Cleaning Mud Fleece

PLEASE READ:
I have had this polypay fleece sittin in the closet for almost a year because I could not think of a way to clean the nasty, muddy tips. I was told the tips get caked like this because of the fineness of the fleece...I dunno about that story. Here is how I finally cleaned the tips to half-way decently and hopefully this will help someone else.
*I forgot to mention in the vid that I used hot water, as hot as I could stand (which for me is very hot), with NO SOAP and that the fleece had been soaking in the tub all day before I attempted to remove the mud this way. Even after all that time I still had trouble getting the gunk out of the fleece! I hope the fleece sellers out there will take pictures of the actual fleece when request because this buyer will go elsewhere after this experience if I cannot get a picture of the actual fleece I am purchasing!
Your fleece will not felt unless you add soap WITH agitation. So NO SOAP, just muscle power.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• fleece
• cleaning
• fiber
• spinning
• yarn

[biztekgeek]

I love the bottles! What a great idea.

I was given a lot of free fleece that had lots of poop. Instead of the tub, I use big plastic storage boxes outside - and gloves. When the water gets too nasty, I transfer the wool into the next box of clean water, the grass then gets fertilized with the nasty water. The quality of the wool ended up great and well worth the effort.

[rexenne]

@biztekgeek Sweetness!!!

[MinnesotaFlash]

Say what you will folks, but when you get a fleece that is a total mess (mine usually come from eBAY), your only choices are to pitch them or try to salvage what you can.

I am right now trying to save what I can of a long stapled Angora fleece that apparently was raised under fir trees. I should just pitch it but what I have saved is very nice. You people not approving Rexenne's methods must be the ones getting all the GOOD FLEECES.

[rexenne]

@MinnesotaFlash LOL!!!

[Cyberchipz]

@swimmingfish5 oh, BTW I did finally get to try the cold water and soap scrub and as she says, it makes very little to no felt. I wasn't too horribly surprised as I knew a lot more by the time I tried it and understood why it doesn't open up the staple and therefore the natural hooks don't get a chance to catch. soap + warm->hot(water)=felt.

[thestarbox]

Love your videos! I have used your method with great success. I used a piece of screen leftover from re-screening my doors to hold the fleece at bay while I drained the tub. It kept the small pieces from getting loose and clogging the drain.For those who are up in arms about possible felting, the agitation is very minimal and any felting is slight and easily combed/carded. I ended up with just tiny nubs or noils here and there while I was combing, carding, and picking my final fleece.

[rexenne]

@AMSroadrunner I never thought of that! Great idea!

[AMSroadrunner]

you could make your own drain cleaner! Lye is pretty easy to make and does a wonderful job.

[rexenne]

Oh forgot....yes I do remove the fiber (as much as I can) before popping the drain. Alpaca fleece is a lot simpler to clean since it has no lanolin in it. Simply soak amounts in warm (not hot) water to loosen dirt & dust. What doesn't come out in the warm water soak will when you spin it. If you fleece has second cuts, I would not recommend the tub but rather a mop bucket. It's slow. It's tedious, but gets the job done.

[rexenne]

LOL, you don't. Clogged pipes are inevitable sooner or later, especially when the tub is all I have to work in. A good drain clearer works the clogs out (although it does go against my environmentally conscious mind to do such a thing, but how else could it be done? I've tried the drain zipper. It works great on the kitchen sink but not the tub)!