Dammit!

[gothams3rdrobin]

I went rummaging at the bottom of my wardrobe this morning, planning to clear it out as I need somewhere to store my old TV (my uncle's given me his old one, as the one my grandparents gave me doesn't have a very good focus, so I need somewhere to keep the one already in my room since it still works). I was keeping my wool in a wicker basket, but when I pulled it out the basket had gone all mouldy! :-(

It's a recurring problem in my room, since the floods I used to have in my bathroom. For some reason, my bedroom still has damp issues *grumbles*

There's no sign - at least at the moment - of any damp on the wool inside the basket. But it all smells very fausty. And some of it's really nice wool too...

Anyone got much experience with wool? Can I shove all of it in the machine and wash it, or do I just have to throw it all away? I really, really hope not.

Comments

[phoebesmum.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose you would wash it once it had been knitted up. But the skeins might come unravelled in the machine and you'd never get them disentangled. If you had one of those nets they sometimes advertise for washing socks in so that they don't get lost ... Um. You're not much of a skirt-wearer, are you, so you might not have a pair of tights to put them in. If you did, that might work.

Anyway, it's worth a shot, if the alternative is to chuck it out.

Damp is the worst. There is something about water inside the house where it shouldn't be that's just unremittingly miserable. A couple of times in the old house the wall beside the upstairs shower leaked and went mouldy, and guess what was on the other side? My bookshelves, is what. Nightmare!

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

There's way too much of it for me to knit it all up before I wash it *wrinkles nose*

I actually do have a couple of those nets - I originally intended to wash the socks in those bags so they wouldn't get lost.

Tell me about it! I'm having to invest in plastic storage boxes, 'cause the damp is getting onto the boxfiles I store my comics in. And these comics are anything from a week to thirty years old. :-( The usual thing is to buy a longbox, and store each individual comic in a plastic sleeve, but the damp would rot the box away within months, I'm certain.

[phoebesmum.livejournal.com]

No, that came out wrong. Sorry, I didn't get much sleep. (Cats!) I meant, if you can wash it once it's knitted, you can presumably also wash it before you knit it up.

If you have the nets, then I would try them.

Water actually pouring through the roof is, I think, the most distressing thing - it completely undermines any sense of security that 'home' might have - and, when it also comes through the light fitting, that's just terrifying - but mould is depressing, because it's long-term and insidious and you think you've got rid of it and then all of a sudden there's another patch, and ew!

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

I would hope so, yes *nods*

Yeah - we'd only just moved in when that started, and that was about three years ago now! :-( We were decorating, when Mel yelled to me to come see the water pouring down the bathroom window.

That got fixed, but they didn't fix it properly and there was water pooling inbetween my flat and my upstairs neighbours - they've only just fixed that last November, after a crack appeared in my ceiling and water started dripping down. *sigh*

Since we moved in, I've had to have all my bedroom furniture and carpet replaced, but the damp's never gone away. And the council are doing sod all about it.

I so want to move...

[fair-witness.livejournal.com]

I did some Googling:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=553297

The freezer bag approach sounds interesting, plus there's another tip in the comments on how to keep the wool from getting musty again.

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

*snugs* Sounds a good option.

[thaya-rayal.livejournal.com]

Mum has washed wool in the machine, try putting it into skeins as the water may not penetrate a ball. (Easyier to dry too. Drip rather than tumble)
And use those net bag things for socks or bras, no snags or wool woundaround the drum of your washer.

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

I have a few that are still in skeins, but the rest I've balled up myself somewhere along the line :-( Have to figure out how to wrap them up like that...

[thaya-rayal.livejournal.com]

Either figure of 8 around the back of a chair or hands or wrapped as above but in a 0 rather than 8. then twist around and...

... ok probable best if I show you, I'm hoping to be down in 2 weeks, can you wait that long?

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

You are? *hopeful eyes* Awesome! When? I'm off work over Easter.

Hmmm..yeah, I think I can wait that long. Might do the freezer thing first then, defrosting them before you get here.

[thaya-rayal.livejournal.com]

My birthday is on the wed so hopefully the friday. Not set in stone yet depends on if we can afford the fuel.

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

*crosses fingers* It would be good to see you - we both miss the hell out of you.

My birthday's all planned out, it seems; Lazytown at St David's Hall in the morning, and we're likely going for a meal at the new Frankie & Benny's opposite Cardiff Bay ASDA in the evening.