I am finely in my new house enough that I can start on my 29 quilts.

My problem is, my Mother-in-Law's fabric had mice so it must all be washed. 18 boxes full..... Do you think just Tide and Downy is good, or do I need to use something stronger? It's disgusting....... Also, I only want to wash it on gentle so I get the least amount of fray possible...

waiting for responses? I know I would use laundry detergent and either Borax or Arm & Hammer washing soda and then dry. Good luck with all that fabric.

In my oponion that would be fine.

You need to disinfect the fabric to prevent unwanted diseases :wink: laundry soap and drying is not enough :D:D:D

I would have to agree.. if it has had mice in it, it need disinfection. I would start out soaking it in white vinegar and hot water, that is suppose to be disinfecting. Then I would wash them in tide.

For how long?

Borax or vinegar?

I would use Lysol. It will be expensive, but that would kill the germs. Also I would use the hottest water available. That means I would not go to a laundry mat.
Sue

And doesn't vinegar also help set colors, like reds??

And YES, I'm waiting for responses, I'll run to walmart and get what I need. I've been anxious to start this project since we returned with all the fabric, but I won't let it in my house until it's washed.

jut wash and dry it and be done.

I wondered about Lysol. Do you think everything will smell like it? I never wash reds or darks in HOT water, but I think I must for this one time.....

You don't think it needs disinfecting?

If you don't over load you washer NO.

I would disinfect it

as I am allergic to mice droppings, I break out all over with a bad rash

good luck

How about a scoop of oxyclean in each load. I know it would help with smell.

hung it outside to dry will help if smell and be easy on the fabric.

I did tell hubby I need a nice clothes line here at the new house.... lol

OK I'm off to WalMart Thanks for the help <3

If you pink the edges, you will get a lot less fraying.

I'm from the country -

If - as far as you know - the mice are healthy in your part of the world -

and you are reasonably healthy and not pregnant -


I would take the fabrics outside - (I might consider a mask and gloves at this point)

Shake the loose stuff off -

Sort according to colors - wash the fabrics in HOT water with almost any detergent (maybe for 10 minutes) - on the most gentle cycle you have available. Don't overload the washer.

I would rinse the fabrics twice.

Then dry - either on a clothesline or in a dryer.

I think it's agitation and abrasion that makes fabric look old before it's time.

So - just fill the washer about half full of fabric - use maximum fill for water - and off you go.

Unless you are in a water restriction area - then just store everything in covered plastic bins until water is available. I still would shake the loose stuff off first.

thats fine! use vinegar in rinse. Cut notches on each side of fabric to cut down on fraying and wash on gentle. Dont need much soap!!

These droppings carry harmful bacteria, diseases and viruses and should not be handled without the use of protective gloves and a tightly fitting face mask. Hantavirus is contracted through the inhalation of particles of contaminated feces, as well as inhalation or ingestion of an infected mouse's saliva or urine. Disturbed droppings are more likely to emit virus particles and it is unwise to sweep or vacuum areas where feces have been found. Rather, droppings should be picked up carefully and disposed of in plastic bags. This disease has a low survival rate and requires prompt medical attention.
This is from the Orkin web site...
They recommend that it be disinfected with bleach and water solutions and that anything that contains mouse dropping or nests should not be handled...
I would be very careful with this... if it is bad enough it is just not worth someone getting sick to save the fabrics, would it? It sounds like it is nothing to mess with...

And to think that mice are at the bottom of so many food chains!

I know life is full of risks.... I would risk washing it if it is not too horrible. I would try the cheapest 1st, vinegar soak, then hot water launder on the first load. You should be able to tell if it will do the job or not.

BINGO...Liquid Lysol would be the BEST thing to use...run it through once with just the Lysol and then again with the detergent!

I agree with this. I wouldn't get too worried about the mouse dropping issue. The mask to shake out any droppings, nesting material, etc is a good precaution but you really don't have to overworry about this. I'm afraid the little devils are just about everywhere and we are exposed to them and their waste a lot more than most of us want to think about. As long as you have a healthy immune system and there is not a disease problem going on in your area (like NM had several years ago with Hantavirus), you will be fine and the washing well will clean the fabric adequately. This is IMHO, of course--country girl here.

What about clothing or bedding?
Take bedding or clothing outside and either gently roll the droppings off or pick them off with
rubber gloves: do not shake them off! This is how hantavirus is spread. Then wash them as
regular laundry and dry them in a dryer or hang them outside in bright sunlight. Clothes worn
while cleaning mouse infestation can be handled in the same manner: carefully remove any
droppings, then wash and dry .

I found above advice on a Health Advisory site. I would be careful with Lysol. I had some material given to me that was washed in it or soaked in it??? I threw it out, the smell would not come out. Good luck.

vinegar sets acid dyes---which are not used on cotton fabrics-
vinegar will freshen fabrics- and is a good fabric softener- but has nothing to do with setting colors-
sort the fabrics so reds/darks do not bleed on lighter fabrics- toss in color catchers or use retayne if you are worried about a bleeder.
detergent and borax- or oxyclean should be all you need- but skip that gentle cycle- use a regular-long cycle= and a hot dryer.
if there are dropping stains you may have to wash them more than once (the oxyclean would help here)

Hope this helps
http://thehousingforum.com/how-to-disinfect-laundry/

Very nice site, Glassquilt!

Thank you all! These comments bring up important things to think about. I know I've sent this link to my adult children so they learn how to take care of their stuff.

We recently cleaned out a mice and rat infestation in our attic which got into bedding stored in the garage. Guess who has to clean up items now???

Good old fashioned clorine bleach is the most effective, but understanding you do not want the "other"effects that bleach has on fabric . Use hot water and do completely dry in the dryer on the hotest setting.
Just an FYI pasturization ( process of killing bacteria ) occurs at 180 degrees for one second , it also occurs at lower temperatures but the time needed to kill the bacteria is longer . At 140 degrees you need 15 minutes at 140 degrees.
Use a detergent to clean the soils /and or odors , use temperature when bleach ( a chemical method of killing bacteria) is not used.

Oh, I just thought of something. Do you know anyone with a newish front-loading machine. I bought a Samsung from Sears almost two years ago and one of the features is sanitizing with silver ions in cold or hot water. It also has a super hot, steam sanitizing feature for whites. Other models may have these options. Either of those features would kill the mouse germs.

I would sort all of this stuff outdoors, away from the house, then put all of it in plastic trash bags and then off to the laundry mat, I know we all own washers, this is a lot to clean in your home machine, this is just an idea, but I wouldn't bring this into my house until its clean

Mouse dropping can carry hanta virus. I would throw it out.

Use hottest water available, any type of laundry detergent & lysol.. Dry on the hottest setting of your dryer.

DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER OF ANY TYPE.

Fabric softner will affect the ability of fusibles to adhere to the fabric when used for applique.

Just use lots of shout sheets since the hot water is bound to cause color bleeds

You need to wear a face mask of some kind while you're handling this fabric before washing as mouse droppings carry hanta virus, a very bad lung disease. Washing alone is not enough to kill the virus. I don't even know if liquid Lysol and hot water is enough to kill it. You probably need to do some research online to kind out how to be sure you are not infected. Hanta virus is a very serious disease that often causes death. A bunch of free fabric is not worth dying over. I'm not trying to scare you, but just a word to the wise.

I would disenfect it, just to be on safe side.