MOVING BLANKET – HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT ONE ?With all the websites and all the blankets out there how do you know which one to choose?First of all please ignore the name of the blanket. Different vendors call the same type of blanket Economy or Deluxe, or even Premium.When you shop for moving blankets name is not important. You need to match the quality of the moving blanket to how you are planning on using it.There are three basic features that you want to look for in a moving blanket:

1. Outer fabric
2. Thickness or amount of filler

( usually this is the weight of the blanket)

3. Binding material.

Of course there are other factors such as size and color, but those are quite obvious. Zigziag stitching is also pretty standard.The outer fabric can be:Nonwoven fabric Which is quite soft and nice. It will serve well to move an item once or twice, but it is not very durable and tears easily. Blankets made with this outer fabric usually do not have a lot of filler. If you need to put your furniture in storage or use it to ship a container overseas – they work well for you.Polyester or Terylene, (which is the same thing). This is the most used fabric. It is quite durable, soft, flexible and inexpensive. Blankets made with this out fabric can be used for any kind of moving, they can be machine washed, or with garden hose, dry out easily.Polyester Fiber Characteristics

• Strong
• Resistant to stretching and shrinking
• Resistant to most chemicals
• Quick drying
• Crisp and resilient when wet or dry
• Wrinkle resistant
• Mildew resistant
• Abrasion resistant
• Retains heat-set pleats and crease
• Easily washed
• Polyester is combustible but due to its thermoplastic nature, it tends to shrink away from the flame source and often self-extinguishes

General Polyester Fiber Care Tips

• Most items made from polyester can be machine washed and dried. Use warm water and add a fabric softener to the final rinse cycle. Machine dry at a low temperature and remove articles as soon as the tumbling cycle is completed.
• If ironing is desired, use a moderately warm iron.
• Most items made from polyester can be dry-cleaned. (For specific instructions, refer to garment’s sewn-in care label.)

Cotton. Cotton blankest are quite expensive, because of …Cotton! I do not think I need to describe feature of cotton fabric here. In the Moving blanket advantages of the cotton outer fabric compare with Polyester is that it is not “slippery” (Many people find that important.) and not that “Shiny” as polyester. It can be machine washed at a higher temperature, but it takes longer to dry.Cotton/Polyester Mix: this is usually 20% cotton 80% polyester Mix.Filler.For all moving blankets the filler is the same – “recycled cotton”. It usually also contains other synthetic fibers. Amount of filler, or thickness of the blanket, is very important and it can be determined by the weight of the blanket. Weight of the blanket usually shown in pounds per blanket. Some vendors may show it as weigh of “Filler/Per Yard” but if you look further on the product description you will find Weight per blanket in Lbs.. Filler per Yard is actually very confusing, because it does not match the weight per blanket that is shown by the same site for the same blanket. Even representatives of the companies that use “Filler per Yard” get confused. For example Uline representative suggested that the weight per blanket does not match the “Filler per Yard” measurement, because the actual size of the blankets is smaller than what they advertise. (See” How Filler/Yard weight measures to Weight per blanket in lbs? below)For shipping purposes, in order to save space, blankets are compressed and tied tightly in bundles by dozen. When you first take them out they might look thin. Just shake them well, use it few times. filler will absorb air and the blanket will become thicker and fluffier. If you are planning to hang the blanket on the wall as a sound proof it makes sense to “rough them up” a little first.Binding Material.Any kind of material can be used for binding, but usually Nonwoven fabric mostly used as the cheapest option. It works fine for most applications, but this can be a problem when you want to wash blankets and dry at a high temperature – the binding will melt.. So be careful!

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