quilterella

I use Zero/Woolite for gentle care and the Clourcatcher sheets. I have never had a problem yet (touch wood)!

woodland creature

I've used Orvus for years for a number of different types of fabrics. If you can get it at a farm supply or horse supply store, it is much cheaper than the same product at a fabric store.

ckcowl

i do not have any antique quilts to worry about but every quilt we have gets used so it is tossed in the washer with the detergent i use for everything else, and it is tossed into the dryer afterward. i have never had a quilt fall apart, fade, shrink, or do anything else from washing/drying it. they come out soft and fluffy and get used some more. my feelings about this is...if it's a quilt that is so (important) that i'm afraid to wash it...i'm not going to use it...it would be packed away for someone down the line to have to deal with. even my silk, wool, velvet crazy quilt gets washed...and it's been around for 7 or 8 years now and is just as beautiful now as the day i gave it to my sister in law.

Rettie V. Grama

I never use any kind of soap or detergent to wash my quilts, blankets, pillows, etc. Any time you use the aforementioned items some of the residue of that product stays in the quilt. That will add to the rate of disintegration of the fabric. This is an old way to wash quilts, from my grandmother, mother and aunts. For one quilt I use 1/4 cup baking soda in lots of water. In the old days they just dumped it into a tub of cold water (never hot). Now as your machine fills, just place your baking soda in a strainer and let the water distribute it. Set the machine on short cycle. Too much tumbling could cause damage. Don't fold quilt when drying in a dryer, just stuff it in and let it rotate with the cylinder of the dryer. Half ways through the cycle, remove, rearrange and put back in dryer. Always dry on low heat or air dry in machine. It take longer, but you have a better chance of preserving that wonderful piece of art.