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Can you wash fleece


How to Clean or Wash Fleece Blankets, Jackets & More

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By Mulberrys Garment Care

Fleece is a warm, comfortable, and water-resistant fabric that is a staple in many closets during cold-weather months. Learning how to wash fleece and keep it clean is key to keeping your fleece items looking pristine. Natural fleece is harvested from a wool-bearing animal, usually sheep. Synthetic fleece, on the other hand, is made from fabrics such as polyester. Given how common and functional it is, people wear this fabric often, so we frequently get asked what the best way to care for fleece is.

If you’ve ever wondered how to wash fleece and how to make your fleece look new again, continue reading below.

How to Wash Fleece

It is important to know how to wash fleece properly, in order to keep fleece blankets, jackets, or other items soft and looking like new. The good news is that fleece clothing and other items are durable, so it is generally safe to wash in a washing machine. Just follow these three simple steps to clean your fleece items. 

  1. Spot-treat any visible stains with stain-removing treatment
  2. Turn your items inside-out and wash your fleece items on the gentle cycle using cold water.
  3. If you choose to dry your garment, set your dryer to its lowest setting and remove the item promptly once the cycle is finished. Remove promptly.

Note: You can also hand wash your fleece items using mild detergent and cold water.

Tips on How to Clean & Care for Fleece

While fleece is generally durable and easy to care for, there are some things to keep in mind when you wash and clean fleece items such as jackets or blankets so that you don’t cause damage.

Tips on How to Wash & Clean A Fleece Jacket

To clean your fleece jacket, first, you’ll need to separate it into a fleece-only load so everything you’re washing will have a similar weight and texture. Then, spot treat your jacket with stain remover, soap, and water, or a small amount of dish detergent, and let it soak in cold water for 15-20 minutes. Next, gently lint roll your fleece jacket in order to catch any larger pieces of lint or debris before the wash. Turning your jacket inside out, wash it on the gentle cycle with cool water and a mild detergent. Fabric softener and fleece should NEVER go together. When washing fleece, avoid using fabric softeners and bleach to ensure your fleece jacket or blanket lasts. Once the cycle is complete, promptly take it out and hang it in a drafty area to air dry. Or, if your jacket can be put in the dryer, be sure to select a no-heat tumble option.

Tips on How to Wash & Clean A Fleece Blanket

Washing a fleece blanket follows a lot of the same steps as washing other fleece items, such as a fleece jacket. If there are visible stains, pre-treat them and allow them to sit for 10 minutes. Then, wash your blanket in cool water with minimal detergent and let it air dry.  


If you’re wondering how to keep fleece soft, the key is to never expose it to direct heat. So, whenever you’re laundering your fleece blanket, be sure that you never put it in the dryer with a heated setting, as it can melt the blanket fibers and cause it to shrink.

If you’d rather have a professional dry cleaner handle your fleece and other clothing items, trust in Mulberrys Garment Care! Learn more about our dry and wet cleaning services.

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How to Wash and Care for Fleece Jackets

By

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40 years' experience; writing for over 20 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 12/01/22

Reviewed by

Becky Rapinchuk

Reviewed by Becky Rapinchuk

Becky Rapinchuk is a natural cleaning expert, homekeeping expert, and founder of the lifestyle brand, Clean Mama. She has published 4 books.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

In This Article

Project Overview

Fleece jackets come in a variety of colors, weights, and styles; they are durable, warm, water-resistant, and generally easy to care for. Fleece fabric is made of polyester fibers—often recycled plastics, and the texture is created by weaving the fabric with small, loose loops on one side. After the fabric is woven, the side with the loops is passed over brushes that cut and pull the loops apart to create a soft, napped finish that contributes to the fabric's insulating qualities.

Unfortunately, the tiny fibers can trap lint and become knotted, leaving a pilled finish after washing. You can help prevent fuzzing and pilling by avoiding excessive heat and friction while washing, either in the machine or by hand.

Washing in cool or warm water should not cause a fleece jacket to fade, either, and washing the garment before use may eliminate potential manufacturing odors. Proper laundry sorting, avoiding hot water temperatures, and line drying can keep your fleece jacket looking great for years.

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Equipment / Tools

Materials

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 Detergent  Mild or delicate laundry detergent
 Water Temperature Cold or warm
 Cycle Type Gentler or permanent press
 Drying Cycle Type Line dry only
 Special Treatments Treat stains with an enzyme-based cleaner
 Iron Settings Do not iron
 How Often to Wash Once a week for moderate use

How to Machine Wash Fleece Jackets

Fleece jackets can be washed by hand or by machine. Choose a front-loading or top-loading washer without a center agitator. These machines are much gentler on clothes than one with a center agitator. If you don't have this type of machine at home, head to the laundromat to find one instead.

  1. Read the Care Label

    Read the care label to make sure your fleece jacket is washable. Some jackets may have trim that requires specific care.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  2. Sort and Load the Washer

    Avoid washing your fleece jacket with lint-producing clothes, like cotton flannel or cloth towels, as fleece is a magnet for shedding fibers. Fleece also attracts pet hair, so reduce and remove lint before laundering, and wash your jacket alone.

    Make sure to check the pockets for tissues or paper that may disintegrate in water and stick to the fleece. Close all zippers, buttons, and fasteners, and then turn the jacket inside out to prevent snags.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  3. Choose a Detergent

    Use a mild detergent (like Hex Performance, Woolite, or Ivory Snow), as they are the gentlest on fleece fiber. Do not use chlorine bleach or add fabric softeners to the wash or the rinse cycle.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

    Tip

    To help reduce perspiration odor, add 1 cup of baking soda directly to the empty washer drum before loading the jacket.

  4. Select the Water Temperature and Start the Cycle

    Always select the cold or warm water setting—never hot—when washing fleece jackets. High temperatures can damage, or even melt, fleece fibers.

    Choose the gentle cycle for fleece jackets that are lightly soiled. For heavily soiled pieces, use the permanent press cycle, which has a cold rinse and a lower spin speed. Gentle cycles should last anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  5. Line Dry the Jacket

    Turn the jacket right side out and hang it on a sturdy hanger, or fold it over a drying rack to air-dry. When hung in a warm room, the jacket should be dry in a couple of hours, max.

    Do not use a clothes dryer to dry fleece. The high temperature and the friction will cause pilling.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

How to Handwash Fleece Jackets

Some care labels recommend handwashing fleece due to unstable dyes that can bleed in the washing machine. Follow the guidelines on the label for both water temperature and detergent recommendations, even when handwashing.

  1. Choose Your Vessel

    Use a tub or large sink for washing your fleece jacket. Make sure the receptacle is big enough so that the entire jacket can be fully submerged in the water.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  2. Create the Solution

    Fill the sink or tub with warm water. Create a washing solution by adding approximately 1 tablespoon of detergent to every gallon of water.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  3. Soak the Jacket

    Add the jacket to the soapy water and allow it to soak for about 20 minutes. Gently squeeze the fibers to loosen the soil, but do not aggressively rub them together or use a washing board.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  4. Rinse Thoroughly

    Rinse the jacket well in cold water so that no residue remains on the fibers. Leftover soap can make the fleece feel scratchy. Gently wring any excess water from the fabric.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  5. Line Dry the Jacket

    Air dry your jacket in the same way you would for machine washing. If you are drying it outside on a warm day, locate it in a shady spot to avoid excess heat from the sun.

    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Treating Stains on Fleece Jackets

For visible food stains or body soil stains, place a dab of enzyme-based stain remover or laundry detergent on a white microfiber cloth. Rub the stained areas with the cloth to help lift the stain. Wait at least 10 minutes before washing the jacket to allow the cleaner to fully penetrate. Then, wash as normal.

Oil-based stains can be difficult to remove from polyester fibers. You may have to treat the stain for an hour or more with an enzyme-based stain remover. If all else fails, you can try dabbing a little isopropyl alcohol onto the stain before washing. Test an inconspicuous spot for fading first.

Fleece Jacket Care and Repairs


Luckily, polyester fleece rarely results in fading or shrinking. Still, hot water washing and machine drying should always be avoided. Should your favorite jacket suffer a rip or lose a button, you can easily mend it by repairing the seam with a sewing machine, or hand-sewing a new button onto the garment. Overwashing should also be avoided, as the more you wash a fleece jacket, the more the fibers will degrade and eventually mat. Fleece fabric rarely shows wrinkles, so ironing should be avoided at all costs, as it could melt the jacket.

Storing Fleece Jackets

Fleece jackets should be laundered, carefully folded, and stored in sealed plastic bins. Hanging fleece for an extended time on a hanger could result in permanent darts in the shoulders or a misshapen jacket. Make sure to always store your fleece in a cool, dry space. Hot temperatures may damage the fleece fibers, and moisture could attract mold.

How Often to Wash Fleece Jackets

Fleece jackets worn daily should be washed at least once a week. Other fleece garments worn next to the skin should be washed bi-weekly to remove body oil and soil. If you notice odors or surface stains, it's time to wash the garment.

All jackets should be cleaned well at the end of the season before storing them. While polyester cannot be damaged by most insects, some stains can become permanent if left on the fabric for too long.

Tips for Washing Fleece Jackets

How to Clean a Leather Jacket

How to wash fleece in a washing machine: care instructions

How to wash fleece in a washing machine, at what temperature, how to iron - we will tell you how to properly care for this fabric, tips and recommendations for care in our article.

Fleece items are now ubiquitous. This fabric is used to make shirts, sportswear, jackets, gloves, hats, blankets, blankets and much more. At the same time, few people pay attention to the rules for caring for this material, and people do not know whether it is possible to wash fleece in a washing machine. Following the recommendations for washing in a washing machine and by hand will help keep fleece items in their original form for a long time. nine0003

How to take care of fleece

Fleece fabric is known to be unnatural and made from synthetic fibres, so it needs special care. For her, the most optimal solution would be to use non-aggressive, non-abrasive detergents. You can also clarify how to properly wash fleece items on the official websites of companies that produce such products.

It is highly recommended not to use specialized chemical stain removers and similar formulations. But any synthetic fabric perfectly perceives the most liquid water-based detergents. nine0003

Also avoid using bleaches with chlorine, which can damage the material and leave light spots on it, and from conditioners, because the latter methods destroy the moisture-repellent impregnation of the material.

How to wash fleece by hand

If you don't know how to wash fleece by hand, you can arm yourself with simple laundry soap. At the same time, many housewives recommend adding shavings of laundry soap during washing in a typewriter, but this is absolutely not worth doing. nine0003

Hand wash is the appropriate, gentle way to remove stains and dirt from fleece. Among the basic rules are:

If you want to learn more about the features of washing in a washing machine and caring for other types of natural and synthetic fabrics, then be sure to check out the materials presented in the "Care" section on our website.

How to wash fleece in a washing machine

If you do not want to do something by hand, then washing fleece fabrics can also be done in a conventional washing machine. But you need to prepare even before putting things in the drum, since you can wash the fleece in the washing machine only if the clothes are turned inside out. It is also recommended to fasten all zippers, locks and buttons before washing. Read how to care for delicate materials. nine0003

If there are many clothes, wash them in batches. Clogging the washing machine drum completely is a very bad idea, because in such a situation the risks of material damage increase significantly.

Fleece fabric care also requires using the delicate or manual mode in the machine (similar programs are also suitable). The spin speed in the machine should be set to the minimum possible (usually in the range of 300-400) or this process should be completely abandoned. It is also necessary to remove the drying program (if the machine has one), because in this case the fabric may be deformed and rolled up. nine0003

Many people are afraid to use the washing machine because they don't know if fleece shrinks after washing. If you choose the right detergents and operating modes of the washing machine, then nothing will happen to the material.

Important tips

After washing in the washing machine, the fleece should be carefully straightened and hung to dry. If possible, clothes should be hang dried. If the material seems to be too wrinkled, then you should leave it in this state, since the fleece cannot be ironed. A temperature effect of 50-60 degrees will lead to the melting of synthetic fibers. Therefore, if you need to get rid of bruises, then you should hang clothes on a chair or coat hanger. nine0003

How to iron fleece

Many people, not knowing whether it is possible to iron fleece-lined trousers after washing, use normal irons. This is a completely wrong decision. If the trousers are heavily wrinkled, then you need to select the mode with the lowest possible temperature (no more than 50 degrees).

More information about the features of fleece fabric and its scope can be found in our separate article.

More detailed video on how to care for this material:

How to wash fleece in the washing machine

You can't do without warm fleece clothes in your wardrobe. However, such materials require more careful personal care in order to maintain a neat appearance and quality for a long time. If you want to ensure that your clothes are properly cared for, do not be too lazy to figure out how to wash fleece in a washing machine.

Machine Wash Recommendations

As a rule, fleece is very warm, the material is used to make blankets, sweatshirts, hoodies and other similar wardrobe or household items. Accordingly, such clothing is more likely to be exposed to external influences and become contaminated. Washing fleece items in a washing machine is not a problem, it is both convenient and time-saving, but you need to know some nuances:

  1. Washing water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees. It is better to stop at 30, otherwise the material will lose density, thermal properties, etc.
  2. Be sure to turn garments inside out before loading if it is a wardrobe item. If there are buttons and zippers, they must be fastened.
  3. Fleece is a synthetic fabric, so be sure to set the appropriate mode on your CM.
  4. It is recommended to purchase special thinner from the store. It will help keep the fabric waterproof. nine0022

Attention! It is also advised to be very delicate when wringing out the washed item. It is better to refuse the automatic procedure altogether, and when doing it manually, in no case should you unscrew or wring the thing.

If there are serious stains on the fabric and you are worried that they will not come off after the first wash, then in vain. Fleece clothing stains are fairly easy to remove, but just in case, you can soak the little thing in warm water before washing, adding a little detergent. nine0003

What will we wash with?

When choosing a detergent, it is advisable to opt for liquid gels, as dry powders act too aggressively on the fabric and are poorly washed out. And since blankets and sweatshirts are almost always in direct contact with the skin, nothing good can be expected from the remaining powder.

It is also advisable to buy a conditioner, as it will help maintain the softness and structure of the material. In addition to , air conditioners have been proven to do an excellent job of eliminating static electricity, making subsequent wear very comfortable. nine0086

Important! When washing fleece clothing, say a firm no to chlorine-based bleach and other harsh detergents. If in doubt that your liquid detergent will cope with washing, look at the store for special capsules for washing fleece.

Care of individual items

Always remember that the range of items for which fleece is used is extremely wide. And each has its own purpose. Therefore, it is important to know the nuances of washing individual fleece items. For example, the main purpose of a blanket is to keep warm. However, you never know what other impurities are in the fiber, so it is better to first of all refer to the tag on the product. nine0003

As for the fleece jacket, here the manufacturers warn us to be careful with the water-repellent layer. To be calm, buy a special impregnation in the store and treat the surface of the fabric before washing. And this applies not only to automatic washing of fleece items, but also to the manual process.

How to dry?

As mentioned above, under no circumstances should aggressive measures be used when squeezing a fleece item. Just gently knead it with your hands to drive off excess water. Then find a flat horizontal surface of the required area and lay out your product on it. Now it remains to wait until the product becomes slightly damp. nine0003

Only then can you hang the item on a hanger and let it dry completely.

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