Joan my stash is comprised of only FQ's and smaller so if I am pre-washing I just use some hottish water in a basin and swish the fabric around gently by hand, then I hang it out to drip dry. Then I starch and iron before cutting.

I wash, starch, and iron all yardage when it comes in the door before I add it to my stash. The starch helps keep the dirt and oils from dirtying the fabric and makes piecing easier. You also don't know what shoppers in the store have handled before they picked up your bolt of fabric. I wash all quilts before I use/gift them.

I wrap all of my fabric on 12" x 6" cardboard and place in a plastic tub. I also put 2 or 3 cotton balls with Lavender oil in each tub. Thru the years, I've never had a problem with bugs, and the material stays fresh and clean. Dust around here is horrible.

I do something similar to Deecee. Wash in the sink with a drop or two of laundry detergent, rinse well, spin excess water out in a salad spinner. I lay the pieces out on the counter to dry, then iron.

Thank you all for the info. I appreciate learning the different ways people do things.

I never thought of using my salad spinner to get the excess water out of fabric I wash by hand-what a great idea!

I'm looking for a salad spinner next time I go shopping.

I wash my precuts either is a salad spinner or using a mesh bag in the washing machine. My top loading machine does not have the center agitator. In the salad spinner I use a bit of the blue Dawn dish soap, the washing machine I use the normal detergent.

I just started starching my larger pieces of fabric before cutting this past year and I like how it handles especially during the cutting process. I do not starch small precuts only FQs and larger.

I don't pre-wash my fabrics, unless they're batiks, unless the fabric is going to be used in clothing. I starch everything that I'm going to be working with, at least 2 hours ahead of time, stick the starched fabrics in a ziplock baggie, when the minimum time is up, I either put it in the dryer or if I have the time I'll "hang" the fabrics across my ironing board.

A lot of people don't like starch because it gunks up their iron and flakes all over the fabric, but, that's because when you’re ironing, you're ironing the starch. not the fabric, doing it this way, I've never had a problem with the iron getting all gunky then, I do spray mist with water since I don't use the steam on my iron.

A lot of people also say that if you use starch, you'll get bugs, I've never had a problem with bugs and have had starched fabric in the drawers for at least a year, so, if you have problems with bugs, in particular, silverfish, then I wouldn't leave starched fabric around, but if you don't have a problem, then simply because you have starched fabrics around, doesn't imply that all of a sudden you'll have a problem with bugs.

I use starch whenever I need it - simple as that. I like to starch (actually I use sizing more than starch) before I cut yardage as it just makes for easier and more accurate cuts - also helps to stabilize a bias edge if that is what I'm cutting. I will starch a finished block if I am trying to get a bunch of seams to lay flat. I starch to get out creases - almost always on fat quarters.