illinois

A friend found batting in her parents' basement and is thinking about throwing it away because it "kinda smells". Seems a shame to throw batting away but can batting be washed before it is used to try to salvage that?

kathy

it can be soaked and spun but NOT agitated, you'll have a washer full of loose cotton

gollytwo

thanks for the info

great aunt jacqui

I soak and rinse and squeeze my batting in HOT water keeping it still folded. when it is semi dry I put it in a pillow case and roll up and squeeze again then dry it on medium heat. Most batting has a 3 to 5/6inch % shrinkage. to me that is a lot. all my supplies are washed. after all my work I do hate surprizes...

with old batting pop a fabric softener in there. good luck
:idea: if the smell does not go away, use it for pet bedding with some cedar chips in it. I use old pillowcases for my pups filled with scraps/old reused batting with cedar chips . just have to sew up 1 seam.

Mattee

What kind of batting is it? I don't think wool can be washed.

illinois

It probably is Hobbs or one of the "top end" batts, not polyester.

thepolyparrot

If you add a cup of ammonia to a washing machine full of water, it will kill mold/mildew and erase any musty or nasty odors, including pet stains, mold/mildew or tobacco.

It doesn't break down textile fibers like chlorine bleach and it leaves no odor of its own - it will just smell fresh and clean when it's dry.

Don't use the sudsing type - just clear ammonia or whatever scent that doesn't say "sudsing" or "sudsy" on the label.

np3

Yes, you will! Found that out the hard way.