Washing of Rag Quilt
 

I have finally completed my first rag quilt. It finished out at 64 x 64 quite a nice size. I have taken it outside to shake off what extra threads and lint that I can and I am headed to the Laundromat tonight to wash and dry it. My question is what water temperature do most of you use for the wash cycle and then what temperature do you use for the dryer cycle. It has been years since I have been to a Laundromat so I am not even sure what they have for machines and temperature cycles so I thought I would check here first before I got there. Thanks for the help!!

My directions say don't wash fabric before making the quilt. So I would go with a cold wash with a color fast sheet and still add some distilled vinegar and salt to make it more color fast. I'm not sure about the dryer so I will leave that for more experienced quilters.

I wash all quilts in cold water. I pre-wash all fabrics in hot water. Hopefully if you made the quilt from flannel you pre-washed it, since flannel often bleeds and shrinks unevenly. It's the agitation that contributes to the ragging, not the water temperature. Vinegar and salt don't have any effect on modern dyes, but some color catchers would be a good idea if you didn't pre-wash. I have read that some Laundromats have specific rules against washing rag quilt because of the same reasons some people don't want to use their home washers.

I wash all my quilts that I give away in a pretty harsh way...hot water, regular cycle, and a hot dryer. I do this because I usually make quilts for families with small children. They need something that they can toss in the washer and not worry about or fuss over. If my quilt can't stand up to my treatment, I don't give it away.

I was my rag quilts in warm water and then dry them using medium heat.

I definitely recommend using a Color Catcher sheet in the wash!!!

I washed mine in warm water.

Any laundromat I've been in had OK'd putting the rag quilts in the dryer. I dry it first without any heat, but just to get rid of the threads. I periodically remove the loose threads til most is gone, then I actually dry the quilt.

I prewash all the fabric i use. Once completed i put my quilt in my dryer at home to remove some of the threads and lint. I checked the lint trap every 5 mins. Then i took it to the laundromat and washed it in warm water and dried on med heat. Mine was denim and flannel.

I was the same way when I finished my first rag quilt. I had not been to a laundromat in years. I found that there was an attendant who was extremely willing to help me. The wash was fine. It cost me about $5, but the drying ..... The dryer temperature was not adjustable and not very hot. To have completely dried my quilt completely would have cost me a fortune. After spending about $5, my quilt was not noticeably drier, so I took it home and hung it over the railing of my deck. There is no way I would try to wash and dry a rag quilt in a home machine. It was extremely heavy when wet.

Some laundromats do not let you use their machines for rag quilts or chenille.