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HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

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    #1

    HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

    I just got a jelly roll via a seller on ebay - a shop, not an indiviidual (A Stitcher's Garden - Moda) and it smells awful - like mildew - awful musty smell and is covered top & bottom in dust.
    I haven't run across this before. If I wash the the strips before I sew them togehter, will it mess them up in some way that will make it harder to sew? I can't spray anything (like Febreeze) on it as my husband is very allergic to anything scented at all, so I can't even bring things like that in the house.

    Putting it outside at some point might be okay, but right now, there is so much pollen that EVERYTHING is yellow and I'm terribly allregic to that, so I don't want to have pollen all over it. Does anyone have any other suggestions or will it be okay to wash it before sewing it up?

    I'm so disappointed.... and unhappy that someone would sell a jelly roll that is smelly, musty and covered in dust!
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    #2
    Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

    Did you know the condition of the jelly roll when you purchased it> If not you need to report this to ebay. send it back and paypal will refund your purchase price. If you really really want the fabric and can not find it somewhere else (like from our favorite MSQC Girls) than i would think hand washing would be okay using your normal detergent. What a bummer to have happen when you were probably looking forward to getting your project under way.
    Two of my favorite things, to encourage and to be encouraged
    hugs, Suzi
    http://suzi.mypremierdesigns.com/
    it's what i do when i'm not here sewing with you
    GOD Bless America

    Comment

      #3
      Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

      Hand-washing sounds like a great idea. If you wash each strip seperately and then lay them flat to dry you should have no problem sewing with them.
      Quilting through the dull times
      northstarquilting.blogspot.com

      Comment

        #4
        Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

        I wouldn't wash them. There was a post on here a long time ago and a woman hand washed her pre-cuts. They lost their shape and she was VERY disappointed. So sorry to hear about the jelly roll. That's why I only get my stuff from MSQC.

        Comment

          #5
          Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

          Thanks ladies for your comments. I did contact the ebayer and she did refund my money & doesn't want the jelly roll back - which was very good of her, but I still don't know that I will be able to do anything with it.
          The fabric is Moda's Stitcher's Garden and MSQC doesn't have it. It's an older line & I did check here (and other places too) both before & after. I'm going to look again this a.m. I was busy yesterday & didn't get too much of a chance to do a thorough search. And yes, I was anxious to use the fabric - isn't that always the way?

          Thanks again for your help - since I won't really "lose" anything, I might try handwashing a few of the strips & let them dry & see what happens....

          Happy Easter,
          Amy

          Comment

            #6
            Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

            What I've done with smoke smelling fabric that I got in a swap was put them in a bag with fabric softener sheets for a few days. you could also try one of those "smell catcher" containers they sell for the bathroom. put it in a bag with the fabric for a while.

            sorry about your fabric!!
            Michele

            Comment

              #7
              Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

              Originally posted by shell.scraps View Post
              What I've done with smoke smelling fabric that I got in a swap was put them in a bag with fabric softener sheets for a few days. you could also try one of those "smell catcher" containers they sell for the bathroom. put it in a bag with the fabric for a while.

              sorry about your fabric!!
              Michele,
              I can't have dryer sheets in the house because of my husbands allergies, so that won't work. What are the "smell catcher" containers you're talking about? Do you by chance have anymore info, brand, dept. they'd be in in a store like Wal-Mart, etc? It would be wonderful to find something that would work!!
              Thank you,
              Amy

              Comment

                #8
                Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

                Originally posted by AmySC View Post
                Michele,
                I can't have dryer sheets in the house because of my husbands allergies, so that won't work. What are the "smell catcher" containers you're talking about? Do you by chance have anymore info, brand, dept. they'd be in in a store like Wal-Mart, etc? It would be wonderful to find something that would work!!
                Thank you,
                Amy
                They are usually in the bathroom/detergents aisle and they are containers of activated charcoal.

                here is what one looks like

                Inno Fresh
                Michele

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

                  If you decide to hand wash your strips I'd think about putting them in the bathtub and slowly letting them soak. No agitation. Somebody suggested a "delicates" wash bag. I'd be tempted to run a stitch or a narrow zig-zag along the edge inboard of the quarter-inch seam allowance to keep them from fraying. (Lots of work!) If they smell like mildew, use a vinegar solution as a "rinse". Vinegar is a natural killer of mold & mildew. It won't bleach out your fabric, and should help set any of the dark colors while you are at it. I use about a cup in the rinse cycle for my washer. Your fabrics won't smell like pickles either.
                  Possible other solution is to hang the strips in the shower and spritz them with a detergent mix in a spray bottle and then rinse them off if you have a hand-held shower head.

                  I have sent an e-mail to a company that had 100% natural Volcanic Minerals. I was given a sample when the lady brought them into the shop where I was working to restock them. She saw that I was pregnant and told me that these would work great at pulling those "diaper" odors out of the room. I used them and they did work. I don't know if they still sell them, but if I hear back that they do, I'll let you know. I am thinking that you could put them into a ziplock with the jelly roll until they "soak up" the smell. These things are re-usable. You just plunk them in a pie pan in the bright sun for a few hours and they are all recharged. They don't smell, & no chemicals so your hubby can breathe easy.
                  Try the vacuum on low suction for removing the dust.
                  Glad to hear that the seller did the honorable thing by refunding your money. I guess it is one thing to know you are buying the fabric in that condition. It is quite another to think you are getting fabric in good shape and open it to find that.
                  Be who you are and say what you feel
                  because those who mind don't matter,
                  and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss

                  http://www.toggpine.wordpress.com

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: HELP! Musty smell in fabric. :-(

                    Originally posted by toggpine View Post
                    If you decide to hand wash your strips I'd think about putting them in the bathtub and slowly letting them soak. No agitation. Somebody suggested a "delicates" wash bag. I'd be tempted to run a stitch or a narrow zig-zag along the edge inboard of the quarter-inch seam allowance to keep them from fraying. (Lots of work!) If they smell like mildew, use a vinegar solution as a "rinse". Vinegar is a natural killer of mold & mildew. It won't bleach out your fabric, and should help set any of the dark colors while you are at it. I use about a cup in the rinse cycle for my washer. Your fabrics won't smell like pickles either.
                    Possible other solution is to hang the strips in the shower and spritz them with a detergent mix in a spray bottle and then rinse them off if you have a hand-held shower head.

                    I have sent an e-mail to a company that had 100% natural Volcanic Minerals. I was given a sample when the lady brought them into the shop where I was working to restock them. She saw that I was pregnant and told me that these would work great at pulling those "diaper" odors out of the room. I used them and they did work. I don't know if they still sell them, but if I hear back that they do, I'll let you know. I am thinking that you could put them into a ziplock with the jelly roll until they "soak up" the smell. These things are re-usable. You just plunk them in a pie pan in the bright sun for a few hours and they are all recharged. They don't smell, & no chemicals so your hubby can breathe easy.
                    Try the vacuum on low suction for removing the dust.
                    Glad to hear that the seller did the honorable thing by refunding your money. I guess it is one thing to know you are buying the fabric in that condition. It is quite another to think you are getting fabric in good shape and open it to find that.

                    Thank you so much for sending an email about the "Volcanic Minerals" for me. That sounds like the "perfect thing" - just what I need. I am going to run to Wal-Mart today to see if they have anything like this, but I'm not counting on it. I live in a very small town and it's hard to find lots of things here. I did think of trying the vacuum cleaner, it might work. I did take them outside yesterday afternoon and shake them really well. The smell was really strong then. I put them in a window in the sun hoping that might help a bit since I can't put them outside in all the pollen. If you hear anything about those pouches, please do let me know.
                    Thanks so very much,
                    Amy

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