How Do You Wash Acrylic Clothes at Home?

Acrylic fabric is everywhere — your favourite cozy sweater, that chunky knit blanket, the soft beanie you reach for every winter. It looks like wool, feels like cashmere (almost), and costs a fraction of both. But here’s the catch: wash it wrong just once, and you’ll pull out a shrunken, pilled, misshapen version of what you once loved.

The good news? Washing acrylic correctly is genuinely simple once you understand what the fabric needs — and more importantly, what it can’t stand.

What Is Acrylic Fabric, Exactly?

Before diving into the how, it helps to understand the what. Acrylic is a synthetic fibre made from a polymer called polyacrylonitrile. It was designed as a cheaper, more durable alternative to wool — and it does a surprisingly good job mimicking that soft, warm texture.

Unlike natural fibres, acrylic doesn’t breathe the same way. It’s heat-sensitive, which is its biggest vulnerability. High temperatures cause the fibres to melt slightly, lock into a new shape, or shrink dramatically. Think of acrylic like a plastic bag — functional at room temperature, but a disaster near a flame.

This single fact — acrylic hates heat — shapes every washing decision you’ll make.

Reading the Care Label First

The care label is not decoration. It’s the garment manufacturer’s direct instruction to you, written after testing the specific fabric blend.

Common care label symbols for acrylic:

If the label says hand wash, trust it. If it says cold water only, that’s non-negotiable. Most 100% acrylic garments can handle a gentle machine cycle, but blends — especially acrylic-wool or acrylic-cotton — may have stricter requirements.

How to Wash Acrylic in a Washing Machine

Machine washing is perfectly fine for most acrylic pieces. The key is being gentle at every stage.

What You’ll Need

• Mild liquid detergent (avoid powder — it doesn’t dissolve fully in cold water)
• A mesh laundry bag
• Cold or lukewarm water (never hot)

Step-by-Step Machine Wash

1. Turn the garment inside out. This reduces friction on the outer surface and dramatically cuts down on pilling.
2. Place it in a mesh laundry bag. The bag acts as a buffer between your garment and the machine drum — less agitation, less damage.
3. Select the delicate or gentle cycle. This uses slower spin speeds and less mechanical action.
4. Use cold water — 30°C (86°F) maximum. Anything warmer risks distortion or shrinkage.
5. Add a small amount of mild detergent. Less is more. Excess detergent leaves residue that stiffens the fabric over time.
6. Skip the fabric softener. Counterintuitively, softener coats synthetic fibres and can reduce their natural softness. A half-cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle does a better job and removes detergent buildup.
7. Remove promptly after the cycle ends. Leaving acrylic sitting wet in the drum causes creases that are hard to shake out.

How to Hand Wash Acrylic

Hand washing is the gold standard for delicate acrylic knitwear — the kind you’d rather not risk in a machine.

Step-by-Step Hand Wash

1. Fill a clean basin or sink with cool water. Room temperature is ideal. Avoid hot water entirely.
2. Add a small squeeze of mild detergent — about a teaspoon. Swirl it into the water before adding the garment.
3. Submerge the garment and gently squeeze the water through it. Don’t scrub, wring, or twist. Think of it like softly pressing a sponge.
4. Let it soak for 10–15 minutes if it’s particularly dirty.
5. Rinse thoroughly with cool water until no soap remains. Soap residue left behind will stiffen the fibres.
6. Gently press (never wring) the water out by rolling the garment in a clean dry towel.

Drying Acrylic: The Most Critical Step

If washing acrylic is a gentle art, drying it is the make-or-break moment. More acrylic garments are ruined in the dryer than in the wash.

The Flat Drying Method (Recommended)

• Lay the garment on a clean dry towel on a flat surface.
• Reshape it to its original dimensions while it’s still damp — stretch it gently back to size if needed.
• Allow it to air dry naturally, away from direct sunlight or heat sources.
• Flip it halfway through to ensure even drying.

This method preserves shape, prevents stretching, and keeps fibres intact.

Can You Put Acrylic in the Dryer?

Technically, some acrylic garments can handle a tumble dryer on the lowest heat setting — but only if the care label explicitly permits it. Even then, use it sparingly.

Removing Stains from Acrylic

Stains on acrylic respond well to prompt treatment. The longer a stain sits, the more it bonds with the synthetic fibre.

General Stain Removal Rules

• Act fast — blot (don’t rub) the stain immediately with a clean cloth.
• Use cold water to rinse from the back of the fabric, pushing the stain out rather than deeper in.
• Apply a small amount of mild liquid detergent directly to the stain, work it in gently with your fingertips, and let it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing.

Stain-Specific Guidance

Common Mistakes That Ruin Acrylic

These are the silent killers of a good acrylic garment — small habits that add up to irreversible damage.

• Hot water washing — the number one offender. Even one hot wash can permanently shrink or distort a piece.
• Tumble drying on high heat — fibres partially melt, creating a stiff, misshapen garment.
• Wringing or twisting — breaks down the fibre structure and causes permanent stretching.
• Using bleach — bleach degrades synthetic fibres rapidly and causes yellowing.
• Hanging heavy knits to dry — gravity pulls the wet fibres downward, stretching the garment out of shape.
• Ironing directly on acrylic — the fabric will melt onto the iron. If ironing is necessary, use a pressing cloth and the lowest possible setting.

How Often Should You Wash Acrylic?

Acrylic doesn’t need washing as frequently as cotton because it’s less absorbent and doesn’t hold onto body odour the same way. Over-washing actually accelerates pilling and fibre breakdown.

A practical washing schedule:

• Sweaters and cardigans worn over other clothing: Every 3–5 wears
• Acrylic items worn directly against skin: Every 1–2 wears
• Blankets and throws: Every 2–4 weeks depending on use
• Hats and scarves: Every 4–6 wears

Airing garments out between wears — simply hanging them in a well-ventilated spot for a few hours — extends the time between washes significantly.

Keeping Acrylic Soft and Pill-Free

Pilling is acrylic’s most common complaint. Those little fuzzy balls form when short fibres tangle together due to friction — and once they appear, they’re hard to ignore.

Prevention strategies:

• Always wash inside out
• Use a mesh laundry bag
• Choose the gentile cycle with a slow spin
• Air dry flat rather than tumble drying

Removing existing pills:
A fabric shaver (lint remover) is your best friend here. Run it gently over the pilled surface in slow, circular motions. It shaves the pills off cleanly without damaging the underlying fabric. A disposable razor works in a pinch, but requires a very light hand.

Key Takeaways

• Cold water and gentle cycles are non-negotiable — heat is acrylic’s greatest enemy.
• Flat air drying preserves shape far better than hanging or machine drying.
• Turn garments inside out and use a mesh bag to reduce pilling in the wash.
• Mild liquid detergent works best; skip fabric softener and use white vinegar instead for softness.
• Wash less frequently — airing out between wears extends garment life and reduces fibre wear.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can you put acrylic in the washing machine?
Yes — most acrylic garments are machine washable, but only on a gentle or delicate cycle with cold water. Always check the care label first, and place the item in a mesh laundry bag to minimise friction and pilling.

What temperature should you wash acrylic at?
Always use cold or cool water — 30°C (86°F) or below. Acrylic fibres are heat-sensitive and will shrink, stretch unevenly, or melt slightly at higher temperatures, causing permanent damage that can’t be reversed.

How do you wash acrylic yarn or handmade knitwear?
Hand washing in cool water with mild detergent is the safest method for handmade acrylic pieces. Support the entire garment when lifting it out of the water — never hold it from one end — and dry flat to prevent the weight of water from stretching the fibres.

Why does acrylic get stiff after washing?
Stiffness after washing is usually caused by detergent residue that wasn’t fully rinsed out. To fix it, re-rinse the garment thoroughly in cool water and add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle next time. Avoid using powder detergents, which are harder to rinse out completely.

Can you use fabric softener on acrylic?
It’s best to avoid conventional fabric softener on acrylic. Softener leaves a coating on synthetic fibres that, paradoxically, can reduce softness over time and cause static buildup. White vinegar in the rinse cycle is a better alternative — it conditions the fibres and removes detergent residue without any coating.

How do you get the smell out of acrylic clothes?
Soak the garment in a solution of cool water and white vinegar (1 part vinegar to 4 parts water) for 30 minutes before washing. Odour-causing bacteria tend to cling to synthetic fibres, and vinegar neutralises them effectively without harsh chemicals.

Does acrylic shrink when washed?
Acrylic can shrink if exposed to hot water or high dryer heat. Under proper cold-water, gentle-cycle conditions, it holds its shape well. Unlike wool, acrylic shrinkage is often caused by heat-induced melting of fibres rather than the felting process — which means the damage tends to be permanent.