You've chosen a beautiful throw to snuggle up on your sofa with a movie or your latest novel. This throw will be your companion on cooler evenings. Draped over your shoulders, it will keep you warm, and delicately folded over the armrest of your sofa, it will beautifully decorate your living room.
But how do you care for this throw so that it remains beautiful year after year? Many of you ask us this question, and rightly so. Your throw needs care and cleaning. It must be looked after delicately. Here are some tips we're sharing with you.
1. Shake and air your throw
A throw doesn't really need frequent cleaning if it's used normally, i.e., to keep you warm or decorate your home. Once a year is often enough to keep it in perfect condition, especially when it's woven from a natural fiber like merino wool, alpaca, cashmere, or mohair. These fibers don't attract dust and retain little of it. Moreover, they absorb little grease. This is a good thing because these exceptional fibers require more delicate care.
Daily, there are two simple gestures to adopt to keep your throw pleasant and hygienic.
Shake it regularly to remove dust and fibers or hairs that may naturally detach. Air it out, if possible outdoors, so it doesn't retain odors.
#2 Light brushing
If needed, you can also gently brush your blanket with a special rubber brush for delicate textiles. Do it carefully, following the direction of the weave (with the nap).
Did you drop food on the throw during a dinner party in front of the TV? A quick, clean brush can be enough to dislodge stuck food while respecting the fiber.
#3 Fold it and store it in a clean corner
In some homes, the throw gets more intensive use and becomes nomadic. It moves from room to room, from the office to the living room, to the bedroom, and even out to the terrace. In short, it even travels in the car sometimes without always being carefully carried. We've noticed that if it's put away daily, it will become less of the all-terrain blanket that everyone fights over... it will lie on the floor less during the day... and it won't be used to build a fort in the children's room. In short, if you put it away (or hide it), it will stay beautiful longer.
#4 Dry clean or machine wash your throw
Most of the time, annual cleaning is sufficient for a throw, but it's true that if it's used intensively and there are pets or young children at home, you might need to do a little more.
Depending on the material, cleaning is not done in the same way. Wool throws require dry cleaning, while faux fur throws or luxury fleece throws can be machine washed at 30°C. Cotton throws also tolerate machine washing up to 40°C.
We note that even if it's not recommended, many of our customers machine wash their wool or cashmere throws. Be careful, generally these people have a very good machine that they know well. The machine does not heat the throw at all, which could felt it in other cases. Everyone has their own maintenance habits, and sometimes it works well when you have a little experience, even if we advise against it. It will then be up to you to judge. However, be careful never to put a wool throw in the tumble dryer!
After machine washing, gently shake your throw, especially faux fur throws. You need to make sure the faux fur hairs separate to avoid clumps and keep them airy and soft.
#5 Flat drying
If you choose to machine wash your throw, to avoid deforming it, you should dry it flat. The fibers will not stretch, and the weave will remain impeccable.
When in doubt, there is always a care label you can refer to, as with most textile products. It indicates whether it is preferable to machine wash, dry clean, or hand wash, and also whether the throw can be tumble dried (very rare).
Enjoy your throw, it’s quite resilient. Live soft moments!
