How to wash an electric blanket: 5 rules to keep the fabric and cable intact

In the cold weeks after New Year it is on almost every evening: the electric blanket or heated underblanket that warms the bed before you get in. After a season, skin flakes, sweat and dust have built up in the fabric. If you want to know how to wash an electric blanket, though, there is more to consider than with an ordinary throw – fine heating wires run through the fabric, and at the end of the day it all connects to the mains.

The good news: many modern models are washable, some even in the machine. What counts is what the manufacturer allows. These five rules show how to get the blanket, cable and controller through the wash undamaged.

Why an electric blanket needs special care

An electric blanket is an electrical appliance in a fabric cover. Inside, thin heating wires loop across the whole surface. They can cope with water if the manufacturer designed the blanket for it – but not with sharp folds, rubbing, wringing or strong heat from outside. That is exactly what happens when the blanket is spun on a normal cycle, put in the tumble dryer or hung over a radiator.

The risk is not just a creased cover. A bent or squashed wire can overheat later, and moisture in the connector has no business near electricity. So wash less often, but wash properly. A washable cover or a sheet over the heated underblanket keeps most of the dirt away.

1. Read the care label and manual

Everything starts with the label, usually sewn onto the blanket, and the instruction manual. They tell you whether the blanket can go in the machine, must be hand washed or should not be washed in water at all. GINETEX, the association that owns the care symbols, explains them on its consumer site: a tub with a hand means hand wash at max. 40 °C without rubbing or wringing, bars under the tub mean a mild cycle with a smaller load, and a crossed-out square with a circle means do not tumble dry. To read the whole label, see our guide to laundry symbols.

If the manual is missing, look up the model on the manufacturer's website. Without clear instructions, don't wash it – only clean spots.

2. Detach the controller and check the blanket

1. Pull the plug out of the socket and let the blanket cool down completely.
2. Detach the controller and its cable from the blanket at the connector. It is never washed – at most wiped with a dry cloth.
3. Spread the blanket out on a table and take a close look: is the cable or plug damaged, are there brown or stiff patches, can you feel kinks in the wire?
4. Check pockets, ties and elastic straps and trim any loose threads.

3. Wash gently – in the machine or by hand

If the label allows machine washing:

• Wash it on its own: no other laundry in the drum; fold the blanket loosely rather than rolling it.
• Programme: wool or delicates at the temperature on the label, usually low. EnergieSchweiz, the Swiss federal energy programme, recommends low temperatures of 20 to 30 °C anyway, without increasing the detergent dose.
• Detergent: a little mild detergent, no heavy-duty powder with bleach, no fabric softener.
• Spin: only as much as the manual allows – often very little or none.

In a shared laundry room, choose a machine with a large drum if you can, so the blanket isn't squashed.

For hand washing, fill the bath with lukewarm water and a little mild detergent. Let the blanket soak briefly, press gently rather than rub, then rinse with clean water. Don't wring it: carefully press the water out and roll the blanket up in a large towel.

4. Dry it flat – no tumble dryer, no radiator

Most of the damage happens while drying:

• No tumble dryer, not even on a gentle setting, unless the manual expressly allows it.
• No clothes pegs: they press on the heating wires at single points.
• Lay it flat or over several bars of a clothes airer so the weight is spread.
• Not on the radiator, not in blazing sun, no ironing.
• Don't switch it on to dry it – the blanket must not heat itself dry.

In winter, drying indoors takes a day or two. Air the room regularly so the moisture can escape. There are more tips in our guide to drying clothes in winter.

5. Only plug it back in when it is fully dry

Before you reconnect the controller, the blanket must be completely dry – inside as well and at the connector socket. Feel several spots, especially thick seams. If in doubt, leave it another day.

In summer, store the electric blanket loosely folded or rolled, without sharp creases and with nothing heavy on top. Before the next season, check the cable and plug again.

The most common mistakes when you wash an electric blanket

• Washing the controller too: the electronics can't take water.
• Normal cycle at full spin: folding and pulling strain the heating wires.
• Tumble dryer "just for a bit": heat and movement together are especially hard on the wires.
• Switching on too soon: leftover damp and electricity don't mix.
• Washing too often: a cover protects the blanket and saves washes. For blankets without wiring, see our guide on how to wash a fleece blanket.

Priority Clean editorial teamOur cleaning team from Alberswil, Canton of Lucerne, shares hands-on experience from move-out, house, office and window cleaning across Central and Northwestern Switzerland.