How do you get rid of a musty smell...

[YaYa Yarnhood]

from yarn? I received a huge lot of WW yarn (mostly RH and Sayelle) from freecycle. A lot of it is still unused skeins. But it came from a home where it had been sitting a long time and it smells musty. (Like I remember my Grandma used to smell, sorry if that seems rude). Any suggestions on how to freshen it up?

Thanks!

[crochet smartcat]

I set mine out on a nice sunny day and let it air out. If the skeins are secured tightly enough, you could put them in the dryer with the dry cleaner sheets. That would definitely take out the smell. Another possiblity would be to try Febreeze or similar product. If you are not using it for a while, you could try putting a box of baking soda in the box or bag with it to help draw out the moisture and odor.

[threeolivemartini]

you could stuff the skeins in panty hose legs.. tie like sausages and run them thru the wash... but if its not too bad just musty .. i think a nice day out in the sun with a few sprays of febreeze would do it..

[Bobbie Faye]

Our charity sewing group received four large garbage bags full of yarn donated from a home where the husband and wife smoked and the yarn reeked of smoke. Before I threw it away .. I put a few skeins at a time into a lingerie bag and gently washed it in Dreft .. and then rinsed it in a no-fragrance rinse, but added 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse water.. Then I air dried it on a cool, breezy day.

 

Only the fuzzy yarns kept the smell, so we had to get rid of those, but the rest are fine.

[sunshine1977]

All Fabric Refresher sheets work great too...Might tie them up in hose as mentioned earlier and run them through the air dry cycle in the dryer and then put them all back in the bag or box with the used sheets for a while!

[Mary]

I have run into this before as I'm always checking bins in second hand stores. The vinegar works best for me. I have tied the yarn in anklet panty hose and washed it with the vinegar. Need to give it a good rinse or you will be craving french fries all day. Vinegar is a natural neutralizer.

 

Mary

[YaYa Yarnhood]

Thank you all so much for the help. I really appreciate it!

[Captain Hook]

I have some experience with removing nasty smells from things, living with both a dog and a smoker. If you haven't managed to remove the smell, make a water and baking soda solution and soak for a while, until the water is clear (all the baking soda will have been absorbed) and allow it to dry.