I always pre-wash. I put it in a small laundry with a Color Catcher and then just throw th whole bag in the dryer. I am surprised all with all the dyes in the color catcher. I also heard (I think on this board) that there are chemicals that manufacturers add to fabrics such as fornaldehyde and I don't want that in my quilts. It means I have to iron it but I think it's worth it.