Hand Towels
Towels can be thrown in the washer and dryer with your regular laundry- cold water is recommended. Some further shrinking may occur.
Rugs
Cotton rugs are machine washable- with care! Use cold water and a gentle cycle, regular laundry detergent is fine. You may need to balance the load in your washer with some towels or jeans- rugs are heavy and your machine may wobble. Hang your rug to dry in an airy place so it dries quickly without mildewing.
I do not recommend machine washing for wool rugs- they don't mind water but they will be very heavy when wet and may ruin your appliance. It it better to spot clean these rugs as needed- blot a spill immediately. If needed you can scrub your rug with a wet rag or brush and some kind of soap or detergent, blot off the moisture, and hang to dry. Wool rugs benefit from a regular sweeping and a gentle shake- some people sweep their rugs with snow, and that freshens them beautifully.
I do not recommend machine washing for wool rugs- they don't mind water but they will be very heavy when wet and may ruin your appliance. It it better to spot clean these rugs as needed- blot a spill immediately. If needed you can scrub your rug with a wet rag or brush and some kind of soap or detergent, blot off the moisture, and hang to dry. Wool rugs benefit from a regular sweeping and a gentle shake- some people sweep their rugs with snow, and that freshens them beautifully.
Blankets
Please use care when washing blankets! They may felt and shrink beyond repair. Keep in mind that wool actually repels dirt, and blankets shouldn't need a lot of washing, though a freshening up can be nice, and a clean blanket will be less attractive to moth infestation.
That said, I do wash all the blankets in the machine before I sell them. I use my top-loader machine (sorry, I have no experience with a front-loader). Here is my procedure: Fill the washer, with the lid up, with an appropriate amount of cool water and a squirt of your favorite liquid detergent. Add your blanket, and press it into the water. You can let it soak, work it with your hands, and if your machine has a gentle agitation setting, you can close the lid and let that work for a minute or two. Don't leave machine unattended! Next set the machine to the spin cycle to get the soapy water out. Then remove the blanket and fill the machine with cool water again for a rinse- repeat the soak and swishing as before, then set to the spin cycle again. You can then hang your blanket to dry- not in the dryer, please!- and if you like you can press the blanket with a hot iron while still damp.
Dry-cleaning the blankets is a fully satisfactory way to care for them.
That said, I do wash all the blankets in the machine before I sell them. I use my top-loader machine (sorry, I have no experience with a front-loader). Here is my procedure: Fill the washer, with the lid up, with an appropriate amount of cool water and a squirt of your favorite liquid detergent. Add your blanket, and press it into the water. You can let it soak, work it with your hands, and if your machine has a gentle agitation setting, you can close the lid and let that work for a minute or two. Don't leave machine unattended! Next set the machine to the spin cycle to get the soapy water out. Then remove the blanket and fill the machine with cool water again for a rinse- repeat the soak and swishing as before, then set to the spin cycle again. You can then hang your blanket to dry- not in the dryer, please!- and if you like you can press the blanket with a hot iron while still damp.
Dry-cleaning the blankets is a fully satisfactory way to care for them.