Wool blankets

There is nothing better than a relaxing and cozy atmosphere in which you can find yourself, covered with a warm blanket. Coming home from work, school, tired of the rapid daytime rhythm, I want to relax to the maximum, and with health benefits. And although modern brands are constantly developing new types of filler, there is nothing better than wool blankets.

Woolen blankets are unique items. Such covers are radically different from the analogs of the Soviet era. If then the blankets of wool were prickly, causing discomfort, today they are presented in a favorable light. These are the best models from all the manufacturers' lines, they have a natural, soft, pleasant to the body texture, are made using the latest technology, while not detracting from the best properties.

Made from animal fur, such blankets consist of a fiber with a hollow structure that has “dry” heat. Some wool is so good that it is used in clothes of polar explorers, cosmonauts, and submariners. Considering the degree of temperature in which people of these professions have to work, one can imagine the effectiveness of the warming properties of wool used in blankets.

The fibers themselves are rather bulky, they differ in softness, length and thickness. Two types of wool come into processing: the undercoat (down from young individuals) and wool, which can be removed during the animal's hairstyle or moulting.

The most valuable types of raw materials involved in processing are wool of camels, sheep (mainly Australian merino), Angora goats, yaks and llamas. Each animal gives a different amount of raw materials, which is reflected in the cost of the finished blanket. In addition, the coat color is different: it can be creamy, beige, grayish, brownish and less often brown. The most valuable shade of the finished raw material is considered to be cream: it is used in premium class blankets.

The uniqueness of woolen blankets is that they perform several functions. Due to its composition, such products:

• used as ordinary blankets;
• depending on the type of execution, they can become a day “cover” of the bed (sofa);
• if necessary, they can become a mattress cover, providing the right atmosphere (relevant for sick people and toddlers);
• are a kind of cocoon sweater, covering the user from head to toe when it is cold in the room.

The most important feature of woolen blankets is their use: they are not simple products intended only to maintain body heat during sleep. Blankets made of wool are good for health, and this is a fact proven by science. Today, doctors themselves recognize the tangible benefits of such products. Woolen blankets:

• with regular use contribute to the immunity of the user;
• able to relax the body, calming the nervous system;
• they relieve a person from feeling tired and have a beneficial effect on the whole body;
• create a comfortable and cozy atmosphere, harboring the owner;
• reduce the severity of pain syndromes associated with such diagnoses as rheumatism, osteochondrosis, otitis, back pain and shoulder girdle, joints;

• accelerate recovery from colds, sinus, gout;
• they remove the puffiness and restore the structure of skin cells (relevant for frostbite, dryness, flabby derma);
• normalize metabolism, blood flow and heart function;
• rid the body of prickly heat (important for babies and people with excessive sweating);
• good for adherents of a sports lifestyle, restoring the body after intensive training, stretching muscles and ligaments.

The basis of the beneficial effect is the ability of the filler to warm the body in the right amount. Whatever the temperature in the room, under this blanket is impossible to overheat and sweat. Thanks to the "breathing" structure of the fiber, the slightest moisture from the inside will immediately be absorbed and flow out into the air. Due to the low thermal conductivity of the heat will not "leak" through the blanket.

Woolen blankets are unique. They are antistatic. Upon contact with the user's skin, they release it from the harmful positive charge, giving up its negative. This helps to increase the body’s resistance to negative external factors (stress, depression, headaches,endocrine system malfunction).

Woolen blankets have many advantages. They:

• are based on material of natural origin;
• are made of wool of various animals, including premium breeds;
• having a natural antiseptic lanolin, neutralizes odors (any, including sweat), destroying the toxins that they contain;
• there are monotypic or mixed composition (mix between two types of wool or wool base with a synthetic additive);
• along with warming the user's body, they take care of his health;

• have a preventive effect (together with a set of exercises or medications, they relieve the body of certain diseases);
• have a rich range with distinction in the mode of production;
• convenient and comfortable to use (non-slip, not lumped together, have a homogeneous structure);
• hygroscopic, due to which they are never wet, helping to maintain the “right” climate for the user;
• included in the line of each well-known brand;

• carried out taking into account different age groups;
• warm, but in moderation (do not give off heat more than is necessary for health);
• have a relaxing and massage effect, without changing their properties for 10-15 years;
• can be made in mass production at work or homemade at home;
• Depending on the model, volume and price of components, size and method of manufacture, they have different costs, allowing the buyer to choose the most appropriate option based on their preferences and budget.

In general, a warm woolen blanket is a practical and durable purchase that makes the rest of a modern person comfortable and rewarding.

Despite a number of advantages, wool blankets have weaknesses. They:

• not suitable for allergy sufferers and those who have intolerance to wool (they cause reddening and irritation of the skin, the appearance of pruritus);
• they cannot be stored in the linen box for a long time (they lose structure and become a favorite food of the moth, creating all the conditions for its reproduction);
• subject to the formation of dust mites that cause allergies;
• spoil if they are in a plastic bag without air;
• reduce service life in case of improper operation;
• in the presence of "dead" hair in the fiber, they spoil the surface idyll, making the blanket prickly and coarse;
• react to any care, even the most gentle;
• may have a characteristic unpleasant odor, which is not always possible to accept;
• almost always change their properties after washing or cleaning.

In addition, a natural fiber wool blanket is heavy. However, this does not seem a disadvantage to many users: for them it is a sign of a quality natural blanket with a sense of body protection.

Despite the assurances of sellers about reasonable prices, good models of natural wool are expensive. Therefore, the purchase of high-quality and practical products can turn into a tidy sum.

Wool blankets differ in manufacturing method. They are open or closed, made of wool, wool.

Regardless of the type of animal, models can be classified into three types:

• woven;
• fur;
• quilted.

Such products are a web of fiber that has undergone a process of cutting, combing, creating threads in a spinning mill and turning it into a finished product.For this, it is woven, evenly interlacing the lobar and transverse threads. These blankets are the thinnest of all varieties. With proper processing of the fibers, they have a smooth, soft, pleasant to the body surface and can be painted in different colors with a simple pattern in the form of strips or cells (depending on the color of the filaments).

One of the most luxurious and expensive varieties of woolen blankets. Externally, the fur product is a one-sided or double-sided dressed wool, which has an edge treatment all around the perimeter in the form of a wide knit edging. In some cases, such models have a natural base of non-slip textiles. Other products have nothing but wool and Kant itself. Due to the special manufacture of such blankets are more weight than woven counterparts.

Closed products look different from the usual blankets made of cotton, synthetics exclusively by weight and smell (they do not always have). In essence, this is a wool core, which has dense natural textiles on both sides (an ordinary blanket filled with wool).The density of the models is different: the fiber layer can be both thin and bulky, which adds weight and heat to the product.

As a textile company blankets, they use a material with a breathable texture from natural and blended fibers (cotton, calico, satin, polycotton, jacquard). The color palette of the fabric is diverse and can be both inconspicuous (options for adults) and rich, cheerful (line for children).

All varieties of woolen blankets are different in length and width. For the convenience of product selection provided division of products into several size groups:

• children - rulers for kids from birth to adolescence with sizes 60x90, 80x90, 90x120, 140x100, 140x110 cm and more;
• one and half beds - products with the parameters 140x200, 140x205, 150x200, 155x200, 160x210 cm;
• double - blankets for two users with dimensions of 170x200, 175x205, 180x210 cm;
• European standard - the most spacious bedspreads with a length and width of 200x210, 200x220 cm.

From among the most sought-after models, one-and-a-half quilts made from camel and sheep wool and half-woolen variants European standard with a mixed filler are especially popular.

Wool blankets differ in weight.As a rule, the more fiber is contained in a blanket, the harder it is.

Today trademarks offer three categories of models to customers:

• lightened - woven-type models and thin quilts for the off-season using 100-150 grams of fiber per square meter;
• standard - moderately warm options with a hair of about 250 - 400 grams per square. m .;
• heavy - warm winter blankets with a wool content of 700 - 800 grams per square meter. m., intended for constantly freezing users.

The weight of a wool blanket always betrays its naturalness. And although the wool of certain types of animals is lighter than others, wool blankets are heavier than their counterparts on padding polyester, holofitex, holofiber. For example, the weight of a blanket made of camel wool varies from 1.3 kg for thin models of open type and up to 2 kg for quilted variants. Indicators of other analogues are somewhat different: the average weight of a double blanket made of wool is 1.8 kg. Spacious products will weigh more.

Choosing a quality wool blanket will require attention and time. In order not to buy a “cat in a bag”, it is important to study the features of the chosen type of material, consider the model variant, take into account the weight, size, production method.

Selecting several options in the event of a small selection in the store, you can contact a proven boutique with positive customer reviews. The choice of the manufacturer is up to the user: both domestic and imported brands can find high-quality models with excellent performance characteristics and compliance with production technology.

Purchase must be personal. This is the only way to understand the quality of the product, touch the material, note the texture density and weight. As a rule, the best factories always provide a certificate of quality (GOST) and compliance with hygiene standards, confirming the premium nature of their goods.

Do not rely solely on the seller: his task is to sell the product, he will advertise the product until he breaks the buyer.

When buying products made of sheepskin or camel wool, it is worth purchasing a blanket made from the wool of young individuals (down). The age of such wool can be checked manually: to the touch this blanket is very soft.If the canvas is coarse, similar to the goat hair model, it is made from the cover of adult animals.

To simplify the purchase, you can take a few tips:

• a too light blanket indicates a blend of filler (does not apply to woven patterns);
• natural wool is rarely odorless (actual in closed models);
• high-quality blanket is uniform, soft and pleasant to the touch (spiky areas and lumps are unacceptable)
• in flawless felted (army) blankets, hairs are pulled out with effort (a sign of practicality and compliance with technology);

• textile quilted products must be of high quality (relevant jacquard, cotton fabrics, coarse calico);
• build quality should not cause any doubts (curved stitched lines, slipping or uneven stitch are not allowed);
• in the choice of thickness it is worth starting from your own preferences (ideally you should buy a product of at least 400 grams per square meter);
• the size of the blanket should cover the user's body, be with a small margin on each side (to be able to lie down without bending the legs);
• in terms of cost, it is better to find a middle ground (it’s not worth overpaying for the brand, but it’s not an option to rush into cheapness).

The ideal purchase option would be a model with two layers of wool, or “two in one”.Externally, this design consists of two open-type blankets of different thickness, interconnected with buttons.

Wool blankets are sensitive to any cleaning, whether it is a home treatment or a specialized dry cleaner. Therefore, the cleaners who do not accept the slightest speck will have to be restrained, otherwise the wool will roll, decrease in volume and become similar to felt.

To take care of the durability of the blanket to the maximum, it is worth considering the following nuances of washing:

• delicate washing is manual, in the bath, without unscrewing (the product must be wrung out);
• it is necessary to use a special powder (inconsistency can lead to shrinkage of the fibers);
• powder should not be much;
• washing is carried out in water of room temperature (hot will reduce the volume and the distance between the fibers);

• strong mechanical movements are not allowed, even if there is a lot of dirt;
• to remove the powder from the fibers, you need at least two rinses in cool water;
• after the final rinsing, it is necessary to allow the water to drain, then squeeze out excess moisture (the abundance of water will lead to the deformation of the canvas when hung).
• Drying is carried out in a natural way in the open air (loggias, balcony) away from the sun's rays.

Caring for a blanket is not as difficult as it may seem. So that it does not take the form of a skin, we must not forget from time to time to air it and clean it with a dry brush.

How to wash wool, see the next video.