I always wash my quilts when I am done. I have to get rid of the pet hair and all the oils from my hands. I also want to make sure that all my seams hold up. I've had a couple of seams that popped while laundering and I was able to fix them. I would hate for this to happen to the person I am giving it to. I launder just how I would wash anything else. I always pre wash my fabrics so I don't have a need to use any color catchers. What laundry soap and softner I use depends on who it is going to. If it is a baby quilt, I wash it in a "free" detergent and no fabric softner. If it is going to an adult and I know there are no allergies, I will wash it with Tide and Downy.