Originally Posted by
coopah
I had fabric like this, too, donated to use by a church for charity quilts. It had been stored in a plastic box in a room with a dirt floor. Sometimes fabric just can't be saved.
First: I thought quilts should never be in plastic for long term storage. Use cloth covers, as in old pillowcases.
Second: I don't think dogs or cats care about bad smells. They might like it better that way.
Third: Yes, you can hang clothes on the line in the cold. Have you heard how the dryer was invented? A woman in North Dakota (or maybe it was South) was sick and didn't want to go outside to hang up the clothes. There was no question. Clothes went outside, windy or not. She asked her 12 year old son to do it. He did it, and said, "There's gotta be a better way." His mother was able to use the dryer he invented before she died.
The clothes come in stiff as a board, but smell heavenly.