We did not have that problem so much when fabric was made in the U S. The places that it is now made in has a terrible humidity problem and all fabric has to be stored and shipped with a mildew retardant or everything gets covered with a white powder mildew. When we lived over there we had to hang bags of it in our closets and put little bags of it in out drawers or that is what would grow on everything. The smell is so bad but it has to be done. As soon as we got back to the states and I walked into a fabric shop I knew that smell as soon as I walked in and my eyes and nose started to run.