How often should I have my horse blanket or sheet cleaned?
At least yearly, but more often depending on winter conditions. If the horse blanket or sheet becomes muddy or caked with manure, etc., certainly more often. When these materials are left on the horse blanket for extended periods of time staining may occur and may not wash out. At a minimum, as soon as the winter temperature breaks and it is no longer necessary to blanket the horse, come in for horse blanket cleaning. Immediately doing horse blanket cleaning ensures that excrement, urine and mud will not stain, fade or breakdown the fabric. This will extend the life of your horse blanket.
If you live in a long winter climate… have a spare blanket, then get horse blanket cleaning about every 6 months. This will allow the horse blanket to recover.
Blankets absorb sweat, dirt, excrement, urine, blood- this causes bacteria and an unhealthy condition for your horse. You may wish to consider washing more often.
Never put a dirty blanket that has been sitting over the summer back on a horse. Also, never put a blanket on a different horse other than its previous owner. Give us an opportunity to clean the blanket for you.
Eventually a blanket that has not been cleaned for years will likely dry rot, fabric will have broken down and the fabric may not hold water repellent.
Cleaning FAQ 2
Why should you not wash your blanket in your small residential top load or front load washing machine?
Home washers cannot support the weight of a wet blanket and will ultimately cause severe damage your machine and will likely destroy the drum and/or bearings prematurely. Wet horse blankets can weigh as much as 75 lbs. per blanket, and residential washers are not designed for this weight.
Excess horse hair may clog your washer’s drain system.
Metal buckles will scratch and may dent the porcelain tubs and cause rust. This will show up on future washing of whites with rust spots on them.
Most Laundromats will not allow Horse Blanket washing.
Never dry horse blankets in a dryer. Blankets and sheets are made of a variety of fabrics, which may scorch, burn or stain. Dryers get extremely hot and may melt the fabric.
Always line (air) dry horse blankets.
Water repellent FAQ's
How can I tell if my blanket or sheet will repel water?
Lay the blanket out flat and sprinkle a few ounces of water on the exterior. Check to see if the water soaked through the blanket into or through the inside liner.
Often times, new blankets have a built in water repellent from the manufacturer, which may be guaranteed. Why use water repellent on your blankets or sheets?
The fabric in blankets or sheets that have been washed several times may lose their water repellency and may not provide adequate protection.
How do I know if my blanket or sheet needs to have water repellent treatment?
If water appears to soak into the surface of your blanket or sheet you may need to apply a water repellent to the exterior. Although, water may appear to be soaking through the top surface, some blankets or sheets have a rubberized underside, which may protect against complete soak through. But, it can be difficult to know this unless you have a tear or hole for inspection. If you are in doubt, let us repel the blanket or sheet for you.
A few words on blanket materials
Many of the newer style, high quality blankets and sheets use high tech materials such as nylon or tightly weaved fabrics and provide a good level of water repellency. Some have waterproofing built into these newer materials. Some also have Teflon coatings to repel stains and dirt. Because of these newer blanket materials, water repellency may last from 2 to 3 years.
Manufacturer guarantees and warranties
Most blanket manufacturers have good warranties against defects in materials & workmanship. Most do not have any warranty or guarantee for water repellent or water proofing, nor does Horse and Hound Blanket HQ. Manufacturers seem to find it difficult to guarantee a horse blanket/sheet coating, which is exposed to extreme outdoor elements for long periods of time.
Most manufacturers won’t cover wear and tear items, i.e. rips, tears, bites, rolling on the ground/in the mud, causing broken straps, buckles, clips, etc.
