Fleece & Laundry Q's

It sounds like you are on the right track. It can take a couple washing to get fleece to work properly, and yes the dryer sheets can make it worse. The detergent sounds okay. You can add some vinegar to the wash (the rinse cycle maybe?) if you notice that your fleece is smelling musty. I usually just use laundry detergent and really hot water.

I know that fabric softners can cause towels,bedding etc. to be non-absorbant. I imagine fleece would be full of static without them though. I guess just rewash and do without fabric softener if you want it to absorb better. Maybe someone else has a better idea...I'd sure like to know the answer!

Any type of detergent is fine. I know several people use vinegar in the rinse, but I've never personally found it necessary. Definitely do NOT use the dryer sheets though. They make the fleece water resistant, and you want water to wick through to the absorbant underlayers.

I think it depends on the fleece/dryer sheets/dryer. I've been ussing Snuggle dryer sheets for my fleece the whole time without any problems.

Maybe it's becuase I use sheets and not liquid?

I use cheap detergent, a bit of generic pine-sol (lemon scent), and the heavy duty cycle to wash. No fabric softener at all. I also don't cram my pig linens in a load.

I just use Tide and wash with hot water. I air dry my cage blanket because I sewed a waterproof mattress pad to the fleece and it is has a plastic backing. I have no problem with odor at all - even when they are dirty, they don't smell. Dryer sheets and fabric softener are not a good idea because they can make the fabric less absorbant.

Don't forget that your piggies sweet little feet will be walking on the bedding 24/7. If you use softeners or additives or perfumed products your are risking issues with sinus problems, and feet problems, and for males, testicle problems from being exposed to that stuff all day long and rubbing it and breathing it.

I personally just use All Free and Clear, and a tiny amount of bleach and wash it in hot water. I'd follow it up with an additional rinse if I had the option as well. If they are really gross, I like to run it through an additional wash cycle without adding soap. This helps with the hair removal, and actually makes them SUPER soft, I think by getting out all the detergent residue the fleece puffs up a ton.