How to Wash a Weighted Blanket

Bought a brand new weighted blanket but not sure if you can throw it in your washing machine? We’ve got you covered. Read on below to learn how to care for different types of weighted blankets.

Can You Wash a Weighted Blanket?

It really depends on the blanket. The first thing you should do is take a look at the care instructions attached to your weighted blanket’s tag. If you’ve cut off the care label or can’t find it, you can also look up washing instructions for your specific blanket online.

If your blanket is hand wash only, consider getting a duvet cover to keep it in. Washing the removable cover with the rest of your bedding will help you prolong the life of your blanket and keep things sanitary. Some weighted blankets, like the Hush weighted blanket, even come with removable covers built in to make wash care a breeze. If you’re interested in purchasing a duvet cover, check out the best duvet covers of 2024.

The next most important thing to consider when deciding how to wash your weighted blanket is its filling type. Take a look at the chart below to learn how each fill type should be washed.

Filling Type	Washability
Glass beads	Machine wash and dry
Plastic pellets	Machine wash (be sure to use low heat), air dry
Sand	Spot clean only (sand expands and clumps when wet)
Steel shot beads	Machine wash and dry in an industrial-sized machine only. Hand wash and air dry at home.
Food fillers (i.e. beans, rice, etc.)	Spot-clean only (these fillers may decompose when wet)

How to Wash a Weighted Blanket

Check out the steps below to machine wash your weighted blanket. Be sure to check your blanket’s care instructions before washing.

Put the Blanket in the Washing Machine

If you are going to machine wash your weighted blanket, be sure to put it in the washing machine alone. Weighted blankets are quite bulky, and you don’t want to overfill your machine. If your blanket weighs more than twenty pounds, you should take it to the laundromat and use a commercial washer that can accommodate the weight of the entire blanket. This will protect your washing machine and prevent the blanket from staying full of excess water after a wash.

Wash on a Gentle Cycle

We recommend washing your blanket in warm or cold water on a gentle cycle. A mild detergent should work best. Avoid using fabric softener to prevent build up and improve the durability of your blanket.

Dry the Blanket

We also recommend letting your blanket air dry, especially if it is filled with plastic poly pellets. If you really want to machine dry your blanket, use a low heat setting. High heat (and hot water) can cause shrinkage and may damage your blanket.

How to Hand Wash a Weighted Blanket

For blankets that are not machine washable, you may opt to hand wash them. Our steps below overview the basics of hand washing a weighted blanket.

1. If you are hand washing your blanket, fill your tub up with warm water and mild laundry detergent.
2. Soak the blanket for about fifteen minutes.
3. Next, if there are any visible stains, scrub them out gently using your hands (you can roll the fabric between them or gently circle different sections of the blanket against each other).
4. When you’re done, drain the tub and rinse the blanket in warm or cold water until the water runs clear and there are no visible suds.
5. After hand washing, lay your blanket flat or place it on a strong drying rack to air dry. You should not wring out your weighted blanket.
6. Shake out your blanket every few hours to redistribute the filling and speed up drying. We recommend actually stretching your blanket out over your tub for the first hour or so of drying to prevent it from dripping all over your floor! You’ll want to move it to a sunny area after that.

RELATED: Weighted Blanket Pros and Cons

How to Spot-Clean a Weighted Blanket

If your blanket is not machine-washable, you’ll likely want to spot clean in between hand washing or dry cleaning it. Follow the steps below to spot-clean your blanket.

1. To spot-clean, grab a gentle detergent or dish soap.
2. Wet the soiled area and apply the detergent.
3. Gently rub out the stain or dirt using a rag or soft bristled toothbrush.

If you’ve spilled something hard to get out onto your blanket (think red wine) pre-treat the stain with stain remover. You can also pre-soak the stained area in a non-chlorine bleach. Non-chlorine bleach is safe for colors, but regular bleach is not, so make sure you check the label before applying it to your blanket! After that, you can wash your entire blanket or spot-clean it as described above.

If you have other items to spot-clean, check out our How to Clean Your Pillow and our How to Clean Your Mattress guides.

How Often Should You Wash a Weighted Blanket?

It depends on how often you use it! If you use it every night, you should try to wash it about once a week with your regular bedding. But, if you use it over another blanket or top sheet, you can likely wash it less often (about once every three weeks). If you only use your weighted blanket occasionally, you can wait up to four months between washes.

The less frequently you wash a weighted blanket, the longer it will last. Be sure to check for signs of tearing or wear before putting a weighted blanket into your washing machine. If it breaks during cleaning you’ll be stuck cleaning beads out of your machine (which is especially annoying if you have a top loading washer or dryer!).

Can You Dry a Weighted Blanket?

Yes, you can put some weighted blankets in the dryer. But make sure you check your blanket’s care tag before putting it into the machine. Certain fill types (like plastic pellets) are not compatible with dryers. Regardless of the fill type, you should tumble dry your blanket on low heat if you prefer to machine-dry.

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