You've purchased the quilt of your dreams. Now, what is the best way to care for it, to make sure that is stays in like new condition? Here are some quilt care instructions to make sure that your quilt becomes a family heirloom. First, quilts should NEVER be cleaned by commercial dry cleaners. The chemicals used and large-load tumbling machines can be harmful. Instead, determine if you really need to WET wash your quilt. Try gently vacuuming it with a small, low suction hand vacuum. Nylon netting screen should be placed over the quilt and the vacuum should be used at the lowest possible power in long strokes moving from top to bottom down the quilt. Did that do the trick? If so, you don't need to wet clean it. If the vacuuming process did not clean the quilt, then consider wet cleaning. Step 1: If the water available for cleaning is hard, use distlled, filtered or soft water. Hard water can leave mineral deposits on your quilt, such as iron, that will leave yellow stains. Step 2: Do NOT use soap, it will leave a soap scum residue. Instead, use a non-ionic detergent such as Orvus WA Paste or a mild dishwashing detergent such as Ivory Liquid(pearly) or Ivory Snow in a solution of 1/2 oz. detergent to 1 gallon of water. Step 3: Test the fabrics in your quilt individually to determine if they will bleed color. Use a soft clean cloth, water (room temperature, please), and a cleaner suggested above. Press the wet cloth against the fabric. If no dye comes off, the fabric is OK to wash. Do this with each fabric in your quilt, if any fabric bleeds, DO NOT WET WASH YOUR QUILT. Step 4: To wash your quilt, do so on a nice clear day because you will be drying it outside. First, treat any stains. This is best done with Ivory dish soap. Take a small amount of the detergent, mix it with equal parts of water, let this sit for several minutes, then rub it gently into the spot. If all that you are doing is cleaning the stained spot, you will now want to dab this spot with a sponge or paper towel to remove any soap and moisture. Make sure to let the spot dry entirely before storing your quilt. But if you were pre-treating the stain, you can now wash the quilt in the washing machine, DO NOT DO THIS WITH VINTAGE QUILTS, but newer machine-quilted quilts will be fine. Be sure to use the gentle cycle on your machine along with a laundry soap for delicates. ALWAYS use cold water to wash your quilt, this will keep colors from running and the fabric from shrinking. If this is the first time that you have washed your quilt, it may be a good idea to add ½ cup of white vinegar to your wash water. The vinegar will keep the dark colors from running, particularly reds. Step 5: Dry your quilt by laying it flat outside on a nice day. Spread out a clean sheet and spread the quilt on top of the sheet. NEVER hang your quilt on a clothesline as the weight of the quilt will pull the quilt and distort it. For vintage quilts or if your wash/tap water is hard, it is best not to wash them at all. But if absolutely needed, you should test a small inconspicious area first. If the test spot is fine, then you can carefully wash your vintage quilt in a bathtub, with cold distilled, filtered or soft water. Take the quilt outside to dry flat, making sure, with a vintage quilt, that it is out of direct sunlight.