What do you use for washing thoes smelly blankets?

[Tarah]

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but always got too sidetracked to remember..

I wash my rats fleece blankets two times because the smell doesn't seem to go away. Even after the second wash, it still smells really bad.

I was wondering what all of you use to take the edge off thoes smelly blankets? (Soaps, Detergents, Additives, Bleach?)

Any advies/replies would be appreciated!

 

[Maple]

I washed my rats bedding 3 times with a quarter bottle of bleech added. Worked great........until I took it out of the dryer. I don't think there is any way to get rid of the stink, thats why I'm going back to the carefresh, if I can figure out how to keep it in the cage. I smell these rats the minute I walk in the door. :doh: poof!!

 

[Tarah]

That's exactly it though, the blankets smell fine until they are taken out of the dryer!
There is no way to keep carefresh in my cage (it's home made)

I need a solutionnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. :giggle:

 

[Maple]

I have 2 CN's and I'm still working on a way to keep the carefresh in. I have to come up with something, cause I can't stand the stink anymore!! Ewwwwwww

 

[Tarah]

Hahahah, i know what you mean!

 

[ryelle]

have you tried air-drying the fleece instead of using a dryer and seeing if there is a difference? I always hang mine on the washing line so the air can circulate through the material. Maybe its the heat in the dryer thats bringing the smell out more?
I just use Fairy washing powder (its made so its gentle enough to wash babies clothing in) and they smell ok lol. Some hairs just refusse to come out of the fleece but its no biggy for me

 

[Kayla]

I use vinegar with a very small amount of detergent and I hang their stuff to dry.

 

[Tarah]

Yeah, I think it's the dryer doing it for me. So i'll start hanging their blankets..

But what about in the winter? Do you hang them inside?

 

[DadRat]

Wash with our normal detergent [scent free, otherwise I itch] and a splash of white vinegar.

Dry without fabric softener.

This is usually done with a towels load.

 

[ryelle]

I don't, and never have, owned a drier, so we stick with good old radiators and washing lines LOL. we have an clothes airer that unfolds and we put in the dining room

 

[brittanyfork]

But what about in the winter? Do you hang them inside?

I bet you could hang them in the basement on a string of rope.
My nan does the same thing in her basement!

 

[Tarah]

True enough!

 

[jorats]

That's weird cause ours don't stink. I only use fleece, normal amount of detergent according to load size. Since it's fleece, it takes very little time to dry and no fabric softener.

 

[Tarah]

Ohh Jo. I wish I could be so lucky.
Here they smelll sooo bad. And the cage is cleaned every other day.
I don't get it.

 

[Kayla]

But what about in the winter? Do you hang them inside?

I bet you could hang them in the basement on a string of rope.
My nan does the same thing in her basement!

That's exactly what I do with the animal laundry all year round. We have a dehumidifier running all summer though. :wink2:

 

[Cigar]

I personally don't use fleece because of the awful smell. I use Borax with all their towels and hammocks though.

 

[Pink]

My liners for the FN are a year and a half old and only smell very faintly of rat pee (like I can bury my face in a freshly dried load and can smell a bit of pee, but its not overwhelming at all). They just consist of a single layer of fleece, I don't pin them or anything. I wash with a scent/dye free detergent and vinegar and dry on low. I think it makes a huge difference if you wash the fleece immediately compared to waiting until it builds up. If you wait a couple days the urine smell really becomes horrible and takes a few washes to get out.

Pink

 

[henry's_mum]

I wash in the machine with scent free soap, ,and in the fabric softner cup in your machine, I fill it up with vinegar!
Works like a charm, and I do rat laundry about 3x's a week. Once the fleece gets the 'rat smell' to it, and I can't seem to get it out, it gets tossed.

I also dry on low, or hang outside weather permitting of course!

 

[Tarah]

The thing everyone seems to use that i don't is vinegar.
Maybe i'll try that.

I also do rat laundry about three times a week, and usually wash the blankets right after cleaning the cage.

 

[Chel]

This is a great topic,
I can't air dry since I'm in an apartment with limited space, so I throw mine in the dryer with a pleasant smelling bounce sheet. I've never noticed an overwhelming smell, I can't afford carefresh and I've been turned off of it since my ratties got lice from it, plus I don't have the freezer space to ensure that no buggies get to meh rats! So really fleece is my only option. Since I pay to do my laundry I put the dirty fleece in a Tupperware bin outside on the balcony until I have enough for a load. I wonder why I've never noticed a bad smell out of the dryer, do you have male rats? (I ask since I have all females).