Shop sent me stinking fabric - help!
 

I recently made a purchase at a new (to me) shop and the fabric they sent me STINKS, literally! I’ve never experienced this before. Has this happened to anyone else and if so, what did you do to remove the smell?

I bought 2 half yards and a fat quarter bundle and it’s the yardage that has the major problem. I don’t want to prewash these items but unsure what else will remove the absolutely horrible stench before storing everything with the rest of my stash https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...s/confused.png

I really don’t want my other fabrics to absorb the smell, so for now they’re separated and I’m trying to air out the new yardage as much as possible. Any other suggestions?

contact the shop tell them

I contacted them prior to this because the entire order was missing and untraceable for quite a few weeks and they were really not very helpful at all…so I’m guessing they won’t do much about this issue even if I do reach out. I’m just glad it arrived at all today and hoping I can just fix it myself at this point to be honest! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/frown.png

Bag it up with a lot of baking soda, sealed in the bag, leave it for a week, check smell. You may have to repeat this more than once. Otherwise, wash it.

If you contact them and ask for a remedy to the problem and they refuse or give you the run around you can file a Reg. E claim with your bank or credit card company and ask for a refund to your account. You will have to document that you contacted them and asked for refund for the yardage. Make sure to document the date you contact, person you spoke with and what the response was, your bank/credit card will investigate and probably issue a provisional credit and after determination of claim they will either deny or confirm your claim. As a bank auditor I can tell you that if you have documentation (include the missing order for weeks and contact at that time) usually your claim is confirmed and you get your money back.

The shop will think you are trying to find fault because of the other problem but that's their problem, call and talk to someone above store employee. And never shop there again. I have one online shop now I am calling about an order placed a few months ago. I get the same Oh let me take care of that for your and nothing else. That shop will never have my business again. If you don't want to wash it I guess the only solution is hang it outside and hope the smell gets less. Or put in dryer on fluff with an odor eater shoe insert.

Was thinking about using baking soda but wasn’t sure if it would stain, gum up or in any other way damage the fabric? If all else fails though, this might be the least harmful option without having to wash it out.

If returning is an option, I would return the order. I agree that you should not shop there again.

I just emailed them telling them about the problem so I’ll wait and see what they say. I used PayPal to pay, so hopefully they will help if everything else fails? Unfortunately I only get voicemail when I try to call so everything is via email - but at least I have some proof of contact I guess.

Sorry to hear you’re also having problems with bad service Onebyone! I hope you’re able to get your issue solved soon!! It’s unbelievable that some stores are happy to let their customers chase after them to get a problem solved.

I’ve contacted them to see what I can do to solve this problem. And agreed, I definitely don’t want to do business with them again!

It’s a really strange, awful smell that is quite hard to identify, so I have no idea what it could be. It just stinks! Considering this seems to be a large online shop, I’m really surprised that the fabric smells like anything at all since it should be stocked at some kind of warehouse.

Some yardage I bought several years ago was very stinky, not a musty smell, something else I could never identify. I suspect it had something to do with how it was printed. Anyway, the only thing that got rid of the smell was washing it and then hanging it in the sun to dry. I had to let it stay out in the sun for a couple of days before the stink completely dissipated.

Rob

keep it in the garage for now. stinking can be transferred. wash only when you have done everything else. some smells stay in no matter what you do. Good luck.

Why don't you want to wash it?

I would do as Rob says - wash and hang out in the sun to dry and air out.

I once participated in a block exchange. One block came absolutely reeking of cigarette smoke, it was so bad the stench overwhelmed me when I opened my mailbox. Since it was a block, I didn't want to wash it, so I sprinkled baking soda on my front porch (which has sunny southern exposure), laid the block down, sprinkled more baking soda on top, and left it there all day. In the evening I picked it up and the smoke smell was gone.

I'm not sure what kind of smell you're dealing with but if its a strong chemical smell, its probably just the formaldehyde used when the fabric is manufactured. It used to be quite common for fabric to have formaldehyde smell. I used to get a headached every time I was in a fabric store for any length of time. It will become stronger if the the fabric is packaged up for any length of time. I would definitely wash and hang outside. That will probably get rid of the smell.

Well that's the good news. If you can't get them to respond to your emails or messages paypal will get your money back for you.

You can try cleaning it, but if it's that bad it might not come out. And after washing it you can't return it, so I'd be careful with that too! If I were you I'd just return it at their cost since it's a problem with the fabric and if they don't they go to paypal and like others said never go there again. Any problem I've EVER had with fabric from the stores I've shopped at and they fixed it immediately. I've had very good luck, I know, which is why I'm a big repeat customer.

I very sadly had to toss some old fabric from my great grandmother, I tried EVERYTHING to get the weird smell, plus the musty smell, out. Nothing worked. Smells can really get into fabric (and yes like others have said here it can transfer to whatever is next to it too) and not come out. (funny side note I'm super sensitive to smells and I can't stand it when my sister comes to visit. She sleeps on the couch and it'll smell like her laundry soap for over a week!!!)

The first thing that I'd suggest is to tell everyone you know the name of the company so people can avoid them. Having said that, like others have said, you want to return it for a full refund. Whether the smell came from the store or from someplace along the shipping trail, it is defective fabric. Ask to have a call tag or postage paid return label sent to pick up he fabric at the store's expnse. Altho it may be difficult, try not to lose your temper when dealing with the people, or they will just ignore your requests and dig in their heels. If that fails, contact PayPal, they are very good about claims such as this. Just detail all the problems you have had and the company's responses. If you cannot return the fabric and still want to try and use it, place it in a plastic garbage bag with the cheapest clay kitty litter you can find. Open up the fabric and cover it with the litter, shake the bag well, and close up the bag. It should take up the odor. Leave it for a few days, discard the used littler, and repeat if necessary. (Clay litter, altho dusty, does work, as we spilled some gasoline on the carpet in our vehicle, and after a couple of applications of litter directly on the spill the smell was gone and the liquid residue was absorbed. Off topic, but useful, it also works to get rid of the odor from accidents in the car if someone gets car sick!)

Not always.

If you order something and the merchant can produce a delivery confirmation, even if it is for an incorrect item, Paypal will side with the merchant.

Happened to me on over $250 worth of fabrics that were wrong, even though I produced documentation that showed the merchant acknowledged sending the wrong stuff, told me to keep it, and promised a refund (yet never came through).

I have heard, but never had to try it, that the charcoal that is used in fish tanks will clear up nasty smells.

As someone with a couple of allergies and many sensitivities, I can tell you that a lot of fabric stinks. Fortunately, most cottons can be cleaned. I'm a fan of prewashing anyway, part of that is to take away the scents and treatments applied to new cloth.

Fabreeze is perfect for this sort of thing, even without washing. I've found that when I have bought bags of scraps that turn out to be severely smoke infested, that just spritzing Fabreeze on both sides and letting it dry will help tremendously. If you wash after the spritz, it will take tobacco smoke out completely.

I still haven't found anything that completely removes moth ball odor. Maybe I'm just super sensitive to the odor, but I don't even try to salvage fabric with moth ball smell. I have a lovely shop near me that specializes in fancy fabrics and trims for saris and such, many of it is imported shipped with moth balls. I have to sniff test anything/everything in the shop before I buy.

If where you bought it from doesn't do anything for you, I just wouldn't patronize that shop again.

When I first started quilting in 1980 they used formaldehyde to set the colors in fabric. I could barely stand to be in the quilt shop for any length of time. The only solution is to wash them and then air them. I would put the fat quarters in a sink with Borax and color catchers and let them soak for 15-20 minutes. Rinse them with baking soda and then clear water. That should remove the odor.

I have not been able to remove moth ball smell from fabric, either.

I would definitely contact PayPal if you do not get satisfaction from the store. Start the process to get your money back. This process takes a bit but worth it in the long run.

It can, but be careful because it can also leave black dust and smudges on whatever it touches.

I've heard that sometimes fabric is treated with pesticides (especially fabric that is printed overseas). Maybe this is what you are smelling?

Hope you find a solution to your stinky problem.

Go to the grocery store and buy a bag of the cheapest clay cat litter you can find. Unfold your fabric and wad it up so there’s plenty of air space in the wad. Put it in a paper bag, then put the bag in a tote bin or box of some kind and cover it with the litter. Leave it for a few days. I have done this with old books and it takes every trace of smell out of them, including smoke.

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies!

I contacted the shop and they said that I could send back the yardage and they would then send me replacements. However, considering how long it took for the order to arrive, coupled with the fact that we’re moving to a different state in July, I didn’t think that would be a great idea. I might end up with more stress than I need right now.

Luckily, I’ve been having some success with getting that awful smell out. I left both pieces of yardage on a new cutting mat that has a plastic-type smell and covered everything in brown packing paper. The fabric initially picked up some of that plastic smell but after airing it out the next day, seems to have removed the bad odour quite a bit. It hasn’t been eliminated completely but it’s definitely much better than it was before. Like some of you mentioned, I also wondered if it was something from the printing process. I can’t tell for sure. It didn’t smell like chemicals though. It was more like it was stored in the kitchen of a takeout restaurant!?! I’ll repeat the process a couple more times and may try some of the suggestions from the comments. I wrapped the FQ bundle in packing paper and that now smells completely neutral thankfully.

Back around 1970, I bought a set of sheets, orange with bright yellow flowers. (Hey, it was the 1970s!) They stunk to high heaven, even after washing several times. I have them in my miscellaneous fabric cabinet, and they still have a faint odor.