Originally Posted by grammy17
Has anyone washed an old quilt in a front loading washing machine? I don't know any way to stop it to soak. Wonder if the spin will be too hard on it. I have 6 or 8 of my great grandmother's quilts. Then need repair and have brown stains. Store in Space saver bags for the last 5 years.
I would use Retro Clean for the soaking part:
http://www.retroclean.com/
A front loader should not be too hard on the quilt if you use the gentle or hand wash cycle. I would add extra rinses.
Whether you use the hand agitation method in a top-loader or use the front-loader, the spin cycle should not be too hard on the quilt. It is the agitation cycle in a top-loader that is really hard on a quilt.
The spin cycle is important because it gets so much of the moisture out of the quilt. You don't want moisture staying in so long that mold has a chance to develop.
I would not put an antique quilt in a dryer. Just block it on top of a clean sheet and place a fan on it to speed drying.