Dirty Laundry
Horse laundry, everyone has it, no one wants to do it. There are pros and cons to each option I have tried.
Washing at home
I stopped washing at home after washing saddle pads and a rainsheet. The smell was overwhelming and made anything else I washed smell like horses. I ended up using these tablets called Afresh to get the smell out of the washing machine.
Pros:
I was at home so I could do the laundry when I wanted to.
It didn’t cost me any additional money.
Cons:
Hard to get rain sheet to dry and It was hard to find a place to hang it up at home to dry more
It made our washer and dryer smell
Had to buy Afresh cleaner to get the smell out.
Washing a horse blanket at a “coin“ laundry
I did this once. I was washing a winter horse blanket.
Pros:
Can be cheaper than sending it out to the laundry service.
Cons:
It can be hard to find a coin laundry
It takes sooo much time and multiple wash and dry cycles. I was at the laundry for hours.
Use a laundry service
Lately I have been having my horse laundry cleaned by Blanket Express which is a local horse laundry. With a fulltime job and other obligations, sending my horse laundry out saves me time and stress. I try to save money by only using it every few months.
How it works:
Local horse blanket laundry services pick up at specific stables and tack stores or you can drop off the items at their location.
They also usually offer services like blanket waterproofing and blanket repair.
Pros:
Easy to sign up.
Saves time
Keeps your washer and dryer from smelling.
Cons:
1-2 week turn around so you have to make sure you have spares for everything you are sending off to be washed.
The cost can add up depending on how often you have items washed.
Cost examples for a laundry service:
Clean Blanket: $15.50
Rain sheet: $13.00
Large saddle pad: $15.00
Small saddle pad: $13.00
Here are the links to 2 of the local cleaning services I have used in alphabetical order:
What do you use to keep your horse blankets clean?