MFord

I just ran a load of older fabric (probably '80's) through the wash - 14 minute wash with All unscented and Borax, hot water - and it still smelled a bit like "basement." I find that I am very sensitive to the dust and whatever else is in this older fabric - sneeze and cough all the time I'm near it - but we use an awful lot of it in our Linus charity quilts, because we get it free.

I'm now soaking the load with water and vinegar and will leave it an hour or so before re-washing. What if it still smells? (It has happened before.) I have a super sensitive nose, myself - my husband doesn't even smell this. I hate to give this to a child in a hospital, even though it should be super clean by the time I'm done. I could throw the fabric away, but that doesn't solve the problem that all the other quilters are using old fabric. I'm troubled by this and don't know just what to do. Any suggestions?

PaperPrincess

Wrong time of the year, but airing them outdoors usually does it for me.

Prism99

I would probably try soaking overnight in water and vinegar and/or OxyClean. If there is still an odor in the fabric that you can detect, chances are it is mold. I would set aside that fabric for making rag rugs and not use it in a quilt.

Edit: Here are a couple of websites with methods to try.
http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Musty-Smell-from-Clothes
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/black-mold-clothes.html

You could also try soaking/washing the fabric in Nok-Out, but that starts getting pricey:
https://www.nokout.com/home.php

quiltingcandy

I will be surprised if your vinegar doesn't work. My husband accuses me of being part bear because I can smell things no one else can smell. (The bears sense of smell is 400 times more than man's.) So I can understand what you are saying. After you wash the fabric, consider hanging them outside for a while. And ask some of your quilting buddies to smell the fabric - if they can't smell it, then chances are the fabric is okay. I got some fabric from a smoker and I thought I was going to wash the color out of the fabric before the smell came out. Not sure if it was the baking soda or the vinegar but it finally stopped smelling.

Annaquilts

Out side airing, oxy clean and vinegar. A good wash with some regular strong detergent might take care of it too and then wash it again with the hypoallergenic detergent and rinse with vinegar, fabric softener slot, to get any residual soap out. If it is still stinky I do not use it. I smell everything too. You might also find it is just one piece of fabric and not the whole load that makes it stinky.

bearisgray

My guideline is:

Would I want this given to me - even as a tent" quilt for the kids to play with?

TexasSunshine

I understand completely about being ultra-sensitive to odors, I am too. It would bother me if I could still smell it.

MFord

The vinegar soak helped a lot! It still has a very faint odor, but I will be washing the whole quilt after it's made, and I think I'll be satisfied then. I do think hanging the fabric outdoors is a great idea, but not at 36 degrees and drizzly!

Barb in Louisiana

It's amazing how info on this board comes at the right time for me. Several days ago, I pulled out some fabric and it smelled musty. I was wondering what I was going to do with the fabric. I knew I didn't want to throw it out. I had thought about soaking it in Odoban, which I have but now, will think about using vinegar first.

I have a front load washer, which means I will be putting a washtub size container in the tub to pre-soak the fabric, before washing it in the washer. I do not normally pre-wash my fabric, but had realized that the odor of mustiness would bother me...I have all the allergies to mold, mildew, dust, etc....so know that I didn't want to take a chance of getting those spores in my lungs. I just don't want a six week case of bronchitis.

In fact, now that I think of it, I will probably put the tub out on my patio and soak the fabric outside. It will only be vinegar & water in the tub, so won't harm the ground when I dump it out. Then I'll bring the fabric inside and wash it with detergent with Oxyclean in it and more vinegar. There won't be any chemicals in that fabric when I get through! Oh, better mention, I am going to pink the edges before I do this so I don't have all those horrible strings to deal with.

Barb in Louisiana

I took the time to look up the webpage for Odoban and found that it, too, is supposed to kill mold & mildew. It is found at Home Depot by the gallon. I'll probably try it first, because I have it and it has never faded any fabric for me. If you want to read about it.... http://www.odoban.com/products/odoba...ptus-scent.php

Several years ago, we bought a "very" pre-owned trailer that the previous owners had smoked in for years. Drenching the fabric by spraying with Odoban spray took all that smoke smell out. I mixed it at a ratio of 1 part Odoban and 3 parts water. It really "ate" the smokey odor out of the window trim and some of the upholstery. We did not have to change out the fuzzy ceiling fabric. After spraying the fabric until it was drenched, I had to get out of the trailer, because the odor from the smoke & the Odoban was stifling. But now...no odor whatsoever.

Edited to add: I forgot the best part....the gallon of Odoban concentrate, costs about $10. It is a great value for the money. I use it instead of fabric softener, about 1/4 cup per load. I use it straight out of the bottle for the laundry.