Washing
Try to wash your blanket separately if possible. This will prevent friction between fabrics from roughing up your blanket's surface. This is especially true with fleece blankets as they will pill if abraded. If your blanket does pill despite your best efforts you can remove the pills with a sweater shaver, or if you are careful and brave--a disposable razor.
Place some detergent into the washing machine.
Set the water temperature set to cold and use the gentle cycle on your blanket to avoid too much agitation--a main cause of pilling, fiber breakage and other damage that will shorten your blanket's life.
Add fabric softener either to a dispenser or to the final rinse of the wash to improve softness. Adding an extra rinse to the end will reduce buildup that can cause fabric stiffness over time.
Drying
In the dryer use the gentlest and coolest cycle and check the blanket every 20 minutes to ensure that you do not leave it longer than it needs in order to dry. The dryer is another source of friction and so you may wish to further limit the tumbling time by removing the blanket damp and line drying.
If fabric cling is an issue with the blanket, use a clean tennis ball or similar drying ball to keep the blanket moving in the dryer. This will also speed drying time and tends to fluff the fabric. Ideally, for a long blanket life and to prolong softness, line drying outside is the preferred drying method. It removes the friction and fabric damage that occurs during the tumbling action of a dryer.
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