Washing and Repair of Horse Blankets
- 1
A gate makes a great blanket rack for washing.Closed metal gate to a farm field image by Scott Latham from Fotolia.com
Throw the blanket over a rail fence or gate. This provides easy access to both sides, as well as a sturdy work surface. - 2
Brushes can be found at a hardware store.Brush image by Yuriy Rozanov from Fotolia.com
Brush away any excess dirt, hair and manure with a stiff-bristle brush. Use either a scrub brush found in hardware stores, or your horse's stiff grooming brush. - 3
A garden hose is all you need.garden serpent image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
Hose the blanket with cold water until saturated. - 4
Any bucket will do.rain buckets image by nastos from Fotolia.com
Fill a pail or bucket with a mild detergent and water. Scrub the blanket with the soapy water until you're satisfied that it's clean. - 5
Rinse until water runs clear.contaminacion image by Ssento from Fotolia.com
Rinse thoroughly with fresh water, hosing until the water runs clear and free of suds. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until stains are gone and water runs clear when rinsed. - 6
Hang the blanket until dry.two clothes pins image by Jaroslav Machacek from Fotolia.com
Line-dry the blanket thoroughly. - 7). Check the blanket for rips, tears, broken hardware and loose or broken straps.
- 8). Sew or patch small rips. Repairs can be made by hand-sewing with an upholstery needle and heavy thread using a whip stitch. Blanket manufacturers often offer patches that retain the waterproof integrity of the blanket.
- 9). Spray your clean, dry and patched blanket with a waterproofing spray, available from most horse-blanket manufacturers. Seal any seams or repaired rips with a seam sealant. Replace leg straps that have lost their elasticity, and any broken hardware.
- 10
Put your blanket away for safe-keeping.Wooden trunk on a white background image by Dmitry Nikolaev from Fotolia.com
Fold and store your blanket in a tack trunk or a sealed plastic bag to keep out dirt, moisture and animals.
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