I was wondering about the washer since my first one goes in next week. What I was thinking is to use the gentle cycle and then air dry it in the machine for a short time before laying it out. I'd put it outside to air, but I live in LA off a major Boulevard and the soot from passing cars would dirty it up again before it had time to dry. Mind you it is a baby quilt and is fairly lightweight. Just wanting to get off the marks and see how it puffs up before sending it out. I suppose I'm worrying unnecessarily about the process, but hey, it's my first time (be gentle).