Skip to content
EXQ Home
CHECK PRICE on Amazon

GUIDE

How to Wash a Faux-Fur Blanket Without Ruining the Pile

How to wash a faux-fur blanket safely: the cold gentle-cycle routine, why to skip fabric softener and heat, and how to fluff the pile back up after drying.

By The EXQ Home Editors

PUBLISHED JUL 5, 2026

Faux fur is soft and warm, but it’s the one texture that punishes a careless wash: heat and softener are what flatten a plush blanket into a matted one. The good news is the safe routine is simple and forgiving. Here’s how to wash a faux-fur blanket — or the faux-fur face of a comforter set — and keep the pile looking new.

The one rule that matters most: no heat

Faux fur is a synthetic pile. Heat is its enemy — hot water and a hot dryer melt and crush the fibers, and once the pile is matted from heat, it doesn’t fully recover. Everything else below flows from that: cold water, no-heat drying, and no fabric softener (which coats the fibers and mats them just as badly).

Step by step

  1. Check the care tag. Most faux fur is machine-washable; confirm the temperature.
  2. Shake it out outdoors to release loose fibers first.
  3. Wash cold, gentle cycle, mild detergent, on its own.
  4. No fabric softener, no bleach.
  5. Air-dry or tumble on no heat — never high heat.
  6. Brush the pile back up with a wide-tooth comb once dry.

If your blanket is new and shedding in the wash, that’s normal at first — see how to stop a blanket from shedding. If the pile has already flattened, how to fluff a faux-fur blanket covers the recovery routine.

Drying is where blankets get ruined

More faux-fur blankets are damaged in the dryer than the wash. Air-drying flat is safest; if you must use the dryer, set it to air-fluff / no heat and add a few minutes only. Pull it out slightly damp and let it finish in the air, then brush.

Frequently asked questions

Only on air-fluff or no-heat. High heat melts and permanently mats the pile. Air-drying flat is the safest option; brush the fur back up once dry.

Almost always heat or fabric softener. Hot water and a hot dryer crush the fibers; softener coats them. Re-wash cold with no softener, dry with no heat, and brush the pile.

Only when it needs it — every few weeks for one in daily use, less for a decorative throw. Frequent washing wears the pile faster than gentle, occasional cleaning.

A throw or twin fits most home machines; a larger faux-fur comforter may need a large-capacity or laundromat machine so it can move freely on the gentle cycle.