On the germs...my African husband rarely gets sick, even here. The American born and raised family members get sick everytime we go there and even here. On rodent waste...your local fast food restaurants, proccesed food, meats, eggs, dairy, and produce (uh-that's most food, folks) are much more contaminated by animal waste. While there are good reasons for and against prewashing fabrics, this one carries no weight for me, since the potential for actually consuming rodent waste is clearly much higher from just eating grocery and fast foods. The E coli in foods that sicken and kill are most often from human waste, btw. If anything, worries about rodent waste and fabric should discourage us from snacking while quilting.