Dreaded horse blanket wash
It’s that time of year! Actually it’s a little past that time. If you did your complete barn spring cleaning, you already washed your horse blankets. If you’re a little more like the rest of us, your blankets are probably lying in a corner of your tack room with mud still clinging to the edges. If you’re like me, they’re piled, not folded.
Washing horse blankets isn’t the most glamorous task. Hoisting those smelly, mudsplattered covers is a chore any way you cut it. They’re heavy, they’re dirty, they’re big and unwieldy. They’re just unpleasant after having been in service all winter.
You can probably tell washing blankets isn’t my favorite chore, but it has to be done — I mean, it has to be done if you want the satisfaction of unzipping those storage bags and pulling out nice, crisp, odorless blankets when the autumn nights get cool enough. If you ignore the pile in the corner of your tack room, you’ll be fine without those blankets all summer. But when that first crisp fall night hits, your heart will sink when you realize you have miles of mud-and-manureencrusted 1200-denier, 200 gram-fill waterproof weather protection just sitting there collecting dust.
So, in the spirit of (belated) preparedness, here are my blanket washing tips:
1. Keep the zippered bag that comes with most blankets when you buy them. Just designate a spot for these useful receptacles, because they’re great for storing clean blankets when winter’s over.
2. Use stickers, labels and pens to identify each of these bags so you know whose blanket is in which one. There’s nothing more annoying than having to haul a blanket out of its tight plastic enclosure only to find that it’s a size 74 when you needed an 81 for your draft cross gelding.
3. When it’s time to wash blankets, do not pass go, do not collect $200 — head straight to your local Laundromat and let their high-powered washing machines and dryers do the work for you. Most of us don’t have machines that are powerful enough to handle bulky horse blankets, let alone the dirt deposits they carry. Don’t risk ruining your machine’s motor. And, of course, I realize Laundromats are out of the question right now for those who are at a high risk for COVID, but there’s the option of sitting in your car and checking your blankets periodically if you don’t want to be in the building while you wait.
4. Be prepared — show up with quarters, or at least bills. It’s downright annoying when an already mundane task becomes a drawn-out one because your Laundromat doesn’t take debit cards.
You’ll be able to change out your dollar bills for quarters at most Laundromats.
5. Take stock of your supplies before you leave the house. Make sure you’ve got an adequate amount of detergent before setting out.
6. Be entertained. Depending on the number of blankets you have to clean, this could turn into a half-day task. Pack your laptop and plan on getting a little work done. Bring your phone and make some long overdue calls. Or, just settle in with your favorite magazine and a few snacks.
7. Bring a fragrance-free, dye-free detergent. I like All Free Clear. If you have a horse with sensitive skin, there’s no worse way to find out than watching them break out with an itchy reaction the first time you put their blanket on.
8. Don’t be overly ambitious when loading the washing machines at the Laundromat. Remember, the goal here is clean. You might spend a few more quarters making sure you have enough room in the machine for each blanket, but it’s worth it in the end when your investment comes rolling out of the dryer all warm and mud free.
Elizabeth Crumbly is a newspaper veteran and freelance writer. She lives in rural Northwest Georgia where she teaches riding lessons, writes and raises her family. She is a former editor of The Catoosa County News. You can correspond with her at www.collective-ink.com.