Seriously…because this is the place to be.

My name is Joseph White, and I hold a textile Engineering degree from Colorado State University.

Today, I’ll be your insider in the blanket industry.

What makes this page special?

This is the one spot on the internet that gets into the nitty-gritty of the topic and gives clear recommendations.

You know…pointers on how to avoid wasting your money wasting your money on a blanket that will feels scratchy after a few months.

In other words – we did all the research so you don’t have to.

It’s a cliche but it’s true.

It also sounds cocky but I owe saying to all the people who worked on creating this guide.

 What this guide is not…no Vicuna or Qiviut

I decided against including some types of wool.

Specifically, we won’t be talking about Vicuna and Qiviut.

I didn’t include these for two reasons:

1 – they’re crazy expensive…I’m talking tens of thousands for a small throw

2 – the fine fibers don’t translate well to blankets softness. In other words, they’re too thin to feel cozy. The fiber of these can be as fine as 13μm.

These are more decorative throws than a blanket to snug up in.

Some news on wool and sleep

It’s not a secret that uses report better sleep quality with wool blankets and bedding in general, but it was mostly anecdotal…you know, your neighbor telling you to get a light wool throw cause it makes for a great nap.

The studies proving the actual benefits were few and limited and we are seeing a growing body of research proving the difference wool makes.

An example is this study from 2013 that showed less movement and more time spent in deeper phases of sleep.

This refers to the average sleeper.

If you’re having sleep problems because of anxiety, that a whole other ball game – you might need extra help and I suggest you read our guide on the heaviest weighted blankets.

What you’ll see below

• A short blurb on how we choose –  why should you trust what you read here.
• Actual blanket reccomendations – 15 of them by type, seize and weight
• Guide on wool softness and what it means for blankets – for those who like to understand the work behind the words.

The results you see are not based merely on opinion – there are objective ways to measure softness of wool.

We combined those with the subjective “feel” of people who already own the blankets to craft our “wool softness index” or WSI.

You might see it across the internet but there is the home of the WSI.

Timeline & updates

We started the work about 18 months ago by consulting three material technology engineers and combined their expertise on wool softness and quality with statistical analysis of user satisfaction.

We’ll talk more about that in the buyer’s guide after we present the picks.

I know everyone’s in a rush, but if you’d like to understand what gives a wool blanket lasting softness and, to put it bluntly, what you’re paying for, do read this part.

We update this guide every two months to keep it fresh.

The work, the time, the people

The picks that you’ll see in this guide are a result of over 4,000 work hours.

Some of those hours go to a  few of the most renowned names in the industry – both blanket and wool experts.

We made an effort to include different types, designs & sizes of blankets.

So no matter what kind of reccomendation you’re looking for, we’re confident that you’ll find it among our top picks.

Softest wool blanket – Top 16 by type, use, design and size

Last updated: September 2024

Biddy Murphy Premium Blend

What that means for you and this Biddy

Let me try and siplify my point here – the optimal way to balance the two materials in a blanket that’s aiming at softness and cozyness is to make a blend that’s majority Merino and 3-10% cashmere.

Here’s why…

We’re viisual creatures and a lot of that impression of softness is actually a combination of touch and visual input.

It’s easy to just go with the “softest material.” That would make my job of writing this guide very easy – look at the fibre and pick a blanket.

If that was the case, the cashmere products would have the hhighest user satisfaction rates.

They don’t because, for some people, they don’t deliver the full experience of softness.

The good stuff about Biddy

Biddy Murphy gets that parity just right – it pairs Merino and Cashmere to get the best of both worlds – the softness and the loft.

It scored off the charts in our tests for subjective feeling of softness.

Softness runner-up – Pendleton Heirloom Classic

Softest wool blanket with a high loft – Poyet Motte Aubisque

There are 4 key aspects to look for here:

• how fine the fibers are – crucial for softness of the wool
• what’s the density (GSM – grams per square meter)
• whether the wool is virgin or recycled
• tightness of the weave – you can judge it by comparing the GSM and the thickness of the fibers

All the reputable companies will typically list the latter two, but it’s rare to see a precise listing of how fine the wool fibers are.

In that aspect, Poyet Motte is an exception the most positive sense of the word.

Loft of Poyet Motte compared to classic wool

Pendleton Glacier Striped

Woolly Mammoth

Yakima Camp

Woolly Mammoth Extra Large

The fact that it’s not 100% wool is not a minus in this case, because the small amount of weft and acrylic added is there so that the blanket can better retain shape and be easier to clean.

Each of the blankets from the series is brushed which adds a soft, lofty finish.

EKTOS 100 % military

Softest in the military suprplus category – Arcturus

Softest wool throw blanket
The Highland Tartar (Scottish style)

Softest Alpaca Wool blankets – Putuco & AndeanSun

Swiss Army and Italian – NOS surplus military

John Hanly

Handwoven soft chunky wool blanket

How we rated the softness of the blankets, our data and some reference info

Our methodology and approach

This is true across all aour categories – we measure and tests eveything that can be measured and put into numbers. That doesn’t mean that the results are “dry” and exclude what users think about the products.

On the contrary…

We try to incorporate that data into our rating models.

Quantifying blanket softness is as demanding as it gets

We tackled the task of finding the picks with an idea to make it a numbers game.

It took a while and some attempts just have not panned out. Below is an outline of what we looked at.

• Subjective blanket softness
• Loft of the wool
• Worsted or woolen
• Scouring and carding
• Fiber aligning and smoothening (gilling, combing,
• Percentage of short fibers
• Twist of the fibre under microscope
• Softening treatment
• Use of Silicone
• How the blanket is dyed and washed

Of course, not all blankets we looked at had the information readily available, so we had to dig and often content the manufacturers. Sometimes that worked…often not.

The WSI is not a univeral norm. Its our in-house metric useed to estimate teh softness based on gathering big data. As a result, some of the blankets listed are actually softer. It is, however, our best attempt to ut it all to numbers.

We’re still gathering the data for micron counts and crimps per inhc of fibre. It’s a painstaking process and we’ll update the table once we have at least 30% of the information.

Types of wool and quality aspects beyond softness

Sheep Wool

As you know, there are many breeds of sheep and ways to classify wool fibers (fine, down, medium, long, double-coated).

In general, this is a traditional fiber, made from wool of any sheep, and on clothes labels marked simply as wool. It is more available and less expensive than other types. It goes without saying that merino wool blankets are by far the most popular.

The main characteristics are:

• Great resilience. It can last longer than synthetic materials.
• Ability to absorb dye without using chemicals.
• Works as a great thermal insulator, perfect for the winter. It absorbs the moisture, but repels liquid.
• Wide range of usage (anything from clothes to decorative fabrics).
• Unless we are talking about huge flame, the wool naturally resists fire and self-extinguishes.
• It can cause itchiness, depending on the thickness of the fibers, but that can be solved using chemicals to treat the wool or mixing it with other fibers.
• It can shrink and pill, so it needs to be taken care of properly.
• Manufacturing process can be adjusted to make either a heavy or lightweight blanket

More about sheep wool properties here.

More about the production process here.

Type of sheep wool fibers

Fine

Due to its softness, it’s used to make clothes that will be in a direct contact with our skin. If you are into knitting, this is the yarn you will probably use.

Fleece is very refined, elastic and consistent, and has a great felting ability and memory. The downside is that is not as strong as other ones, so not much stress is needed to tear a fabric.

Down

Matte to appearance, this type of wool is very resilient and elastic. Used to make fine knitted or woven fabrics.

Medium

It stands on a halfway between finer and stronger types of wool. The memory and elasticity are average, which makes it perfect for producing a wide range of woolen things. It is used for everything, from scarves to tweeds.

Long

The fibers of this type of wool are long, draped, strong and often silky to touch. They are very easy to dye, although sheep breeds with this type of wool have exceptional range of natural colors.

Long wool is not as elastic as the previous types we mentioned, but it has a nice memory.

Primitive or Double-coated

The strongest type of fleece, used to make outerwear, rugs, carpets… Usually, these breed of sheep have this bulky, strong outer part of wool to protect themselves from the weather, and underneath a finer undercoat.

It’s often blended with other types of wool for better texture.

Lamb

This is the wool obtained from the first shearing of sheep, usually around the age of 7 months. The length of this virgin hair fleece is around 50mm.

This wool is one of the softest and finest, very resilient and silky to touch.

The price for it is higher than for the regular sheep wool, since you can only once shear a lamb’s baby hair.

More about the wool quality grading system.

Merino

Originating from Spain, now mainly produced in Australia and New Zealand, this is the most popular type of sheep wool in the world.

Since the wool of Merino sheep contains lanolin (which is used in cosmetics industry), it needs to be washed and rinsed in cycles to get rid of it. At the end of that long process, end result is a half of the initial fleece, which makes this wool expensive.

Nevertheless, the 4.5 inches staples of wool are so fine (superfine Merino wool goes even down to 17 microns) and soft to touch, that this wool is used for making some of the most luxurious pieces of clothing and bedding, which always has their buyers. More merino wool facts here.

It is an excellent thermo-regulator, so you can wear garments made from this wool when it’s hot or cold, even in the gym, due to its moisture-repellent properties. It is known to be fire-resistant and anti-static. Today, most of the 100 % merino wool blankets are imported (the same goes for alpaca).

Alpaca

This fabric comes from Alpaca, animal originating from South America, although it can be made from similar wool, like mohair. Fibers can range from 15 to 40 microns and that effect the levels of softness and itchiness.

The finer, silky fibers (like baby alpaca wool) are used to make clothes. Alpaca wool is often mixed with Merino, to get more draping quality, due to its stiffness.

Naturally, the Alpacas exist in very wide range of beautiful colors and shades, although the wool can be dyed. This wool is lightweight & hypoallergenic, because it contains no lanolin, and it’s soft enough to be baby and kids-friendly.

More factoids & info about alpaca wool here.

Other wool types

Cashmere

This luxurious, super-fine material (around 18 microns in diameter) owes its high price to the painstaking process of obtaining the wool from cashmere goats. The cashmere used comes from the undercoat in the neck region of the goat and it has to be combed over regularly.

The wool itself has lightness and resilience and the fibers are very delicate and soft. It provides amazing insulation, so you can wear cashmere cardigans in the spring, and you won’t get overheated.

Mohair

Mohair is obtained from Angora goat (not to be confused with angora wool) and it’s stronger and smoother than sheep wool, but not as soft and delicate like cashmere, for example. It’s easy to wash, which is a huge plus, of course.

This wool has a specific sheen to it, and it’s considered to be a luxurious material. Although it absorbs dye really well, the natural shades can be extremely beautiful. It’s often blended with sheep or other types of wool to make light-weight but warm pieces of clothes.

As mentioned, it’s not the softest of the wool fabrics, but it is one of the warmest, so mixing it with other materials can balance the flaws.

It’s used in producing anything from scarves and hats to carpets and decorative things for homes.

Angora

The finest (10-15 microns) and softest of the wool fibers comes from the Angora rabbit, to be precise, his undercoat. The most popular types of Angora rabbits come from Europe, but they are domesticated and grown all over the world.

The production of angora is small and very demanding in terms of time and money. There are, also, ethical questions raised around it, since sometimes the rabbits have to be kept alone, in darkness, to protect their undercoat.

The rabbits have to be combed regularly, and the hair is obtained by plucking or shearing. Plucking takes more time and energy, but the end result is finer wool. Angora rabbits grow hair quickly, but due to their small size they can’t produce much wool (around 400 grams and below, a year)

The yarn itself is soft, fluffy and silky. The fibers are hollow, which makes the wool lighter and warmer, but with a low resilience.

To get more stability to the fabric, angora wool is usually blended with other materials (cashmere or nylon). The 100% angora garment would be too warm to wear, so blending it is a great option, and it also lowers the price of the angora wool products.

Other types & styles that deserve a mention and didn’t find a way into our Top 16:

• vintage
• boiled wool
• Electric (heated)
• Yak (lightweight for yoga)
• camel
• orrlaskan
• chatham
• oversized
• travel & picnic

Adjusting your choice to the space & use

It’s a cliche but ultimately, your final choice should be adjusted to your circumstances, use, taste and range of other factors.

What we tried to do here is separate the wheat from the chaff and recommend products that are woth your money. When we say that, we don’t mean cheap, because cheap means low-quality fabric 99% of the time. We focused on value.

Colors

The blankets that we talked about can be great additions to either tie the room colors or make a focal point that will liven it up.

If the color scheme of your space is calm and you don’t want to “disturb” that, earth colors will work great.

Wool blanket colors for minimal effect: green, grey, brown, beige & black.

Colors that work well as accent pieces: red, yellow, blue, navy blue, orange, pink.

Country of origin

Here, we want to address some of the less talked about choices and skip the obvious (Australia and New Zealand).

There a few countries less known for their wool that still make great products – some of them are listed above as our top picks. These wool blankets include: English, German, Peruvian, Indian, Italian, Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian (especially Icelandic), Polish, Welsh, Russian, Bulgarian, Mexican, Morrocan, Dutch.

Updates to the guide on softest wool blankets

It’s our policy to regularly update all our guide that recommend products. To stay on top of things, we do it quarterly, unless we see a “red light” that can trigger an unscheduled update (typically a significant change in ratings of a specific product).

Finally, feel free to reach out with any questions you might have – you can do it by commenting below or dropping us an email. You can expect a response within a day.

Stay smart,

The Sleep Studies team

We have split this guide into 2 sections:

The first one is for those who not only want to know how to clean their wool, but want to understand why it’s handled the way it is. We wouldn’t reccomend skipping it because, for long-term care, it’s critical to understand the fabric.

The second outlines precise steps on how to do it – from machine and washing to drying and stain-removal.

Beyond the steps – understanding wool

Why does wool shrink in blankets and garment and not on live animals?

The important part – wool products shrink because of the fiber construction

The outer layer of the fiber is covered in scales (cuticle cells). When these scales are messed with (either mechanically, thermally or chemically), they interlock. This is what prevents the fiber from returning to its original shape and size.

In case you didn’t watch the full video, let’s reiterate why wool doesn’t shrink on sheep.

3 reasons:

1. Because it never rains warm water
2. Because it never rains detergent
3. Because nobody rubs or tumbles the sheep when when it rains

Why is that important for washing

We’re not trying to be funny here. The answer to the question above is crucial in understanding how to wash wool without shrinking it.

Goold old ways

Many of us remember at least one sweater that came out of the washing machine and was half as big. As it usually goes, it was our favorite (at least in my case).

I remember my pink Burlington with gray rhomboids that was the talk of the class in high school. That is until my mom hand-washed it a few times and then got tired of it and tossed it into a machine on a “gentle” cycle.

It came out looking like a toy. Literally. It was barely a fit for my little sister.

So, what went wrong?

Two things – the machine cycle & the detergent – plain and simple. The definition of “gentle” changed a lot in the machine-washing industry. I guess the CEOs and engineers had their own “Burlingtons” and learned from it. Today, a gentle cycle in better machines is very close to hand-washing, both in terms of the motion, speed and most importantly, temperature. Today, gentle typically means cold.

Why is is this important?

Understanding why wool shrinks is critical in choosing a machine-cycle and a detergent. We said that shrinkage happens when the scales change and interlock. We also said it happens when you interfere with their fine properties.

So, for minimal shrinkage of your blankets, you would have to plan the washing so that you interfere with the fiber minimally.

Can you wash a wool blanket?

Yes, you can wash a wool blanket but there are exceptions for machine-washing. These depend on the type of fiber, the felting process and type of wool (even sheep breed).

That would be the most accurate answer.

As we said above, if you couldn’t wash it, sheep & alpacas would shrink in the rain. And if you didn’t watch the video or read the explanation and you’re still wondering – no, they don’t shrink.

The good and the bad news for blanket owners

If you are reading this searching for answers about washing a wool blanket, we have good and bad news.

The good news is that the very process that’s problematic when washing wool (interlocking of the scales, also known as felting) is used to make the dense weave of a blanket in the first place.

It means that the fibers are already treated to interlock which makes them less susceptible to further shrinkage compared to, say, sweaters and socks.

The bad news is that you still have to follow the instruction on the label. We do live in day and age where many companies make labels willy-nilly and just slap a label listing that a product cannot be machine washed to protect themselves from refund requests.

Rules of thumb for machine washing

4 rules

• No machines with a central agitator – machine with an agitator are too aggressive (mechanically) for wool. Even the gentlest cycles will affect the fibers. If you own one, you’ll want to use a laundromat.
• Cold water only – make sure that your chosen cycle runs on cold water. Even lukewarm might be too much, depending on the type of wool.
• Dedicated detergents only – wool is not cheap and there is no excuse in being lazy enough and using what you happen to have on hand. It’s the most common mistake.
• Wash one blanket at a time

By following the three rules above you’re covering all the shrinkage factors – the mechanical, thermal & chemical. The list can also be used as a guideline on how to wash merino wool, wool socks and sweaters.

How to dry wool

After washing, roll the garment in a towel and gently squeeze. If it’s the scarf, or some other smaller piece, you can gently twist it.

The wool garments should be dried on a flat surface, away from the direct sunlight or heat. The sun can damage the color of the fabric, especially when the wet piece is exposed to it. You can put a clean towel beneath your garment so it can absorb the water in the process.

Stay away from the dryers, if it’s not said otherwise on the label, and store as explained when completely dry.

Stains

In case of the mild stains, rinsing with seltzer can help. Just bloat the stained area with a clean cloth when you’re done.

For more serious stains, you need to put a clean cloth over it to absorb any excess liquid. Take a knife or a spoon and scrape out the stain if possible. After that, you should soak a linen cloth in a mix of white vinegar, wool detergent and cold water in equal parts, and dub the stain with it.

Dubbing inwards

When dubbing, work your way inwards, and on both sides of garment, keeping the spreading of the stain under control. Same thing can be done by applying a small amount of eucalyptus oil.

Then proceed to wash it as explained. If you are hand washing it, you can use a mix of white vinegar and water to rinse out. In the stain persists, consult your dry cleaner, they will probably know how to help you.

General care

Airing your wool garments or blankets is the easiest way to get rid of the odors, and prolong the time between the washes.

Some of the wool garments can be put on hangers, but to avoid sagging, it’s best to lay them on the flat surface, in a ventilated space, at a room temperature.

You can do this outside, of course, just choose a warm, breezy day, and don’t expose the wool to the direct sunlight, because that will make it yellow and look aged.

If you want to refresh your wool garment, just hang it in a steamy bathroom. Moisture will fresh it up and it can even remove wrinkles.

To remove the dust and dirt that stuck to your wool coat during the day, use a soft brush and brush it down lengthwise.

Pilling

Pilling is something you will have to deal with, most definitely. Arm yourself with lint rollers, pill shavers and in extreme cases, scissors and razors (just be very careful using the last two).

To limit pilling to the minimum, wash your wool garments inside out, and try liquid detergents that are made specifically for washing wool or delicate laundry.

Moths

When it comes to moths, prevention is the key. Your wool clothes should only be stored when it’s clean. Use bags filled with dried lavender or cedar wood and place them or hang in your wardrobe.

Not only do they smell great, but they work as a great insect-repellant. You can also use chemical products that work on the same principal.

Speaking of wardrobe and storage, the golden rule for storing wool is ‘fold knits, hang woven’. You should use padded or shaped hangers, stay away from weak, plastic ones. Invest in some zipped bags for the clothes you don’t wear that often.

The takeaway

That pretty much concludes our guide on how to wash / clean wool.

The takeaway should an understanding of why wool is specific so that you can apply what you know when in doubt.

If you still have dilemmas, ask away using in the comment section below. If we don’t know, we’ll find out and get back to you (typically within a day).

Bob Ozment