not tug it.

Double-layer muslin sheet setSame cold, hang-dry routineSee it

Muslin pillowcasesSame routineSee it

Premium nine-layer blanketSame routineSee it

Frequently asked questions

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