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Fleece Fleece not absorbing!

Pretty Piggies

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I hope I'm spelling this right. Today I made a c&c cage. It's adorable and they love it! How long does it take for the pee to soak through? There's a wet spot on the fleece. I washed the fleece once. I didn't want to wait to make the cage any longer. My mom wasn't washing that color again for a couple of days. How long does it take for it to soak through?
 

sdpiggylvr

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You don't want the fleece to absorb the moisture, you want it to wick the moisture. Absorbing of urine will only make the fleece smell within a matter of days, leaving you upset and grossed out. You need to wash the fleece several times before using it in the cage, as most fleece has been treated to be waterproof. The multiple washings will strip the fleece of this waterproof surface, which will make the fleece wick best.

Do you also have an absorbent layer underneath the fleece?
 

Pretty Piggies

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Underneath the fleece I have a layer of newspaper, then a towel, then a uhaul blanket. The wet spot I was talking about is almost gone. I think that it just takes a couple minutes. As the fleece goes through more washings, I believe it will be a shorter amount of time for the liquid to wick through. :) Thanks!
 

Inle_Rabbit

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The fleece needs to be washed and dried 3 times. Don't use any drier sheets or fabric softener. It should wick away in seconds not minutes. Fleece is usually water resistant until it has been washed and the water resistance is wash away. It will get better the more you wash it.
 

Pretty Piggies

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It was washed and dried once. My mom wasn't washing that color for a couple more days again, and their cage really stinked. When she washed that color again I'll try to wash the fleece again. We didn't use fabric softener or dryer sheets. kaya and paddie's cage 051.jpg
 

RubyRain

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Fleece does not bleed colors so you can wash it with it with any color. It sounds like you'll have stinky fleece in just a day or 2 so be prepared to wash it soon.
And yes, washing and drying 3x is usually what is needed to get it ready.
 

pinky

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I'd suggest you wash your guinea pig bedding separately from the family laundry. I use a cup of vinegar with the laundry detergent. If your mom doesn't want to wash a less than full load, you might want to have multiple fleece and towel sets and keep the dirty ones in a closed container and wash multiple sets together at once. I run a washer cycle with just vinegar and water between my guinea pig laundry and family laundry to disinfect the washing machine.
 

bpatters

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You also want to get all the hair and hay off the fleece before washing it, else you washing machine filter will eventually clog up. I quit using fleece for that very reason -- it was too hard to get the hair/hay off, and my washing machine filter is a pain in the neck to clean out.
 

RubyRain

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Oh yes, definitely wash it separately! Don't want little hairs all over your clothes.

I shake the fleece out really good before washing and just wipe out the washer after each wash and we don't have any problems. We've been using fleece for about 9 mos. We have a front loader too.
 

Krelean

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Highly suggest removing the newspaper and just using a thick towel under the fleece. Wash your fleece at least 3x and then you should start to see good absorbency. I also suggest using an unscented detergent, my pigs sneeze if I use scented anything.
Cage looks great!
 

CavyMama

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I can only reiterate what the others have said - washing once is not enough. Fleece doesn't absorb the moisture - that would make it wet and defeat the purpose. You need an absorbant layer (like puppy pads or cloth towels), underneath to keep the top layer dry. Newspaper won't work as it's anything but absorbant. You'll end up with a big wet mess .

In order to do that, it needs to be washed 3-4 times. and without fabric softener or dryer sheets. It's probably best to wash it separate from the regular laundry and make sure you shake out any hay and brush off any fur so it doesn't clog the washer.
 

Pretty Piggies

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[COLOR=(broken link removed)574738]Fleece does not bleed colors so you can wash it with it with any color. It sounds like you'll have stinky fleece in just a day or 2 so be prepared to wash it soon.
And yes, washing and drying 3x is usually what is needed to get it ready.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I'll tell my Mom and maybe we can wash it again! Right now it's in the dryer for the second time. Right now my piggies are just on the underlayer in the cage. Would that be fine for the night?[/COLOR]
 

CavyMama

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Well, it will probably be okay temporarily but as it's the absorbant layer, there will be wet spots on the surface which will reduce the space that your pigs can sit, lay, sleep comfortably. I would continually swap out the wet portions with dry. Maybe use folded up towels that will be easily removed if that area gets wet.

I have two sets of fleece for each cage so when one is in the wash, I have the other in the cage.
 
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