Quilt Care Instructions

Instructions for Quilt Maintenance:

Congratulations on your purchase of a new/vintage/antique quilt! Below are some instructions for keeping your quilts intact and in good condition.

I launder all the quilts I sell before I list them. You can be assured that you do NOT need to launder the quilt(s) after you receive it unless I have specifically told you differently. The quilts I sell are old, some over 100 years old so there is particular care that must be taken when cleaning them. (see below)

I take no responsibility if you decide to put an expensive quilt in the washing machine and it’s damaged in some way.

If you must soak, please read below:

Soaking Instructions:

I soak in cold water ALWAYS!

I do a presoak in the bathtub or big plastic container with OxyClean – about 4 tablespoons and let it soak for about an hour. Then I add some regular washing soap to it - about 3 tablespoons, Cheer, Tide, etc. Some people prefer to use specific quilt washing powder but I’ve never found it that effective. After you’ve completed soaking, rinse with water. I use the garden hose outside for this process. After it’s rinsed, let it stay in the sun and dry outside if you can. Try to drape it over chairs or something else because hanging it will pull on the stitching.

Other Future Instructions:

Once again, I never wash an old quilt. But things get dusty and dirty so once a year I put them in the dryer on hot with a bounce sheet or a wool ball and run them for 30 minutes. This kills dust mites and cleans out the dust. You could do that twice a year and it would be helpful for preservation.

I never fold them, causes all kinds of lines in the batting and it just looks bad. I roll them if possible and if you have the space. The other thing you can do is put them on a spare bed and just layer them one on top of another. Also never lay them on bare wood, I put acid free paper down first to protect the quilt. If you fold due to space issues, then re-fold every 6 months or so.

Please let me know if I can answer any more questions or help in any way.

MountainBottomQuilts (Sharon)

mountainbottomquilts@gmail.com