Possibly the daftest question on MN today, but....
We bought my darling Dad a beautiful heated blanket for Christmas last year, as his old bones really felt the cold. It wasn't a cheap one and he had 3 months of constant use out of it before he sadly passed away. He would eat his meals on a lap tray, which was invariably on top of his blanket over his knees. Being 90 years old and rather shaky, food detritus inevitably made its way onto the blanket. My cat also loved to curl up on his lap on colder days. In short, the blanket needs a bloody good wash!
Aside from a good sponging down, which I don't think is going to be very effective, is there an alternative way to clean these things? We'd love to use it, especially as Dad loved it so much and it would be a lovely reminder of him, but it just feels too grubby at the moment to even contemplate snuggling up in it!