cashs_mom

Does anyone have any info on salvaging quilts that have been in a flood? There is a woman on my Neighborhood Forum who is looking for someone to make a quilt for her friend. She's a bit vague, but it sounds like the friend is a quilter. She apparently has some of her friend's quilt and says one "can't be saved" but I'm not sure she knows what she's talking about. The woman who posted is not a quilter and seemed to think that you just toss this one out and have another one made and it's all good. I"m also fairly sure she has no idea how much having another quilt made will cost.

I posted a couple links I found online and told her to please not toss it out but message me. I hate to see someone throw out a quilt just because it got in flood waters. Sometimes they can be salvaged. I especially hate to see her do this so soon. Her friend is probably totally overwhelmed right now and unable to deal with things, so will agree to tossing it only to regret that later.

Any help is appreciated.

quiltingshorttimer

yes, one of my guild buddies lost the entire house to flood the week before Hurricane Harvey and our extensionist did a huge search for info. First, hose out all the muck and gunk from the quilt as it's laying flat. Then soak the quilt in 2-3tsp of bleach in a full tube of water in washer--or if a king size quilt, soak in a bathtub--plenty of water. I did not use hot water for this, cold worked fine. I let it soak for about 1 hrs. You can spin the water out of the washer but do Not agitate the quilt in the washer. The bleach is needed to permanently kill the mold and mildew spores so they don't come back later. yeah--I was Totally freaked using bleach on someone else's quilt--but at that point it was worth it to salvage it. It did not fade the colors and the white came out great. This will also get out tons of dirt--even though you thought you'd gotten most out by hosing it! then wash like you normally would--a newer quilt I wash in the washer but again don't agitate or only for a very short time, then rinse, spin, etc. And antique quilt I put into a plastic laundry basket (which I would have used to bleach in the bathtub also)and wash in the bathtub by pulling up/down, rinse, etc. I then laid the quilt out flat on a tarp either with a fan (inside) or in the shade (outside). Her quilts came out beautiful and I also treated a purse she'd made for a purse sale this way. Now if the flooding tore the quilt up, I'm out of ideas!

P.S. fill the tub with water, add the bleach and agitate the water Then put the quilt in.

cashs_mom

Thanks, quiltingshorttimer. I'm just hoping this non quilter woman doesn't just toss the quilt. She says its not torn so I'm thinking that it just got wet from the flood water. There is so much "panic press" on the news telling people that they have to throw out anything that got wet, that I'm thinking she just doesn't think you can salvage anything that was wet which IMO is nonsense. If it can be washed, you can probably salvage it.

roguequilter

much of the flood waters from harvey & irma are horribly contaminated with chemicals & sewage. i'd deffinitely do the bleach etc as quiltingshortimer suggests.

gingerd

Here's a link to a section within this board!

Info to restore and save items from Hurricanes

cashs_mom

Thank you, Ginger! I should have searched the board before I asked *smacks forehead*

I think by volunteering to take the quilt and try to clean it up, I guilted her into attempting to do something with it. Now she says she dried it in the sun and it just has some stains on the back that might come out with a gentle bleach wash.

Roguequilter, while the reports are, of course, greatly exaggerated and catatrophized for the shock effect, a lot of the flood water is just that. Water. We don't live in an area that allows septic systems and there were no sewer breaches here. Mostly its just the overflow from the reservoir or one of the creeks or rain water so while its a bit muddy and icky, it's not really toxic and many items can be salvaged. I wouldn't worry about something like a quilt that can be washed.

Cari-in-Oly

I feel the need to add 2 cents here. It's a fact that bleach does NOT kill mold or the spores, it only removes the color and to an extent, the smell. Bleach will actually cause the spores to explode and travel, bringing on more mold later if it isn't actually killed. Heat, vinegar, or borax will kill mold. So it's actually the heat(whether it's from a dryer or the sun) that kills the mold, not the bleach. Bleach will kill other germs but it does not kill mold.

Cari

Boston1954

That is so good to know. Thanks! I have vinegar in my house at all times.

KSellers

I have a friend with a beach house in Rockport. I had made her a quilt several years ago, and it was one of the few
things her daughters were able to save from the house. The roof had landed on top of it (which was probably the
only way it was protected). The quilt had been wet and had a few stains on it, but my friend wanted to take it somewhere to "get it fixed". I told her since I made the quilt, I thought I'd be the best to "fix it", and I picked it up at her house today. The quilt was not in bad shape, the daughters had just rinsed it out, and let it dry. I brought it home, put it in the washing machine with Cheer and Oxi Clean, and a Color Catcher on warm and all the stains
came out really well. I had done the same thing with an antique quilt a few months ago, and it took all the stains
out perfectly. I was so surprised, as those stains had been in for years. So that is my go to solution for stains and
dirt on quilts -- I hope it helps.

Calran

We have been told to use borax to kill mold spores. Worth researching.