In order to choose a high-quality double plaid, you need to know a few secrets. Such products are made from different materials, and each of the varieties of this type of home textile has its own characteristics. They relate to the method of operation, as well as methods for caring for the plaid. From this article, readers will be able to learn how to wash a double blanket in an automatic machine and whether it is always possible to do this. In addition, we will talk about how to properly dry it after washing and store it.
Plaid on a double bed - beauty, warmth and comfort in the house
There are a large number of various bedspreads and wraps with which you can make beds, sofas and even chairs, but not all of them can be called plaids. The latter to a greater extent have a completely different purpose. They not only serve as a decorative element of the interior, but are a functional and practical thing, a kind of analogue of a blanket. Plaid blankets usually take shelter during daytime sleep or just to keep warm while resting.
That is why they are made, as a rule, of natural materials, such as wool or cotton. Sometimes high-quality synthetics are also used as the basis, but we are talking about good microfiber or acrylic - pleasant to the touch and absolutely safe materials, which, unlike natural fibers, are also hypoallergenic. Double rugs can also be used as a bedspread, but not for their intended purpose, because they have a large enough size to cover the berth completely.
Types of large rugs
First of all, they differ among themselves in the material from which they are made. Traditional rugs are woolen items. In general, the word "plaid" from English is translated only as "woolen shawl." This is probably why everyone associates this textile with yarn from the wool of sheep and goats. There are also more exotic products in their origin: cashmere, mohair and camel rugs. They are an order of magnitude more expensive compared to cheaper sheepskin samples, but have a special softness and are more pleasant to the touch.
The advantages of any woolen blankets are:
- ease;
- heat;
- good air circulation ;
- durability;
- relative ease of care.
Other popular natural materials for making plaids are cotton and bamboo fiber. They are distinguished by a special silky texture of the surface and the ability to "adapt" to the temperature of the human body. Such a double blanket will perfectly warm you on a cool autumn day, but it will not be hot under the summer either.
Synthetic products can be made of polyester, fleece or acrylic. The first type of plaids is the cheapest, but at the same time the most short-lived. Polyester bedspreads sparkle, it will not work for a long time to lie under them, because they do not allow air to pass through and “soar”.
Acrylic fluffy blanket is good for winter, and fleece can be used at any time of the year and even taken with you on the road, because it is very light and thin.
Noble Woolen Products
Now consider in more detail each of these types of rugs. Wool is a rather delicate material, so traditional bedspreads are not made from it. Plaids from it are obtained quite thin, they crumple at the slightest touch, and they can not be washed often. The size of the plaid for a double bed can be 160x220 cm, 180x220 cm or 200x230 cm. There are some fluctuations in these parameters, but they are usually insignificant.
Woolen blankets are usually small, their maximum width is 160-180 cm. The traditional decor for such products is colorful fringe on the bottom and top. The side edge should be smooth. The pattern on such rugs is also usually restrained - it is either a strip or a cage, but the color variety of wool products is pleasing. They can be both monophonic and colored, and manufacturers use not only discreet beige-brown dyes for dyeing yarn, but also bright, rich shades (red, orange, yellow, green, blue).
Fleece blankets
Products made of fleece, a material that was invented not so long ago as an alternative to natural wool, are one hundred percent synthetics. This fabric is made of polyester, forming a knitted fabric from a synthetic substance, which then undergoes processing in several stages:
- heating of fibers, exposure to moisture;
- the threads that make up the knitted fabric are pulled out, thus fluffing the fabric;
- the surface of the material is subjected to anti-peeling treatment, which consists in removing fine fibers from the fibers so that subsequently they do not form spools.
Fleece blankets should be made of high quality fabric, which is made in compliance with all these stages of production. Otherwise, the product will very quickly deform and roll. Such home textiles are of several types:
- Thin blankets are warm, light and easy to care products, their weight usually does not exceed 500-600 g.
- The fluffy fleece blanket is also light and flexible, but it is not smooth in texture, but fleecy. Such a veil weighs a little. A large plaid is unlikely to reach one kilogram.
- "Fur" blanket blanket is another type of synthetic blanket. It is they who most often cover beds and sofas from above, but are sometimes used as warm winter blankets. Such rugs are very thick, with a thick long pile and a large area - 180x220 cm or 220x240 cm. Accordingly, they weigh decently - 2-3 kg.
The advantage of fleece blankets is that they can be washed often, they dry extremely quickly and take up little space during storage.
Fashion Trend - Knitted Double Plaid
Handmade rugs fall into this category (although samples of industrial production are sometimes found). There are many different techniques in which the craftswomen create home textiles, as a rule, they use textured knitting (enterlak, tartan, zigzag, braids) or a technique similar to the patchwork, when the product consists of multi-colored patches.
But very popular are now very large knit blankets. For their manufacture, you need to purchase special thickened yarn and large-diameter knitting needles, by the way, they can be replaced with your own hands. A double blanket, knitted in the usual way from pure wool or blended yarn, will weigh about 3 kg, but fashionable coarse knit products are twice as heavy - for a blanket with dimensions of 150x170 cm, you will need to buy about 5-5.5 kg of yarn.
Bamboo and Cotton Blankets: Care Features
In many houses, cotton bedspreads have remained since pre-perestroika times. Then, blankets and various bedspreads were made from this material. Since then, manufacturers have not refused to make cotton rugs, and for good reason. This material has excellent hygienic properties, in addition, it is practical and easy to use.
Cotton blankets can be thin and thick. And if the owner should not have the first problems with washing and drying (the main thing is to set the machine at a low temperature and the delicate rinse and spin mode), then the second ones are not so perfect. Thickened products are difficult to wash - cotton, having accumulated water, becomes simply unbearable, so even a washing machine of 7-8 kg can easily stall during operation. It would be better to clean such a product manually or to dry clean it.
Bamboo blankets in our country appeared not so long ago, but they have already managed to fall in love with consumers because of their beautiful appearance, tenderness and ability to thermoregulate. In addition, they are unpretentious in leaving.
Can I wash double rugs?
In order to answer this question, you need to know several important nuances regarding the thing that needs to be washed. The first is what material the plaid is made of, the second is how much a double plaid weighs, not only in dry form, but also when it gets wet. The third important factor affecting the ability to wash home textiles is its texture.
So, in the machine you can clean the wool, cotton, bamboo and thin fleece blankets (including fluffy). Whatever material the product is made of, it is better not to set the temperature control of the machine above 30 degrees, and choose the most gentle mode for washing.
The second question is about the weight of double rugs. It all depends on the degree of loading of the drum machine. Each model has its own. Manufacturers of equipment always indicate that a certain amount of cotton, wool or synthetics can be washed in a machine at a time. For example, in an ordinary machine with a drum volume of 4.5-5 kg, you cannot load more than 4 kg of dry cotton, 3 kg of synthetics or 2 kg of wool. We have already given the approximate weight of double rugs in the article.
The texture of textiles is also important. Some rugs are made with decorative finishes, or they are made of very delicate fibers. In order not to damage the structure of the product, you need to carefully study the information that is on the tag. Manufacturers, as a rule, indicate data on the method of washing their goods.
General recommendations
The blanket, regardless of its size, should be washed with a liquid detergent. It better removes dirt from fleecy fabrics and rinses out easier, and also makes the material soft and smooth.
You need to squeeze the blankets at low speeds, and then dry them in a well-ventilated room, and preferably in the street. There are also recommendations on how to store such textiles. If you need to remove the blanket for a while in a closet, you do not need to put it in a plastic bag or the packaging in which it was sold. It is better to use a linen bag or an unnecessary pillowcase.
During long-term storage, the blanket is filled with dust, it can be saturated with extraneous odors. Before washing the product, it is better to just hang it on the street so that it is ventilated. Frequent “water procedures” will adversely affect the condition of the plaid - the fibers from which it is made will quickly thin out and fade, making it lose its attractiveness.