Razai (Quilt) and Blanket Season: Airing, Washing, Storing
Here’s the whole razai season in one line: sun-air every quilt and blanket for a day before winter, keep a washable cover (ghilaf) on it and wash that every one or two weeks, wash the razai itself rarely and only by the right method for its filling, then store everything bone dry in cotton, not plastic, with neem leaves instead of naphthalene. The trunk smell, the sneezing and the moth holes almost all come from skipping one of those steps.
In brief
- Taking out: a full sunny day outdoors, both sides, then a gentle beating and brushing
- Cover: wash every 1 to 2 weeks with the sheets
- Cotton-filled razai: don’t soak it; air it, and send it for dhunai every few years
- Polyester quilt or mink blanket: washable, once or twice a season, following the label
- Wool: cool hand-wash or dry-clean, dried flat in shade
- Storing: completely dry, in cotton bags, with dried neem leaves; mothballs away from children
Prefer to listen? This post as a 5 min video · Video page with transcript
Taking the razai out of the trunk: the first-day routine
Most quilts spend eight months folded in a peti or on top of the almirah. They come out smelling of trunk, and sometimes of damp. Give them one proper day before anyone sleeps under them.
- Pick a dry, sunny day in early November, ideally after a few days without rain.
- Unfold it outdoors on a clean charpai, a line or the roof railing, between about 10 am and 3 pm, when the sun is strongest.
- Turn it after 2 to 3 hours so both sides get the sun.
- Beat it gently with a flat stick or your hands to loosen dust, then brush the surface. Wear a mask if you’re prone to sneezing.
- Inspect it in good light: sniff for mustiness, look for black or green spots (mould), small holes or silky casings (moths, mostly on wool), and dark specks along seams (a sign to check for bedbugs).
- Bring it in before sunset, while it’s still warm and dry, not after the evening damp settles on it.
A little trunk smell that goes after a day in the sun is fine. A musty smell that comes back, or visible mould spots, means the filling got damp. Spot a small patch? Let it air and dry fully, then have the cover replaced. A razai with mould through the filling needs to be re-filled or thrown away, not slept under, especially by anyone with asthma.
How often should you wash blankets and quilts?
Much less often than sheets, as long as something washable sits between the quilt and your skin.
| Item | How often | How |
|---|---|---|
| Razai cover (ghilaf) or duvet cover | Every 1 to 2 weeks | With the bed sheets, as hot as the fabric allows |
| Blanket used without a cover | Every 2 to 4 weeks in use | By its fabric, below |
| Polyester quilt, with a cover | Once or twice a season | Machine or dhobi, per label |
| Cotton-filled razai | Air monthly; dhunai every few years | No soaking |
The cover habit is the single best change you can make. It turns a heavy, hard-to-wash razai into a thing you wash as easily as a pillowcase. Buy two covers per razai so one is always clean. If you’ve been waking up sneezing, washing the cover at 60 °C where the fabric allows is one of the steps in our dust mite and morning sneezing guide.
How to wash each kind of razai and blanket
Cotton-filled razai (rui wali)
Don’t put it in water. Soaked cotton filling clumps into hard lumps, takes days to dry in winter sun, and often goes musty in the middle. Instead, air it monthly through the season, wash the cover, and when it has gone flat, lumpy or heavy, send it to a dhunia for dhunai: they open it, card the cotton back to fluffy, and stitch it into a fresh cover. Every two or three years is typical, sooner if it’s used every night.
Polyester or microfibre quilts
Read the label first. If it’s machine washable and fits your drum with room to move, use a mild detergent, the temperature on the label, an extra rinse and a low spin. If it doesn’t fit, a large laundromat machine or the dhobi is better than squeezing it in. Dry it flat or over two lines, and turn and shake it every few hours so the filling doesn’t settle. Squeeze the thickest part before bringing it in: if it feels even slightly cool or damp inside, it isn’t dry.
Wool blankets (loi, army blankets, shawls)
Wool shrinks and felts with heat and rubbing. Hand-wash in cool water with a wool wash, press rather than scrub, never wring, then roll it in a towel to push the water out and dry it flat in shade. For good or heavy woollens, dry-cleaning is the safer choice.
Mink, “Korean” and acrylic blankets
These heavy printed blankets are washable but get very heavy when wet. Wash cold on a gentle cycle if they fit, or send them to the dhobi. Air-dry them, and keep irons and heaters away; acrylic can pill or scorch with heat.
Ralli and hand-stitched quilts
Test the colours first by pressing a damp white cloth on a dark patch. If colour transfers, hand-wash cold and fast, or just air and spot-clean.
Drying in weak winter sun, and a season-long schedule
Drying is where most winter washing goes wrong. A quilt that’s dry on the surface can stay damp in the middle for a day or two, and that damp is what brings mould and the musty smell. Start washing early in the morning, dry outdoors in full sun, bring it in before evening damp, and finish indoors near moving air (never draped over a gas heater or an electric heater). Repeat the next day if the centre still feels cool.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Early November | Sun-air, beat, inspect; wash covers |
| Every 1 to 2 weeks | Wash covers with the sheets |
| Every month in winter | A few hours of sun on each razai |
| March | Wash washable quilts, air the rest, dry fully, store |
| Mid-monsoon | Open the trunk on a dry day and check for damp and moths |
Busy, and it’s already December? Do the short version: one sunny day for each razai, and a clean cover on all of them. Missed the monthly sun-airing for weeks? Just do it the next dry weekend. Nothing here is ruined by a skipped month; only damp storage does real damage.
Storing razai and blankets in spring, without mothballs
- Wash or air everything first. Moths and mites prefer items stored with body oils and food spills on them.
- Dry completely, then leave it one more sunny day. Nothing goes into storage even slightly damp.
- Fold into cotton bags or old bedsheets, not sealed plastic. Plastic traps any leftover moisture. Vacuum bags are fine for synthetic quilts only, never cotton or wool.
- Line the trunk with clean newspaper or cloth, and tuck in a muslin pouch of dried neem leaves, a traditional deterrent; see neem leaves for storage for drying them properly.
- Check once in the monsoon, when humidity is highest.
Neem leaves are a mild help, not a force field. Clean, dry and closed does most of the work.
Every winter the dhunia used to come down the street with his big bow-shaped tool, the pinjan, twanging the string through piles of cotton until the old flattened filling rose up white and fluffy again. The razai was then re-stitched into its cover on the spot. It’s still the right care for a cotton razai, and many bazaars have a dhunai shop that does it within a day or two.
Myth: sunning the razai kills every germ and mite
Sun is good for a quilt. It dries it, takes away the trunk smell and can help reduce dust mites near the surface. But the inside of a thick razai rarely gets as hot as a 60 °C wash, so sunning alone doesn’t clear mites from deep in the filling. That’s why the washable cover matters more.
The other old habit worth dropping is naphthalene. Mothballs are toxic if swallowed, small children mistake them for sweets, and their fumes on stored baby clothes and bedding have caused serious harm in babies with G6PD deficiency. Camphor tablets carry the same swallowing risk (read camphor poisoning and safety). If you must use either, keep them in a sealed container out of children’s reach, and air everything outdoors for a full day before use.
Babies under 1 year sleep flat on the back in a bare cot, with no razai, quilt, blanket or pillow; a warm sleep suit does the job instead, as explained in baby winter clothes and safe sleep. Heavy razais and weighted blankets aren’t for young children who can’t push them off. Electric blankets must not be used with babies, children who wet the bed, or anyone who can’t feel heat properly (including many people with diabetes); switch them off before sleep unless the label says otherwise. If a child swallows a mothball or camphor, go to hospital straight away and take the packet. Asthma, wheezing or night coughing that gets worse every winter is a reason to see a doctor, not only to clean the bedding.
More winter switches are in the Season Shift series.
Razai and blanket questions
How often should you wash blankets?
If a blanket touches your skin with no cover, every 2 to 4 weeks while in use. With a washable cover, wash the cover every 1 to 2 weeks and the blanket itself once or twice a season.
Can I wash a cotton razai at home?
It’s better not to. Soaked cotton filling clumps and takes days to dry, and it can go musty inside. Air it in the sun, wash the cover, and send it for dhunai when it goes flat or lumpy.
How do I get the smell out of a razai stored all summer?
A full day in strong sun, turned halfway, usually does it. If the musty smell returns, the filling got damp; look for mould and have it re-filled if you find any.
How often should a razai get dhunai?
Every two or three years for a razai used nightly, or whenever it goes flat, lumpy or heavy. A new cover at the same time keeps it clean for longer.
How often should you change bed sheets in winter?
Every week, or every two weeks at most, the same as in summer. Sweat and skin flakes build up in winter too, just less visibly.
How do I dry a quilt in winter?
Wash early in the morning, dry in full sun, turn it every few hours and bring it in before evening damp. Finish indoors near moving air. Squeeze the thickest part; if it feels cool, it isn’t dry yet.
Can I put a mink blanket in the washing machine?
Usually yes, on a cold, gentle cycle, if it fits with room to move. It gets very heavy when wet, so a large machine or the dhobi is easier. Air-dry it and keep heat away.
Should I wash new blankets before using them?
It’s a good idea, especially for babies’ and children’s blankets and anyone with sensitive skin. A wash removes loose fibres and finishing residues from the factory.
What can I use instead of naphthalene balls?
Clean, fully dry storage in cotton bags, a closed trunk and a pouch of dried neem leaves. A monsoon check does more than any repellent. Keep mothballs, if used, sealed and away from children.
When can a baby use a blanket?
Not in the cot before 1 year; a sleep suit or sleeping bag of the right size is safer. After that, a light blanket is fine for most toddlers, never a heavy razai.
How do I store a razai in a plastic bag?
Only a synthetic one, and only when it’s completely dry. Cotton and wool razais should go in cotton bags or old sheets so trapped moisture can escape.