A quilt is three layers stitched together: a decorative top, a batting middle, and a backing. Those layers are what make it warm, and they are also what makes washing risky. Batting can shift, bunch or tear when it gets waterlogged and heavy, cotton tops shrink, and older or handmade quilts can bleed dye the first time they meet water. Done carefully, though, most quilts wash at home in an ordinary machine. Here is how to do it without turning a good quilt into a lumpy one.
Before You Wash: Four Checks
- Read the label, if there is one. A commercially made quilt usually has care instructions. Follow them over anything you read online, including this page.
- Test for colorfastness. Dampen a white cloth and press it firmly against a dark or saturated patch on the back of the quilt. If color transfers, the quilt is not colorfast and should be dry cleaned or washed with color-catcher sheets in cold water only.
- Check the stitching and binding. Loose seams, a split binding or a torn patch will get worse in the wash. Repair before you start.
- Check your machine capacity. A wet queen or king quilt is heavy and needs room to move. If your drum is packed tight, use a laundromat machine instead. Cramming a quilt into a small washer is the single most common way people damage one.
Machine Washing a Quilt
Most cotton and cotton-blend quilts handle a gentle machine wash fine.
- Water temperature: cold. Warm and hot water shrink cotton and encourage dye bleeding. Cold is enough for routine cleaning.
- Cycle: delicate or gentle, with the lowest spin speed available. A hard spin is what forces batting out of position.
- Detergent: a small amount of mild liquid detergent, ideally one free of bleach and optical brighteners. Powder can leave residue in the batting. Skip fabric softener, which coats the fibers and reduces absorbency.
- Load: the quilt on its own, nothing else. Distribute it evenly around the drum rather than dropping it in as a ball.
- Rinse: run an extra rinse cycle. Detergent trapped in the batting attracts dirt and stiffens the quilt over time.
A note on top-loading washers with a center agitator: that post is rough on quilts and can tear stitching. If it is the only machine you have, hand wash instead.
Hand Washing a Quilt
Handmade quilts, antique quilts and anything with hand-stitched or fragile fabric should be washed by hand. Fill a clean bathtub with cool water and a small amount of mild detergent. Lay the quilt in flat and press it down gently with your palms to move water through it. Do not twist, wring or scrub. Let it soak fifteen to twenty minutes, drain, then refill with clean water and press again to rinse. Repeat rinsing until the water runs clear.
Getting the water out is the hard part. Press the quilt against the side of the tub to squeeze out as much as you can, then roll it in clean dry towels to absorb more. Never lift a soaking quilt by one corner, because the weight will tear the stitching. Gather the whole thing and support it from underneath.
Drying a Quilt
Air drying flat is the safest method and the one that best preserves shape. Spread a clean sheet on the floor or on a couple of drying racks, lay the quilt out flat on top, and turn it every few hours. Outdoors works well in Los Angeles, but keep it in the shade. Direct sun fades dyes and weakens old cotton fibers.
If you use a dryer, use the lowest heat or the air-fluff setting and take the quilt out while it is still slightly damp, then finish it flat. High heat shrinks cotton, sets any remaining stains, and can melt polyester batting into hard patches. Add dryer balls to keep the batting from clumping, and stop every twenty minutes to shake the quilt out and redistribute it.
Spot Cleaning and Stain Removal
Most of the time a quilt does not need a full wash. Spot cleaning is gentler and extends the life of the piece considerably. Blot, never rub. Work from the outside of the stain inward so you do not spread it. Cold water and a drop of mild detergent handle most food and drink marks. For protein stains like blood or sweat, cold water only, since warm water sets them. Rinse the spot with a damp cloth afterward so no detergent is left behind, and let it air dry flat.
How Often Should You Wash a Quilt?
Less often than you would think. A quilt used as a top layer over sheets and a duvet needs washing perhaps two or three times a year. One used directly against the skin, or on a bed shared with pets, needs it more often, maybe every couple of months. Every wash is wear, so airing a quilt outdoors on a dry day and spot cleaning as you go will keep it fresh with far less damage. Sheets are the layer that does the real work of keeping bedding clean, which is why they need washing far more frequently.
Storage matters as much as washing. Fold quilts loosely in a breathable cotton bag or wrap them in a clean sheet, never plastic, which traps moisture and yellows fabric. Refold along different lines every few months so permanent creases do not set in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you wash a quilt in a washing machine?
Yes, most modern cotton quilts can be machine washed on a cold, gentle cycle with a low spin speed and mild detergent. Wash it alone, use a machine large enough for the quilt to move freely, and add an extra rinse. Antique, handmade and hand-stitched quilts should be hand washed instead.
How do you wash a handmade quilt for the first time?
Test for colorfastness first, because handmade quilts often use fabrics that have never been prewashed and can bleed. Then hand wash in cool water in a bathtub with mild detergent and color-catcher sheets, rinse until the water runs clear, press out the water without wringing, and dry flat in the shade. Machine washing a first-time quilt risks both dye bleeding and shrinkage in the same cycle.
Can you machine dry a quilt?
You can, on the lowest heat or air-fluff setting, with dryer balls to keep the batting even. Remove it while slightly damp and finish drying flat. High heat is the main danger, since it shrinks cotton, sets stains and can damage polyester batting.
How do you get a stain out of a quilt?
Spot clean with cold water and a drop of mild detergent, blotting from the outside of the stain inward. Never rub, which pushes the stain into the batting and can pill the fabric. Rinse the area with a clean damp cloth and let it air dry flat before deciding whether a full wash is needed.
What size quilt do I need for my bed?
Quilt sizes do not match mattress sizes exactly, and a thicker mattress needs more drop on each side. Our quilt sizes guide covers typical dimensions for twin through king and how to calculate the drop you need. If you are choosing between bedding types, our duvet versus comforter comparison explains how each layer behaves.
Build the Bed From the Mattress Up
Good bedding makes a bed feel better, but the mattress decides whether you sleep well. If yours is sagging, sleeping hot, or leaving you sore in the morning, no quilt will fix it. Take our sleep quiz for a recommendation based on how you actually sleep, or come test a few beds at one of our five Los Angeles showrooms. Every mattress is backed by our free 120-night comfort guarantee, so you can be sure before you settle. See the terms on our Love Your Bed guarantee page.
