Originally Posted by craftygater

Also when storing fabric try using the vacuum bags. They are air tight and neither water or smells can get in. Then you can store them where ever you want without fear. I mean the storage bags that you vacuum out the air and seal them.

Originally Posted by Barb in Louisiana

It's amazing how info on this board comes at the right time for me. Several days ago, I pulled out some fabric and it smelled musty. I was wondering what I was going to do with the fabric. I knew I didn't want to throw it out. I had thought about soaking it in Odoban, which I have but now, will think about using vinegar first.

I have a front load washer, which means I will be putting a washtub size container in the tub to pre-soak the fabric, before washing it in the washer. I do not normally pre-wash my fabric, but had realized that the odor of mustiness would bother me...I have all the allergies to mold, mildew, dust, etc....so know that I didn't want to take a chance of getting those spores in my lungs. I just don't want a six week case of bronchitis.

In fact, now that I think of it, I will probably put the tub out on my patio and soak the fabric outside. It will only be vinegar & water in the tub, so won't harm the ground when I dump it out. Then I'll bring the fabric inside and wash it with detergent with Oxyclean in it and more vinegar. There won't be any chemicals in that fabric when I get through! Oh, better mention, I am going to pink the edges before I do this so I don't have all those horrible strings to deal with.

Originally Posted by katesnanna

While reading all the answers here I remembered reading on another site about getting smells out of bottles and food containers. People were saying to put scrunched up newspaper in them then put the lid on and leave them for a few days and all odors were gone.
I was thinking this may be a way to remove the odor from fabric. Place in a bucket with a lid or place in a plastic bag and tie the top. Worth a try. If it will remove odors from plastic containers and salsa bottles it should work for fabric.

Originally Posted by MFord

So many great ideas! Thank you all so much! I will try ironing the fabric to see if the odor comes back. If so, I have numerous options to try thanks to you all! And if it doesn't work, I'll talk to the animal shelter. They must get much worse odors in there, and I'm sure the animals would appreciate something newer, at least.

Originally Posted by Prism99

Honestly, I would NOT use fabric with an odor for dog beds or cat beds. Dogs have a sense of smell something on the order of 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than humans. Cats are estimated to be about 14 times more sensitive to smells than humans. Even dogs and cats care about what they sleep on!

I still think the best use for fabric in which odor is not completely removed is rag rugs. They can be used outside as well as inside the house and still serve a purpose.