The softest, most washable blanket material

November 10, 2015 2:08 PM

For Christmas, I'd like to get my dad, who is a soft blanket superfan, a blanket that retains its softness for as along as possible.

He has in the past had a variety of velour, fleece, microfleece, etc blankets, but they seem to coarsen/shed fairly rapidly. This is due to somewhat frequent bedclothes washing, as they have a large white dog who sleeps and lounges in their bed.

Is there a particularly well-made variety of these types of fabric that retain softness through multiple washings? Is there some new space age material that does? Or some ancient craft of soft blanket making that I may be overlooking?

posted by palindromic to Shopping (13 answers total)

Full size or throw?

I have one of Costco's "super soft" throws that is right about 2 years old, it not only gets washed frequently in the cold months because of dogs and me using it outside but I also kind of accidentally left it outside on the patio through a nasty Los Angeles summer and several rain showers and the part of it exposed to the sun didn't even bleach out. I just washed it last week after bringing it in and kind of expected most of it to be left behind in the washer drum and it's...perfect. It's almost creepy.

The label says "Life Comfort" and it looks like Costco still has them, plus Target and Amazon.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:16 PM on November 10, 2015 [4 favorites]

I can't recommend the Barefoot Dreams blankets highly enough. They aren't cheap, but I've purchased a few over the past few years for myself and as presents for others.

We also use them in my hotel, and they can withstand quite a lot of abuse.

Oh, and they're ludicrously soft.
posted by builderofscience at 2:17 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Orvis - worlds softest blanket.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:26 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

I bought a Biederlack blanket from ThinkGeek 11 years ago. I use it just about every single day, and it is still soft. They are harder to find these days, but you can track them down if you dig a little.
posted by getawaysticks at 2:35 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

We have this blanket from Costco, and I love it. It is so soft.
posted by merejane at 2:41 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

My husband and I each have a Wicked Plush blanket from L.L.Bean and love them. Ours are four years old, washed frequently, and still ging strong.
posted by notjustthefish at 3:24 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Alpaca. Always alpaca. Expensive, but possibly the softest, warmest throw you will ever own.
posted by clvrmnky at 3:49 PM on November 10, 2015 [2 favorites]

This is by far the softest, most amazing blanket I've ever used. I've washed it dozens of times and it's still soft and amazing.

The business is owned by the parents of one of my former students, too.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:52 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Cotton Cashmere. The specific one I have isn't available anymore, but here's one on amazon
posted by kbuxton at 4:01 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Mohair. As a vegan, I cringe to recommend it. But my mom has one, and it's aMAZing! Just don't wash it on hot.
posted by QuakerMel at 4:32 PM on November 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Cotton gets softer every time it is washed and is strong enough to hold up for many washings. Bamboo fibers are crazy soft. Oh my goodness golly I'm finding some crazy soft fibers that are bamboo!
posted by myselfasme at 5:37 PM on November 10, 2015

Aden and Anais make an adult sized muslin bamboo blanket. It is heaven.
posted by shazzam! at 5:51 PM on November 10, 2015

Response by poster: Ended up going with the LL Bean Wicked Cozy blanket - the Wicked Plush was a throw blanket, and I wanted to get him a full-sized blanket. Thanks for all the tips, everyone!
posted by palindromic at 1:40 PM on December 15, 2015