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Doing Your Horse’s Laundry
(Tricks to make a dirty job
easier)
Unless you’ve got a separate heavy duty washing machine set aside for cleaning blankets and related items, you may be in for trouble if you try to wash horse clothes at home. A dirty horse blanket will do a number on your washing machine. And it can take several subsequent washes to remove all traces of horse hair and dirt, not to mention the pungent odor. Generally, home washers and drainage systems just aren’t built to cope with heavy, mucky, hair encrusted horse togs.
This is not to say that you can't launder some blankets at home. Lighter weight blankets that don't get too dirty, such as coolers and show sheets, can be washed in your domestic machine. Some stable blankets also can be machine washed, depending on their bulk. If you're going to put a blanket into your washer, make sure it has enough room to agitate; otherwise you won't get all the dirt off. The same applies to smaller items—don’t pack too many in at once.
*Before you start, check the manufacturer’s washing instructions. Almost all recommend cold or warm water. This prevents the fabric from breaking down and reduces shrinkage. Use a mild detergent that won’t damage waterproof fabrics. Some products leave a chemical residue irritating to your horse’s skin, so it’s a good idea to stick to pure soap flakes, a pet shampoo, or a commercial horse blanket cleaner. Never use fabric softener.
*Brush off as much manure, mud and muck as you can. Remove all detachable straps. Any buckles that don’t come off should be encased in socks so they don’t bang up the washer’s drum.
*Blankets and other items that smell strongly of urine may require a full day of soaking outside in a tub of mil detergent and cold water before machine washing.
*When washing blankets in your home machine, run them through a complete extra wash cycle without soap to be sure each blanket is thoroughly rinsed. Even a small amount of soap residue can irritate.
*Line dry to avoid shrinkage and maintain waterproofing. Hanging the blanket inside out will help it dry faster. (Machine drying is not recommended. Large laundromat driers are especially hard on synthetic fabrics.)
*Speaking of laundromats, that’s an option….if you can find a tolerant operator willing to let you throw your horse items into one of the heavy duty commercial machines. (Most have rules against horse clothes). If you do take your things to the laundromat, take pity on the next person to use the machine and be sure it’s spotless before you leave….wipe the drum down with a wet rag to remove all left-behind hair and dirt.
*If you want to try cleaning bulkier blankets at home, drape them over a fence and use a shedding blade to remove as much hair and muck as possible. Then go over the blanket with a stiff brush to remove loose dirt. Next, hose the blanket with water and scrub it with a mild detergent. Follow with a thorough rinsing; turn the blanket over and do the other side. Then let the blanket dry completely before storing or putting it back in the tack room.
*Another option is to take your stuff to a do-it-yourself car wash. Secure the item to the floor mat clips and start the power wash. When the item is saturated, hand scrub, and follow up with a power rinse. Then do the other side and rinse again. To save time and money some people pre-wash their blankets in a watering tank or plastic manure bucket in lukewarm sudsy water, then power rinse them clean.