How to Wash Sherpa (and Keep It Soft): Blankets, Jackets, and Faux Fur
You know the feeling. Brand-new sherpa is the softest thing you own. Then it goes through the wash wrong, once, and comes out looking like a poodle that got caught in the rain.
It's not you. It's heat. Almost everything that ruins sherpa comes down to heat, friction, or fabric softener, and all three are easy to avoid once you know.
We've sold over a million Sherpa Loungers, so we've heard every laundry confession there is. Here's exactly how to wash sherpa, how to dry it, and how to bring it back if it's already gone a little flat. (New to the fabric? Start with sherpa vs fleece.) Faux fur gets its own section at the end.
Quick Answer: How to Wash Sherpa
To wash sherpa, use cold water on a gentle cycle with a small amount of mild liquid detergent. Wash it with other soft items or on its own. Skip fabric softener, bleach, and dryer sheets. Let it air dry, then fluff the pile with your hands or a soft brush. Heat is what mats sherpa, so keep it out of a hot dryer.
The Do and Don't List
|
Do |
Don't |
|---|---|
|
Wash in cold water |
Wash hot |
|
Use the gentle or delicate cycle |
Use a heavy-duty cycle |
|
Use a little mild liquid detergent |
Use fabric softener, dryer sheets, or bleach |
|
Wash with soft things, or alone |
Wash with towels, jeans, zippers, or velcro |
|
Line dry or lay flat |
Put it in a hot dryer |
|
Shake it out and brush it when dry |
Iron it. Ever. |
How to Wash Sherpa, Step by Step
1. Read the label. It outranks every article on the internet, including this one. Ours says machine wash, line dry.
2. Empty the pockets, button it, and turn it inside out. Less rubbing on the fluffy side. (Check for the tissue. There's always a tissue.) Bedazzled patch on the back? Put it in a laundry garment bag, too.
3. Wash it with soft things, or by itself. Towels shed lint that sherpa grabs and never gives back. Zippers and velcro snag the pile.
4. Choose cold water and the gentle cycle. Cold protects the fibers. Gentle keeps the friction down.
5. Use a little mild liquid detergent. More soap doesn't mean cleaner. Leftover soap is one reason sherpa goes stiff.
6. Skip the fabric softener. It sounds like it would help. It doesn't. Softener coats the fibers and flattens the fluff. Same goes for dryer sheets.
7. Add an extra rinse if your machine has one. It clears out any soap that's still hanging on.
8. Dry it the slow way. Keep reading.
How to Dry Sherpa (Can You Put Sherpa in the Dryer?)
The honest answer: the dryer is where most sherpa gets ruined.
Sherpa is usually polyester, and high heat can flatten and mat polyester fibers for good. So the safest way to dry sherpa is to hang it or lay it flat and let the air do the work. Give it a good shake before you hang it and another one halfway through. Hang it by the locker loop. (Jill likes to say the loop never gets used, because you never take it off. Laundry day is its moment.)
For our Loungers and hoodies, the label says line dry, and our FAQ is even more direct: don't put them in the dryer.
Washing sherpa from another brand whose label allows the dryer? Use the lowest heat or the air-only setting, and take it out while it's still a little damp.
WARNING: THE DRYER IS NOT YOUR SHERPA'S FRIEND. IT ONLY PRETENDS TO BE.
How to Make Sherpa Soft Again
If yours has already gone flat or clumpy, there's a good chance you can bring it back.
Brush it. Once it's fully dry, use a soft-bristle brush or a wide-tooth comb. Work in small sections with short, gentle strokes. This is the single best fix for matted sherpa.
Wash out the buildup. Stiff sherpa is often coated in old detergent or softener. Run it through a cold, gentle cycle with no detergent at all. Many people add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse to help strip the residue. Air dry, then brush.
Go after the friction spots. Cuffs, elbows, the seat, and wherever a bag strap sits get matted first. Give those extra attention with the brush.
Know the limit. If the pile was scorched in a hot dryer, it won't come all the way back. Brushing will still make it look and feel a lot better.
How Often Should You Wash Sherpa?
Less often than you think. Sherpa isn't a t-shirt. Spot clean small spills with a damp cloth and a drop of detergent, air it out between wears, and wash it when it really needs it. Fewer washes means more fluff, longer.
Care by Piece
Sherpa Loungers. Machine wash, line dry. Button it first. Shop Loungers.
Sherpa hoodies. Machine wash cold, line dry. Shop hoodies.
Sherpa blankets and throws. Machine wash, line dry. A blanket is big, so wash it alone and give it room. Shop blankets.
Sherpa fanny packs. Ours are machine washable. Use the gentle cycle and let it air dry. Shop fanny packs.
Sherpa pet jackets. Machine wash, line dry. Close the belly strap first so it doesn't grab everything else in the load. Shop pet jackets.
The Animal Buddy. Spot clean only.
Faux fur jackets and trapper hats. Dry clean only. More in the faux fur section below.
Bedazzled and patch styles. If your Jill Martin sherpa has a bedazzled patch on the back, wash it in a laundry garment bag, and never rub or twist the rhinestones or the patch. A few styles say hand wash cold on the product page, so check yours first.
How to Wash Faux Fur
Faux fur is sherpa after a blowout. Same golden rule, no heat, but it's a little fussier.
Check the label first. Ours say dry clean only, jackets and trapper hats both, so they go to the dry cleaner and never in the washing machine. Some faux fur from other brands can be washed. The label decides.
Day to day: shake it out, hang it on a wide hanger, and brush it gently with a soft brush.
For a spot: if the label allows it, use cold water, a drop of mild detergent, and a clean cloth. Blot. Don't rub. Let it air dry. If the label says dry clean only, show the spot to your dry cleaner instead.
If the label allows washing: cold water, by hand or on the gentlest cycle in a mesh bag, with a little mild detergent and no softener. Press the water out with a towel. Never wring it. Air dry away from heat, then brush.
Never: hot water, a hot dryer, an iron, or a hair dryer on high. Heat melts faux fur fibers, and that can't be undone.
If it gets rained or snowed on: don't panic. Shake it, hang it up to air dry, and brush it once it's dry. A little weather is fine. Heat is the problem.
Shopping for one? Our faux fur jackets are here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a sherpa blanket in the washer?
Yes, most sherpa blankets are machine washable. Use cold water, the gentle cycle, and a small amount of mild liquid detergent, and wash the blanket by itself so it has room to move. Skip fabric softener and bleach, and always check the care label first.
Can you put sherpa in the dryer?
It's safest not to. High heat can permanently mat sherpa's pile. Air drying is the best method. If the care label allows tumble drying, use the lowest heat or air-only setting and remove it while slightly damp. Jill Martin Loungers and hoodies should be line dried.
How do you get a sherpa blanket fluffy again?
To get a sherpa blanket fluffy again, brush it. When the sherpa is completely dry, use a soft-bristle brush or wide-tooth comb in short, gentle strokes to separate the fibers. If it feels stiff, rewash it in cold water with no detergent to remove buildup, air dry it, and brush again.
Does sherpa fabric shrink?
Polyester sherpa rarely shrinks in cold water. High heat is the bigger risk, because it can warp and mat the fibers. Sherpa made with cotton can shrink in hot water or a hot dryer, so check the fabric content and wash cold.
Why does sherpa get matted?
Sherpa gets matted from heat, friction, and residue. Hot water and hot dryers flatten the fibers, rubbing at cuffs and elbows tangles them, and fabric softener or extra detergent coats them. Washing cold, air drying, and brushing prevents most matting.
Is it safe to machine wash faux fur?
Only if the care label says so. Some faux fur is machine washable on a cold, gentle cycle in a mesh bag. Many faux fur jackets, especially lined ones, are spot clean or dry clean only. Jill Martin faux fur jackets and trapper hats are dry clean only. Never use hot water or a hot dryer on faux fur.
How can I make my faux fur fluffy again?
Brush dry faux fur gently with a soft-bristle brush, working in the direction of the fibers and then lightly against them. Shake the piece out and let it hang. Avoid heat tools, which can melt the fibers.
What happens if faux fur gets wet?
Nothing bad, as long as you let it dry naturally. Shake off the water, hang the piece somewhere with good air flow, and brush it once it's fully dry. Don't use a dryer or a heater to speed it up.
Cold. Gentle. No Heat.
Three rules.
Cold water. Gentle cycle. No heat.
Do that, and your sherpa stays as soft as the day it showed up. 💙
