Wool Blanket

[Badhog]

Yep, just hang them in the back yard in the sun until the smell goes away. THEN you can wash them in the machine. I made the mistake of Googling how to wash a wool blanket. It wasn't until it was in the machine that the thought came to my mind to see if anyone's washer maintained the smell after. Day late nice smelling washer short.

It is making me wonder how I'd wash clothes in a long term power outage. Buckets and that plunger looking device will get old.

http://inhabitat.com/human-powered-giradora-washer-needs-no-electricity-and-costs-only-40/

For $40 I'd buy one of these in a second. I found their Facebook and it looks like they are still in development, but it won't be long. They didn't expect to have a market from preppers   I hope you all don't mind, but I'm going to start a thread on this. I think it's worth keeping track of.

https://www.facebook.com/GiraDora

[mountainmoma]

I bought 2 from Sierra Trading post as part of an order, and I liked them so much I just ordered 3 more. They are 100% wool, made in the UK.  They are Moon Wool Throw Blanket -59" x 72". The first 2 were $22.37 each and the next order they were $20.77 and the whole order had free shipping. I only order from here once or twice a year, esp when starting to think about christmas gifts. They change the "sale" deal almost daily ( I get emailed blurbs, that I usually dont open unless I need to shop) So, when I went to order more of these blankets, at first they were more expensive, so I had to check daily for another few days, and soon scored the lower price and free shipping. I also ordered a mora firestarting knife. The knife and 3 blankets are for gifts for family. The 2 other blankets for my own house/car.

These blankets wont get you sent to the doghouse. Im gonna give one to my dad for xmas, he likes to sit in his throne- I mean chair - with a blanket over his legs and handgun, he doesnt get around so good anymore.

The fire knife was 16.87 and a mens pair of smartwool socks for under $9

[Knecht]

There are Polish grey wool army blankets available here in CZ, let me know and I'll arrange some for you. About $20 each, plus postage.
Also old Swiss army blankets are said to be good, never used one but the look great and they're 100% wool. But they are getting hard to find, even in Switzerland. Been there couple months ago and looks like those guys like their blankets a lot, willing to pay for them. Guess I should have bought one.

[Nadir_E]

Well, I received my blanket and washed it with Woolite and a cup of vinegar...it's now out back air drying....and my front loading washer smells like moth balls.

Did anyone else have this problem? How did you get the smell out?

I can't thank you enough for this warning.  The two ex-military blankets I purchased had a mild smell out of the box, but it seemed to go into over-drive once I washed them!  I was using a wool shampoo (i.e. specialty detergent) and no vinegar.  I washed 'em five times and it barely put a dent in the newly enhanced smell.    Ultimately it took airing them out (during the day only) for a couple of days to really do the trick.

You were right - the washer smelled of mothballs afterwards (thankfully for me, it wasn't my washer because of your warning). 

-N

[Badhog]

I'm glad it could help you! It's a simple fix one you know to just air them out.

If anyone ever has a problem getting the smell out of their washer I might be able to help with that too. Just PM me.

[OutWestTX]

I have a couple of blankets from German army surplus that are nice, but the best ones I've found are the wool blankets from PRISON SUPPLY companies.  They are thick, heavy duty blankets, and best of all, they are machine washable.  Anything you get from a prison supply company is heavy duty and durable.

[Badhog]

I picked up a few from Harbor Freight this week. They seem decent for the price.

[Entity]

I bought the one on Ebay. I hope that seller is true to his word and they are 100% wool.  I'm glad to be looking for them now with hard they are to find.

Well, you could test it. Trim a small amount of one end ( neatly, no point ruining it entirely), and see how it behaves with fire.

It should be very difficult to get lit, burn poorly ( dull or no flame, *black* smoke) and self extinguish rapidly. ( it may not light at all, that is still ok,   as it is retained lanolin that'd be burning, and that doesn't last long)

What it should not do, under any conditions, is burn well,  bubble, melt, bead or edge soften. if it does any of those, it has a substantial adulteration.

To detect small adulterations you do need a dissection microscope however

Edit: this of course assumed it has been well washed to get rid of any fire suppression coating (they are useful if you know that it's there and what it's covering, but i would never trust such a coating on its own)

[iam4liberty]

FYI for all those who have purchased a large wool blanket.  Wilderness Outfitters just put out a great video demonstrating both the "swaddling" and "robe cape" techniques. 

https://youtube.com/watch?t=491s&v=a_MeeQyJ0Ck

The robe cape technique makes for a very easy halloween costume too. 

Now if only they did a video on using a great kilt...

[machinisttx]

This is an excellent one:
http://www.kookaburraco.com/wash_buynow.htm
It's a no-rinse wash that contains lanolin and tea tree oil. You can also use it on sheepskin.

What's been said about blended wool around fire is absolutely true. It will melt and stick to your skin. That being said, my search for a fire blanket has also turned up only blends so far. My best guess is that since fire blankets are only intended to put out very small fires, there won't be enough heat or enough time for the artificial fibers to melt. Nylon, for example, has a melting point that varies from ~375 to ~660 degrees F, depending on the specific polymer used. It's also possible the fabric is treated with some kind of anti-flammable compound.

Not sure what you mean by "fire blanket", but you might try looking for welding blankets instead. You should be able to find them easily. I have wrapped 1000F+ degree parts in them to slow cool and never had a problem. Never seen one catch on fire either.

[N8TV Whisker Biscuit]

I see alot of wool blankets handed out at food banks, not sure of total of fabric mix of materials? But hey, if they free!

[mountainmoma]

At the moment, Old Grouch has a sale on Isreali wool blankets, they are I think 80%.  I used one last summer for putting out a fire ( colman stove leaked white gas) and here was no melting or burning of blanket, did all it should.  Plus it is warm and well made.  They are $10 each, plus shipping, but no sales tax so certainly less than 14.  I just bought 4 more.  I need to check with the kids and make sure everyone has one in the trunk, especially given how useful the one in my trunk turned out to be