Fleece Smelly....

HarleypigsMummy · Dec 17, 2012

Hey Guys!

I have been using fleece for about 8 weeks now! I do love it, because I don't have wood shavings in my socks anymore! lol

For the first 5 weeks or so, I was getting away with poop-scooping twice a day and only changing fleece completely once a week. The complete change of fleece is now up to twice a week and will be up to three times a week soon as I feel that it is getting smelly very quickly...:sad: I use 1 layer of fleece and three layers of cotton towels, all sewn together into pads. Its getting so bad that I have considered going back to wood shavings.... but I REALLY do not want to!

Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be causing the smell to have gotten worse over the last few weeks?

Also, the 1st time I washed my pads, the towels shrunk...any-one any ideas how to prevent shrinking?

Thanks!
Leanne, Harley and Memphis xxx

peanut.lover · Dec 17, 2012

HarleypigsMummy said:
Hey Guys!

I have been using fleece for about 8 weeks now! I do love it, because I don't have wood shavings in my socks anymore! lol

For the first 5 weeks or so, I was getting away with poop-scooping twice a day and only changing fleece completely once a week. The complete change of fleece is now up to twice a week and will be up to three times a week soon as I feel that it is getting smelly very quickly...:sad: I use 1 layer of fleece and three layers of cotton towels, all sewn together into pads. Its getting so bad that I have considered going back to wood shavings.... but I REALLY do not want to!

Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be causing the smell to have gotten worse over the last few weeks?

Also, the 1st time I washed my pads, the towels shrunk...any-one any ideas how to prevent shrinking?

Thanks!
Leanne, Harley and Memphis xxx

This thread is amazing. https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/fleece/21568-fleece-project-study.html It will answer all your questions no doubt !

T_Licious · Dec 17, 2012

What does your washing routine look like?

Iklepink · Dec 17, 2012

As my fleece goes over the sides of my correx so its completely encased I use puppy pads then towels then fleece. They seems to suck away a fair bit of the pee and the smell. I get the from Home Baragins/Quality Save £4.99 for a box of 40 which does my 3 cages for a month.

cfoster1966 · Dec 17, 2012

1) I would take the liners apart. I find it very difficult to clean all layers thoroughly when they are sewn together.
2) You need to use the most basic detergent, powder is best. Stay away from Tide, it is not good for guinea pig stuff.
3) Strip your fleece when it starts to smell by using just 1tsp of the blue dawn in the wash and then use as many rinse cycles as possible until there are no more suds.
4) When washing, put vinegar in the wash and rinse cycles
5) Spray your fleece with vinegar and let it sit before washing

These things have kept my fleece from ever smelling. Good luck!

mamattorney · Dec 17, 2012

Most likely the liners need to be stripped - this is just a sample link of things to try. Google smelly cloth diapers for LOTS of info. Stripping Cloth Diapers - Strip Cloth Diapers

cfoster1966 · Dec 17, 2012

One more thing...do not use too much detergent. It doesn't get them any cleaner and actually will build up.

Quinten29 · Dec 17, 2012

I'm starting to swear by this

(broken link removed)

I use it in my 4 story multi level build with 7 boars and despite the usual smells when they are having their 'dominance' chat's with one another the dust runners work a charm only have to change them once a week, completely absorbent and better yet can be washed too, (just not in anything over 30 deg) I now have 2 of those rolls which i swap out 1 for 1 every week and a quick wash with some detergent and vinigar and i'm sorted, havn't had it tear on me or go wonky, and better yet i've lost 80% of the smells you get from towels and puppy pads (my previous method) although i do still use a single puppy pad in the worst area's where my boys tend to do all their business just as extra insurance.

Hope this helps.

RubyRain · Dec 17, 2012

Easiest thing is do a hot wash and rinse with vinegar-1/2 cup. Do it again if the first time wasn't enough. Don't use soap the second time.
I do a vinegar rinse about every 5th wash or so.
Also use only a tiny bit-maybe a tablespoon-of detergent. You don't need much soap to clean clothes.

Letting it dry in the sun is also a great deodorizer! Even if you dry it in the dryer you can still let it sit in the sun for a few hours and it will help.

As far as shrinkage-they shouldn't shrink anymore. Always prewash/dry at least once (twice is best) to preshrink before attaching to fleece.

ETA-Don't feel bad despite the critical comments :boggled:-just learn as you go and ask more questions.

Quinten29 · Dec 17, 2012

spy9doc said:
Hmmm......that's interesting "stuff". Have you any idea what the fiber content may be? It looks a bit like our uHaul pads.

Dunno about the fiber content, but I just make sure the guys can't get anywhere near it, all my fleece's are pinned down, and once i have enough to do a proper 1 for 1 then i will have the fleece underlayer sewn into the fleece top, then the guys won't get at it at all and all i have to do is drop in the fleece sheets and i'm good to go, can't wait as that will save at least 1h worth of work lol.

rdoye225 · Dec 17, 2012

I use this in my Landry becouse my son smells like a puppy when he come home from school and I dont know about my husband smell so I was at lost when I was washing his and my son cloths and it helps out alot no smell but fresh and clean. https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/fleece/80988-home-made-laudry-soap.html

HarleypigsMummy · Dec 18, 2012

Thanks guys, I will try all your suggestions.

@spy9doc I think it very unfair that you suggest I am "cutting corners"... my boys get the best I can give them! And isn't that the point of this forum, to ask questions and get advice? Thank you for your suggestions re keeping something not quite clean in the cage and using the cage fresh though!

@ Quinten29 Do you use this underneath your fleece? And how many layers? It looks like uHaul pads but I think I have checked the fibre content before and thought it wouldn't be suitable. But now you say that the piggies can't get at it, that makes sense!

Leanne xx

madelineelaine · Dec 18, 2012

@HarleypigsMummy

I have to agree, I find it unfair that someone would say that.

I have always used 'cheap' fleece and towels.

Mine works just find for me. I've sewn liners with towels and I love it.

I don't think I've ever bought fleece over 5$ a meter, and even then, I used 3$/m fleece in my cage for a long time. It worked fine.

It depends on the size of the cage most. I use vinegar in every wash I run too.

MrWhistles · Dec 18, 2012

I love my uhual pads. I don't smell a single thing!!!
It almost sounds like you maybe using too much detergent. Because you start off with weekly changes, then bi-weekly and then tri-weekly. My opinion? I think it is a combination of both the towels and possibly using too much detergent.

alethea · Dec 24, 2012

I use newspaper under the fleece which i can change everyday so the smell totally reduced once i use this method. i saw someone suggest this net method from LINK REMOVED

I use prefer this method because it is easier for me to change the newspaper everyday without taking off the fleece. I let the poops fall to the newspaper when i swept the poops to the sides of the cage so i just wrap the newspaper and throw it away in the morning. I find this method is the most suitable for me to control odor in my room.

PipSqueek · Dec 24, 2012

Do you have a separate kitchen area?

I would drop the liners. With so many towels, there's a good chance the 'inside' ones won't be getting cleaned properly. I use (broken link removed) which work pretty well, and better than towels did for me.

If you do go back to loose bedding, be sure to check out your options. Woodshavings definitely aren't your only option, and there's some that sound like they'd be much more suitable for you.

pinky · Dec 24, 2012

I don't think the problem is the towels but I do think that you shouldn't sew them together. When I was experimenting making fleece pads, I sewed them with fleece on two sides and different inside layers. I used them as usual, washed them, dried them until they were completely dry and took them all apart to inspect the inside. I only had a single layer of towels in mine and they were still damp after having been dried in the dryer and feeling dry to the touch on the outside. As long as your towels are 100% cotton, I'd use them but not sew them into a pad so they can be thoroughly washed and dried. I'd imagine they'd never get really clean in the washing machine with that many layers. My pads are now all made with fleece on two sides and a single layer of uhaul pads in the middle and they work great.

PhinniePig · Dec 30, 2012

Hi everyone.. I was looking at bedding alternatives and recently discovered this website ((broken link removed)), although I haven't purchased one of the bedspreads.. I am quite keen to try them out, lots of good reviews and some great advice on cleaning fleece. Hope this helps.

Ps has anyone tried these??

lissie · Dec 31, 2012

alethea said:
I use newspaper under the fleece which i can change everyday so the smell totally reduced once i use this method. i saw someone suggest this net method from LINK REMOVED

I use prefer this method because it is easier for me to change the newspaper everyday without taking off the fleece. I let the poops fall to the newspaper when i swept the poops to the sides of the cage so i just wrap the newspaper and throw it away in the morning. I find this method is the most suitable for me to control odor in my room.

Those cages are way too small. They're half the recommended size for one pig. Guinea pigs need space to run laps. The wires are not good for them to walk on and can cause foot problems such as pododermatitis. Even when they lay a piece of fleece on top, the pigs can still feel the wires when they walk on.

I wouldn't follow the guide from that site.

In fact, it's pretty unsafe and a bad advice. I'll have to remove the link.

RubyRain · Dec 31, 2012

PhinniePig said:
Hi everyone.. I was looking at bedding alternatives and recently discovered this website ((broken link removed)), although I haven't purchased one of the bedspreads.. I am quite keen to try them out, lots of good reviews and some great advice on cleaning fleece. Hope this helps.

Ps has anyone tried these??

Yes, I have used these and they are great. I had 2 in rotation for about 2 yrs and I was very happy with them. They are pricey new but worth it in the long run if you can't sew them yourself.

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Fleece Smelly....

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