# How do you wash your blankets and saddle pads?



## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

Have not done my blankets yet, but took my saddle pads to the car wash. I have a truck so put them in the back to bring home to hang dry. The high pressure and soap was awesome!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I have a front loader washing machine & that is what I wash them in, does an excellent job. After the blankets, I run an empty cycle with just bleach, never been a problem. Before I got the front loader, I would lay the blankets out on the lawn and spray them down with a pressure washer & soap, then hang them up on the clothesline and spray them with a hose. That works good too.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Western or English saddle pads? English I was at home. It's a washing machine, you still wash extremely disgusting dishes in the sink and your horribly filthy self in the shower, it's not any different.

A thick Western, I would just spray with soapy water at the barn and use a stiff brush to scrub, then spray with water until it runs clear.

Blankets, you either have to find a laundromat who allows horse blankets, or a blanket washing service. If you can't find/afford one and it's too big for a home washer, I'd do the same thing as a western saddle pad.


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## hberrie (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks for your input. I guess I will wash my English pads at home. I just hate the thought of all that dirt and horse hair in my washing machine. I have a top loader. Does this make a difference?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Yes, top loaders can't handle a load like that & don't do a good job either. I tried once, the machine started banging as the blanket bunched up to one side, I re-adjusted it several times. Then when it was done, there was dirt creases still on the blanket. Front loaders spin way, way faster, never bunch up a load, use less water but get things much cleaner.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If your blanket has waterproofing then no laundry soap but use something like Wool Ite. It seems to me there is a blanket wash designed for horse blankets. I wash a lot of stuff in a big plastic tub set in the bathtub and use a $5 toilet sink plunger as an agitator. I fill the plastic tub with barely warm water and Wool Ite, throw the item in, plunge up and down a few times and let it soak for a while. I'll then plunge lots, getting a good workout, and dump the water. Check for horsehair clogging the top of the drain. Rinse and hang to dry.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I hang them over a wooden rail and take the hose to them. If they are very soiled I soak them and use a stiff scrub brush on the worst spots.
I don't want to use any detergents that could leave a residue and cause any reaction on the horse's skin. Clear water only and they drip dry.


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

What I did is just sprayed it down. Then I put just dishwater soap on them and rinsed them off again. Then I hung them to dry over a fence. It worked pretty good.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

waresbear said:


> ... I would lay the blankets out on the lawn and spray them down with a pressure washer & soap, then hang them up on the clothesline and spray them with a hose...


I also have had good success with that technique. An alternative one I use in the winter months (that handles both saddle pads and house rugs) is to wait for a fresh snow fall then put the pad (or rug) on the snow, dirty side down. Next, wearing clean boots, I walk around on top of it for a minute or two then move it to another new spot. I repeat this a few times. Afterwards, it's hung inside the barn or basement to dry off. This one is not quite as good as a lawn wash but it does a passable job.


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## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

I take my blankets in to the tack shop. $10 a blanket, totally worth them getting the poopy stuff everywhere and not in my house. English saddle pads I take to the laundry mat on occasion. Otherwise I hose them off with a high powered sprayer in summer.


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

I wash my english saddle pads in my top loaded washer and it never has any trouble with them. I usually run them twice just to make sure they are clean. 

Blankets are another story though, they get laid out on my driveway and I use the pressure washer to clean them. I have done them at the carwash before, just used my own soap and the high pressure water. To transport, all you need is a large rubbermaid tub to stick it in for the ride home, then hang over a fence or lay out in the sun to dry.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I wash my english saddle pads in my top loading washer- so long as I wash two at a time, I've never had an issue with it not cleaning or being unbalanced. I just take a dry brush to get the dirt and poop off the blanket, but my guy doesn't get his too dirty.


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

My mom has kept an antique maytag wringer/washer in her barn just for washing western saddle pads. It only gets pulled out and used when pads are getting washed and it works really well


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

My big heavy blankets:

'Honey, can you pressure wash my winter blankets? Or else I will have to put them in the washing machine.....????'
'Good grief, don't put em in the washer, I will do it this weekend!'

Haha it's either pressure wash my blanket or fix the washer.....!!!

Normally I'm a do-it-yourself gal, but hubby has a huge heated shop with a drain in the floor....and it gives him an excuse to hangout in there with all his tools!


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## TeaEquestrian (Jan 4, 2013)

I have a front load washer so I always do my saddle pads and small blankets (coolers, key holes, quarter sheets, etc.) in the washing machine but for big heavy blankets or anyone who doesn't have a front loader I would suggest looking for a local tack repair shop or business. There is a lady close to me who repairs blankets and other tack and she washes blankets as well, does a great job!
Hope this helped!


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

I take everything (coolers, saddle pads, winter blankets, rain sheets, shipping boots) to someone else to wash. She does it for a decent price, and it all comes back neatly folded, a lot of times in seperate bags, inside the huge bag I drop everything off in. 

We did recently have an incident where my front shipping boots didn't come back, but her husband forgot to put them back in with everything, so I didn't get charged for them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Well-I use a combination. THe heavy blankets I use the tub/plunger hang over the fence method. The 5 star wool pad-I just hang and rinse with clear water. I am also really careful about using soap since it may not all come out. I sometimes send them out, especially if they ned repairs at all, since we have a service who picks up and brings them back, but it is about $25/blanket, + repairs. The sheets, coolers and lighter weight stuff-I use a top loader for. Hubby is really allergic so I have a specified horse laundry room in the heated garage. Yes, I am blessed. ;-)


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## EquineGirl1965 (Dec 22, 2012)

I've got a front load washing machine so it does the lot; saddle pads and blankets (I use a pad first then a western blanket on my horse) and summer weight rugs. I haven't had to wash a winter weight rug as yet so not sure if the washing machine at home can cope with them. If not we have a repair and wash service down the road from home so I can drop off and pick up. Prices are a bit high but the service and quality is excellent.


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## NBEventer (Sep 15, 2012)

I throw my saddle pads(english) and stable sheets in the washer. I have done them in a top load with no problem. They don't seem to look clean though until they run through the dryer. Once I pull them out of the dryer they are spotless. I just make sure I spread the saddle pads out evenly in the top load and they seem to run just fine. 

Do not use fabric softener though. When I am done I run an empty cycle through the washer and it cleans it just fine. I don't see it being any different then doing my barn clothes really.

My blankets I do at the laundry mat... oops was there a sign there that said no horse blankets? I never saw that ;-) I just do it when no one is around and then I will wipe out the washer to make sure its clean.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

My English saddle pads and sheets are washed in my front-loader and hung to dry. Western pads are soaked in a tub of water with a mild detergent and hung to dry.

My laundromat must be desperate. They have a big sign in their window that says "We do horse blankets".


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

I go to a laundromat on the other side of town from the college (usually at least one new, clueless one that hasn't hung a NO HORSE BLANKETS sign *yet*). 

Saddle pads go in my top loader though. For saddle pads, buy a pet hair, sticky roller with a rubber blade (I leave an empty sticky pad holder on it just so it keeps it's shape) and run the rubber blade in each direction to scrape up all the hair before washing. I do that outside so the loose hair doesn't get all over my laundry room, my girls save the wads and wads of horse hair and put it out for the birds in Spring.


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