One of the first questions that arises after you acquire a new piece of macramé is “How do I care for macramé?” And, depending on what type of item it is, you may be asking “Can I wash macramé in a washing machine?”
Now if you’re after an answer to the first question, you will most likely find your answer in my post Macramé Care Instructions – Your Complete Guide. If you’re after an answer to the second question then this article is for you!
I’ve spent my fair share of time trying to find the answer to this question with little-to-no avail. Many of the care instructions I found stated that under no circumstances should you ever put macramé in the washing machine. But what about table runners? What about placemats and coasters? And surely the clothes made using the technique of macramé would need washing sooner or later??
So what better way to find the answer to the question “Can you wash macramé in a washing machine?” than a little trial of my own!?
What is wrong with hand washing macramé?
Nothing is wrong with hand washing, if you have the time and patience to do it…
But, if you’re anything like me, I have no time for hand washing. Even before having kids I couldn’t be bothered taking the time to wash anything by hand. The closest I would get to hand washing would be to chuck the item inside a wash bag and throw it in the washing machine. I figured if it wasn’t able to survive that, then me and said item weren’t meant to be.
Fast forward to the current day and the washing situation is so much worse! Two kids, a partner, and a dog mean washing is a daily chore – many days multiple times a day. Thankfully my son has just moved out of nappies so no more grueling cloth nappy wash routine for me (yay!).
Why can’t you wash macramé in the washing machine?
There seem to be many arguments against washing macramé in the washing machine, so what are the reasons behind this view?
- Washing machines might damage the delicate fabric
- Using hot or cold water may cause the fabric to harden
- Machines can cause the fibres to fray or be ripped apart
- Using detergents with bleach can cause discolouration
- The design may become misshapen, thin, or damaged
Washing machine test with photos
I mistakenly applied hot glue to the most appealing side of this macramé coaster, so I thought why not use it as a tester for the washing machine? The coaster was created using 1-ply 5mm recycled cotton cord and has a small amount of hot glue applied to each knot along the ends.
How to safely wash macramé
I initially washed the macramé coaster on a cold, delicate cycle inside a wash bag. The washing machine was filled with towels, bathers, and other general laundry. Below I’ve included some tips on how to safely wash your macramé.
- Avoid washing macramé if it contains any wood, metal, beads, etc, or if it’s extremely old and fragile
- Wash on a cool, delicate cycle (low spin speed)
- Place macramé inside a wash bag (or a pillowcase with the end tied up)
- Use a mild detergent that doesn’t contain bleach
How to safely dry your macramé
After this first wash, I dried the coaster by placing it on a clothes airer/drying rack inside. It was Winter so it took 2-3 days to dry completely.
- Dry in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight
- Ensure the item is completely dry before storing as any excess moisture can result in mould growth
- Avoid drying in a dryer as the excessive heat can cause the design to become distorted
Stains on macramé
At this point, I decided to up the ante. I applied tomato sauce and (with the help of my daughter) massaged it into the macramé coaster. I then left it for half an hour before washing to give the stain time to absorb into the cord.
I figured this would be a likely occurrence if, for example, you had a macramé table runner and someone spilt something on it. Even if you aimed to put it in the wash as soon as possible after the stain occurred, you would at least finish eating before taking the table runner off the table.
Second wash – what worked and what didn’t
This time around I once again set the machine to a cold wash on a delicate cycle. When I took the coaster out it was immediately evident that this cycle had not done enough to remove the tomato sauce stain.
The excess tomato sauce had been removed, but there was still a faint stain visible where the sauce had absorbed into the cord.
You may also notice that the top, left corner looks a little crazy – I had undone this knot in an attempt to fix my mistake of putting the glue on the wrong side (and failed). So I believe this was caused by my meddling and not anything to do with the machine.
Third wash – heat
At this stage I decided to throw caution to the wind and put the macramé straight back in the machine to wash on a hotter cycle.
This time I selected my old faithful 2+ hour wash for cottons at 40 degrees Celsius…and I decided to keep it on the top spin cycle just to see what happened. (Science yeah!)
Drying and tidying up the fringe
After this final wash I was happy that the tomato sauce stain had been removed. Once again, I placed the macramé on the clothes airer/drying rack inside to dry completely. The photos below show the macramé before and after brushing the fringe out with a pet brush.
The machine wash and re-brushing of the fringe did mean that there was a bit of extra fuzz present that wasn’t there before. Obviously a quick tidy-up with the scissors would take care of this.
What macramé is suitable for washing in the machine?
- Items created using only macramé cord. Keep any macramé items containing wood, metal, beads or other such accessories out of the wash.
- Macramé with basic knotting patterns that are less likely to distort. If your macramé item has intricate patterns in the knotting or is old and fragile it may be better to hand wash.
- **When washing macramé made using coloured cord, err on the side of caution and wash individually the first few times incase the colour runs.
Best tips for safely washing macramé in the machine
- Wash as soon as possible after the item is stained
- Place inside a wash bag
- Use a gentle washing powder that doesn’t contain bleach
- Choose a gentle (delicate) wash cycle with a low temp
- Dry out of direct sunlight in a well-ventilated area
- Ensure the item is completely dry before storing
Conclusion
After testing macramé in the washing machine myself, I’ve determined some macramé items can be safely washed using the recommendations above. In regards to the hotter cycles, I would use these with caution. But if it’s a choice between potentially saving your badly-stained macramé item or having to throw it out, I definitely think it’s worth trying a machine wash in a wash bag.
If you have any concerns about whether your macramé is suitable to go in the washing machine, contact the business you purchased it from as they will know the ins and outs of their macramé pieces better than anyone.
Leave a comment below if you’ve tried this method for washing macramé and what results you had.