I wrote on here before how bad some of the places where the fabric is made and stored in the Far East was. Having lived there while my DH was stationed there I got to see first hand how dirty it was. That was in the 60's so it may have changed now That is why I wash everything before using it. The thing in the fabrics that brings tears is what it has to be packed with it to keep mold out. We had to hang bags of it in our closets or mold would grow all over. I hated that smell and knew what it was the first time I went into a fabric store and smelled it.