When you invest countless hours and heartfelt effort into creating a beautiful quilt, it becomes more than just a blanket—it's a treasured heirloom. Proper fabric care is essential to ensure your quilt lasts for generations to come. From delicate washing techniques to fabric care products, we have everything you need to preserve your handcrafted masterpiece. Read our quilt care instructions here to learn about washing and storing your quilts, then check out these key products for quilting fabric care:
Fabric Starch & Pressing Spray
Quilting starch stiffens fabric for easier and more accurate cutting, piecing, and sewing in quilting projects. It offers benefits like improved accuracy due to reduced shifting and stretching, minimized fraying, easier handling of fabric, and enhanced pressing for crisp seams. The best starch for quilting will ultimately depend on your individual preference, but popular ironing starch brands include June Tailor Quilter's Starch Savvy, Mary Ellen's Best Press starch, and Magic Quilting and Crafting Spray.
UV Protection Spray for Fabric
ODIF fabric shield is a UV protector spray that safeguards fabrics (particularly quilts) from fading and damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight and artificial light. By creating a protective barrier, the fabric shield fabric protector by ODIF blocks UV rays, preventing colors from fading and fabrics from weakening. The spray is applied directly to the finished quilt, and reapplication may be needed periodically depending on the product and the level of light exposure.
Quilt Soap
At some point, you'll need to wash your quilt. When that time comes, it's important to avoid using harsh detergents, bleach, and fabric softeners, as these can damage the fabric. We recommend using fabric care cleaners specifically designed for delicate fabrics, such as a mild, pH-neutral detergent that is free from harsh chemicals, dyes, and fragrances.
One of our favorites is Retro Wash laundry powder. Its gentle cleansing action is tough on dirt and odors and performs exceptionally well on all fabrics. Retro Wash contains no dyes, phosphates, optical brighteners, or perfumes, and it leaves no residue. As an added bonus, it is also non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, biodegradable, and highly concentrated.
When it comes to removing stains from old quilts, Retro Clean is an excellent choice for stubborn stains and discoloration. This gentle soaking solution can safely remove yellow and brown age stains from all washable fabrics, including those related to water damage, mildew, coffee, tea, blood, wood oil, tobacco, and perspiration.
Both of these fabric care products gently clean quilts without damaging delicate fibers or causing colors to bleed.
Synthrapol
Synthrapol detergent is a valuable tool for washing quilts, particularly those made with hand-dyed fabrics or fabrics that are prone to bleeding. Synthrapol fabric detergent is a pH-neutral, industrial-strength detergent that can help preserve the colors and prevent unwanted staining in your quilts, keeping them beautiful for years to come.
When washing a quilt for the first time (especially one with unknown fabric origins or hand-dyed fabrics such as batiks) using Synthrapol can prevent potential dye bleeding. It works by suspending any loose dye particles in the wash water, preventing them from transferring and staining other parts of the quilt. Additionally, if a quilt is known to have fabrics that bleed, Synthrapol detergent can be used in subsequent washes to minimize further bleeding and keep the colors vibrant.
By using these fabric care products and following proper care techniques, you can keep your quilts looking beautiful for years to come!
