Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Fleece Still smells after washing

gwennifer

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Posts
39
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
39
Hi, I saw another thread about this, but it was older so I wasn't allowed to post to it. I'm in the same fix. I had decided before adopting two piggies to build a 2x4 C&C cage with a kitchen loft and to spend the money up front on fleece bedding. I sewed my fleece liners with two layers of U-haul furniture pads sandwiched in. I just did my first washing using All Free & Clear detergent with 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle, and I am sooooo discouraged to find that the bedding still smells of urine.

I see everyone has different advice here, so I just want to clarify a few things:

Soaking in vinegar - is there any chance this means a vinegar solution? If I wanted to soak my 2x4 pad liner, it would take several gallons to cover it. If this is something you've done, can you tell me the ratio of vinegar to water? (And actually, where do you soak them? The bathtub? I don't think I could squash it into a diaper pail or 5 gallon bucket.)

Dawn dishwashing soap - did anyone try only adding Dawn to the regular detergent, nothing else, and can verify that it works for them? This would by far be the most economical solution.

Nature's Miracle - the bottle says 1/4 cup, or 1/2 cup for heavy stain or odors. The people here I saw recommended 1/2 cup, but has anyone tried 1/4 cup only and found it wasn't sufficient? Washing twice a week means a cup a week otherwise, which means a whole $6 32-ounce bottle every month. Yikes.

Bleach - I thought piggies were really sensitive to smells and fumes. Are those people using bleach doing an extra rinse? Is fleece color fast and the patterns aren't ruined by the bleach?

Baking soda - I didn't read the entire fleece project thread so perhaps this has been covered. I thought baking soda was a natural deodorizer and I see it recommended in cloth diaper cleaning. Does anybody here wash their fleece with baking soda?

Appreciate any help I can get. TIA.
 

Nazgul

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Posts
154
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
154
I wonder if the temperature you're washing it on has something to do with it..? I wash mine with just free & clear detergent on warm/cold, gentle cycle, and it turns out great.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
Fleece is totally indestructible, and can be washed in hot water with strong detergent and lots of bleach. I'd try that first.
 

Cavies4EverEver

Cavy Quiet
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Posts
374
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
374
I sprinkle banking soda underneath my fleece to keep the cage from smelling, when I am washing the fleece I wash on hot with non scented detergent and like 1/4 cup of bleach, It usually doesnt smell bad.
 

lunarminx

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Posts
3,232
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
3,232
If you use bleach, do a second rinse. Borax is another helpful additive that helps remove odors. You can also try a few stripping methods for diapers to start fresh and then wash with bleach each time.
 

gwennifer

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Posts
39
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
39
I appreciate all of your replies. I'm sure everyone is tired of the same questions on this forum again and again. I did read through so many posts on here before asking this and that's why I had specific questions about the different methods people use. I think I should have titled my thread differently, something about the different wash methods instead.

I guess I'll just do my own experiments using all your suggestions and see what works best for me. I'll try warmer water first. I see some people say there is a "warm piggy smell" right out of the dryer and that it quickly dissipates. Maybe that's all it was.
 

Cavies4EverEver

Cavy Quiet
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Posts
374
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
374
I appreciate all of your replies. I'm sure everyone is tired of the same questions on this forum again and again. I did read through so many posts on here before asking this and that's why I had specific questions about the different methods people use. I think I should have titled my thread differently, something about the different wash methods instead.

I guess I'll just do my own experiments using all your suggestions and see what works best for me. I'll try warmer water first. I see some people say there is a "warm piggy smell" right out of the dryer and that it quickly dissipates. Maybe that's all it was.

Let us know which method worked when you're done! :)
 

gwennifer

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Posts
39
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
39
It was time for another wash so I used lunarminx's suggestion of doing a stripping method to start fresh. I looked at my box of Borax and it said for baby clothes to soak in warm water with half a cup of Borax. Didn't say for how long, so I let it soak for half an hour. The water was still warm afterward so I just added my detergent and put it through a wash on gentle cycle, adding bleach for the last six minutes near the end of the cycle. Did an extra rinse because of the bleach. Everything came out smelling fresh so I've got a clean start now. When it gets smelly again I'll try one of the methods above.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Top