How to care for your laminated cotton.

The Sis Boom Blue Paisley laminated cotton fabric on the right side has been machine washed and line dried. 

So you've fallen hard for all the new laminated cottons, who could blame you? Now you're imagining all the baby bibs, barons and splat mats that your going to make for the next baby shower. Your saving your favorite print for a new dining room tablecloth and a coordinating apron to keep you clean and dry while you doing the dishes! I hear ya, I am right there with you.

So, let's talk about cleaning up all those pretty projects. The manufacturer says that the laminated cottons are machine washable in cold water and that you can tumble dry on low. For the most part, I agree with those care instructions.

I have washed and dried laminated cotton a few times to see how it holds up. The laminate's have washed up nicely but I prefer to line dry my projects to lesson wrinkling. I have found that the texture of the laminated cotton changes a bit with washing but other than that it's a great way to clean up smaller projects like baby bibs or changing mats. Let's face it NO ONE wants to hand wash either one of those messy things.

But when it comes to the larger projects like tablecloths I suggest that you just wipe then down with a damp cloth and a gentle spray. I haven't and wouldn't machine wash one of my tablecloths. The twisting action of the washer, even on the hand wash cycle is just too twisty for large items. Machine washing them would cause them to wrinkle. I'm happy to report that my very first laminated cotton has been happily wiped down with a damp cloth for over 3 years.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention a few thing about storage. You'll want to keep your big projects rolled between uses and you'll want to hang the smaller ones up. Folding will result in those pesky wrinkles.