I rinsed and rinsed to bleed the color out, but it bled very little and was impressed by that. Fabric was medium in weight  for this product (I would say), as you can see through it when held to your face and that is a good thing to allow breathing through IMHO and yet heavy enough to hold up for other uses, I think. The fabric looks well woven with  no loose ends, etc., but I would think that hand washing and line drying is necessary just by considering the weight of the cloth and shrinkage potential. This was one of two ordered and the other was dark green and black from another maker and it looked adequately made also, but bled an amazing amount of dye out (not that it detracted) and is why the lack of bleeding surprised me in this one (maybe the color chosen has something to do with it, in that the green one was a much deeper color). Anyway, I am pleased with the purchase; however, they all seem to me to cost a lot for a 42" piece of light fabric.