quiltedsunshine

I've seen rotted cotton fabric in a plastic tote twice. And I ruined the quilt my grandmother gave me when I was eight, by putting it in a plastic garbage bag and storing it in a storage unit for about a year. These were both in California. I wonder if heat and moisture play a part in it.

ragamuffin

I took the drill and drilled holes near the handles on both sides of my big ones, down to my little ones. I certainly do not want any problems. All of mine are in rooms in the house. Most of my fabric is on the shelves in my closet, and my quilts are in suit cases under the beds. I put a washed sheet in first to line the case and then folded the sheet to cover the quilts. When I houseclean, the cases come out and opened. Just a suggestion for those who need a hiding place for your quilts. Merry Christmas everyone.

charlottequilts

I have been told by those who have had chemistry that all plastic (hard or soft) outgasses, as in that"new car" smell. I use banker's boxes, lined with freezer paper and then with cloth around the fabric bundles. Perhaps we have some chemists on the board?

Hugs,
Charlotte

BETTY62

I store my fabric in plastic totes and have not had any issues.

quilting cat

Having used both at the same time, I have noticed that cardboard boxes on the floor of the closet are more likely to pick up odors (mustiness) than plastic tubs. I have even stored fabric in a plastic tub OUTSIDE, while the sewing room got painted, and forgotten it for over a month without the fabric having any problems.
I do prefer the flexibility of cardboard boxes for cramming in more fabric in a limited space but plastic keeps it cleaner and (I think) neater.

Reba'squilts

I have no problem with plastic storage totes. Mine are in the basement where I sew, it is a really dry basement so moisture is not a problem. I have a large amount of fabric in my mothers old cedar chest, I completely lined it with a stick on shelf lining product and have not experienced any problems yet. I have to wonder about the fumes from the cedar. At this time I do not have an option for other storage....but may need to rethink the chest.

coopah

My only thought to add anything to the conversation is that roaches love cardboard and paper of any kind. Also, those garbage bags deteriorate rather quickly. My stash is in a utility room with a dehumidifier. So far, so good. Need to quit buying fabric, though!

toverly

Any fabric will rot in a humid condition whether it is in plastic or boxes. I love my plastic totes for their see thru qualities. rodents and bugs are not attracted to the plastic.

tessagin

My stash is in clear totes. I get into them enough they do get air. Opened one of the totes the other day and there was a bit of a slight odor. Found a remnant with a wrap around tag, I had overlooked. Looked through the tote again and found another also. took them both out and washed in hot water then threw into a hot dryer. No more odor. Had a couple packets of silica gel and tossed them in to help absorb any odor or moisture. Does make a difference in prewashing. Just had a bit of a sour off odor.

Snooze2978

When I was decluttering my Florida house I put all my fabric into plastic totes as this was Florida and its wet, humid, hurricanes, etc. so wanted to protect them the best way I knew. Of course I hadn't realized it would take 3 years to sell the house and then move, look for another house, remodel it and finally move in. This took a total of 4.5 years. My fabric came out just fine and I still have a tote or two containing fabrics which I just don't have room for on the shelves. True, they do claim its not good for the fabric but I haven't seen any effect to mine. I have both cotton, fleece and dress apparel type fabrics. Plus, though my household goods were to be stored in an A/C unit, I doubt they were as some of my items were discolored a yellowish color, my albums were bowed from the heat that led me to this conclusion. And we know just how hot it gets in Florida plus inside a storage unit. So you do the math.