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?

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

thanks for the info

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.

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

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

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.

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