The Edit — Bedding
How to Wash a Sherpa Throw So It Stays Soft
Cold or warm on the gentle cycle, on its own, then low heat or a line. High heat is what flattens sherpa and fleece, and a soft pet brush lifts a matted pile. A heated throw has its own 2-minute wash.
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This page reads the care guidance published by Bedsure, Sunbeam, 2 other bedding makers and the American Cleaning Institute, with 5 throws whose fabrics show each method, chosen as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled, washed or tested.
Best for Weekly washing
Watch for Thinner than some expect
Best for Fast line drying
Watch for Sized for 1 adult
Best for Softness
Watch for Must dry flat
Best for Fur that washes well
Watch for Bulky, does not drape
Best for Cold feet
Watch for Short wash, low dry only
Wash a sherpa throw on gentle, in cold water, on its own
Cold water and the gentle cycle protect a sherpa pile, with a mild detergent and no bleach. Puffy’s sherpa guide asks for cold water every time, to keep the fibres from shrinking. Bedsure is less strict: its Care Guide allows warm water for polyester, with no bleach and a low tumble dry.
The difference between those 2 is not a contradiction worth losing sleep over. The FTC’s Care Labeling Rule requires care instructions on garments, and the products it covers are clothing and fabric sold for making clothing. Blankets are not on its list. So the tag on a throw is the maker’s own advice, and the tag wins.
Wash it alone. The American Cleaning Institute names fuzzy fabrics and flannels as items that share their lint in the wash, and advises a load of their own. It also warns against overloading the drum, because laundry needs room to move.
Bedsure GentleSoft Sherpa Fleece Throw, 50x60
Flannel fleece on one face and sherpa on the other, all polyester, which owners call warm and good value.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Fabric | 100% polyester |
|---|---|
| Weight | 220 GSM flannel, 260 GSM sherpa |
| Size | 50 x 60 in |
Owners call it soft, warm and good value. Thickness splits them: some find it enough for winter, others expected more pile. It is 100% polyester, so Bedsure’s warm-or-cold polyester guidance applies.
Buy it if
- A sofa throw that goes through the wash every week
Don't buy it if
- Anyone who wants a thick, heavy blanket
Dry fleece on low heat or over a line, never on high
High heat is what ruins a polyester throw. Mambe, a blanket maker that works in Polartec fleece, notes that fleece will shrink if it gets too warm, and suggests part-drying a blanket in the dryer, then hanging it to finish. Puffy adds that high heat can make sherpa fibres clump.
Pick the dryer’s low setting, or the air-fluff setting the American Cleaning Institute describes for items that should not be heated. A thin fleece is the easy case. The Bedsure Soft Fleece is a single layer with no pile to flatten, and it dries quickly on a rack.
Bedsure Soft Fleece Throw Blanket, 50x60
A single layer of flannel fleece with no pile to mat, which owners say keeps its new look.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Fabric | 100% polyester flannel fleece |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 x 60 in |
Owners say it keeps its new look and call it neither too light nor too heavy. At 50 x 60 inches it covers 1 adult, not 2.
Buy it if
- A light throw that dries fast on a line
Don't buy it if
- Covering 2 adults on a sofa
Pills on fleece stay put, so wash less and gentler
A pill is a knot of loose fibre that friction has rolled into a ball, and on polyester it does not wear away. Pilling comes from abrasion in wear and in the wash, so fewer washes, the gentle cycle and a drum that is not packed tight all slow it down.
Pills can be shaved off, the same entry notes, which is the fix for a throw that already has them. Prevention is cheaper than a fabric shaver.
Brush a matted sherpa pile with a soft pet brush
A soft-bristled pet brush or a fabric brush lifts a sherpa pile that has flattened into clumps. Puffy’s method is to lay the throw flat, brush in 1 direction with slow strokes, and spend longer on the worst patches. It suggests a brushing every month or two in the months the throw sees heavy use.
Skip fabric softener on sherpa, Puffy’s guide says, because it weighs the fibres down and can leave them stiff. The American Cleaning Institute’s case for softener is reduced static on synthetic fabrics, so a household fighting static has a trade to make. A couple of clean tennis balls in the dryer, on low, is Puffy’s way to keep the pile fluffy.
Wash faux fur cold, on its own, and dry it flat
The UGG Adalee’s care instructions ask for a wash before first use to stop loose fibres shedding, then a cold wash on its own, a flat dry, and never the dryer. At 50 x 70 inches and 3.97 lb, that means a heavy, damp throw on a rack for a day.
UGG Adalee Faux Fur Throw Blanket, 50x70
A sculpted faux fur at 3.97 lb whose care instructions ask for a cold wash on its own and a flat dry.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | 50 x 70 in |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.97 lb, about 0.5 in thick |
| Care | Wash cold, separately; dry flat |
Owners call it the softest, warmest throw they own and say pets love it. They split on whether it is worth the money. The flat dry is the commitment.
Buy it if
- A bedroom throw, and dogs who like the sofa
Don't buy it if
- Anyone without space to dry it flat
The BENVWE faux fur is the throw owners say holds up after washing. It is double-sided, with a bubble texture on one face and smooth fur on the other, at 51 x 63 inches.
BENVWE Faux Fur Throw Blanket, 51x63
A double-sided faux fur with a bubble texture that owners say holds up after washing.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Fabric | Faux rabbit fur, double-sided |
|---|---|
| Size | 51 x 63 in |
Owners call it soft, well made and right for cold nights, and say it holds up after washing and is worth the price. It is bulky and does not drape flat.
Buy it if
- Cold nights, and a slightly weighted feel
Don't buy it if
- Anyone who wants a throw that drapes flat
Unplug a heated throw and detach the control before washing
A heated sherpa throw can go in the machine, on its maker’s terms. Sunbeam says to unplug the power cord from the wall first, then detach the control cord, and check that no wire has worn through the fabric. The control and the cords never go in water.
Sunbeam also rules out dry cleaning, bleach, a wringer and an iron. Other heated throws have their own instructions, so read the one in the box. How heated blanket auto shut-off works covers the controller that comes off before every wash.
Sunbeam Electric Throw Royal Sherpa with Foot Pocket Heated Blanket, 50x60
A heated sherpa throw with a foot pocket, and a maker's wash routine of 2 minutes on gentle in cold water.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Feature | Foot pocket |
|---|---|
| Shut-off | Fixed 4 hours |
| Size | 50 x 60 in |
Owners praise how quickly it warms, the soft sherpa and a foot pocket they describe as huge. It switches off after a fixed 4 hours, and some owners report it stopping within a year.
Buy it if
- Cold feet on the sofa
Don't buy it if
- Anyone who wants to tumble it dry like an ordinary throw
Wash a throw about once a month, and brush in between
The American Cleaning Institute’s schedule puts blankets at a wash a month, against every 2 weeks for bed sheets. A throw that a dog sleeps on, or that catches a spill, goes in sooner.
| Throw | Wash | Dry | In between |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherpa or fleece | Gentle, cold, on its own, no bleach | Low heat, or part-dry then hang | Brush matted patches |
| Faux fur | Cold, on its own | Flat, never the dryer | Wash once before first use |
| Heated sherpa | Unplugged, control off; 2 minutes on gentle, cold | 10 minutes on low, then a rod | Check the wires |
Throw blankets compared weighs 7 throws, from sherpa to knit, and heated throws compared covers the plug-in kind. For the bed rather than the sofa, how to wash a comforter covers the bigger load.
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