Yesterday I was "gifted" with a huge box of goodies. There was lace, felt, patterns, velour, leather, flannel and several old cutter quilts. There was a wool comforter which I'm going to try to find a new home for since I'm allergic to it, an old crazy quilt in sad condition--really sad; three others that I'd like to restore and a double nine patch top that some idiot has cut the centers out of all the small nines. Can these be washed before being restored? Most have old cotton batting a few have blankets or heavy muslin, one doesn't have batting, it's just backed with heavy feed sacks--it's the smallest and will be the easiest to restore. What would be the best way to get them to smell better and feel cleaner before trying to work with them?