Will yarn get old and not useable?

[Sweet Sue]

I have yarn that is every bit that old and it seems fine. It has been stored in totes in my basement. My problems is it has a musty smell. Any suggestions as to how to get rid of that smell?. I thought about just airing in this cold winter air and thinking it will leave it.

I will apologize in advance 'cuz this is a little long. Place about 1" of Scoop Away odor absorbing kitty litter in the bottom of a 13 gal. garbage bag. Loosely roll each skein of yarn in a piece cheap paper toweling so it won't get dusty. Place the yarn in a single layer over the litter with space between the skeins, and seal up the bag. Let it sit for a couple of days then replace the paper towel (this is why you use the cheap ones!) and roll each skein over so another side rests on the litter. After a few days remove the yarn from the bag and see if the smell is gone or reduced. If there is still an odor, discard the litter and towels and repeat. Sometimes it takes a week or so. If your yarn is tightly wound, you may have to pull it apart some so that the inner layers get exposed to the effects of the litter. Your tote may also have taken on the smell, so empty it, pour litter into the tote seal the cover on, and shake the litter around to that the dust covers the inside walls and cover and let it sit for a few days. Remove the litter and discard (unless you have a cat) and repeat. It is a little messy, but it usually does the trick. The paper band may still retain odors, so just photocopy it and discard the original. If all else fails and you have a LOT of time, unwind the skein and toss the yarn in the washer with soap and fabic softener on the gentle setting. Dry at the recommended temp. with a dryer sheet, and prepare to spend the rest of the day detangling your yarn, which no longer has a smell. When I store yarn, or anything else that could stain, in a tote that seals tightly, I place dryer sheets between layers of old terry towels and add them to the contents. The towels will protect the contents from taking on the oils that may be in the dryer sheet while adding a fresh scent to the tote and its contents. One added note that is slightly off topic, but useful anyway, if your have an oily spill, the cheap clay litter will absorb the residue and the odor if you just cover the spill with a mound of the litter and let it sit for a while undisturbed. This worked with a kerosene spill we had on the carpet in our van. Good luck.

[Lissacc]

I have some embroidery thread that belonged to my Mother. She passed away 27 years ago, and I still use it for assorted things. Yep, she left a lot of it in many colors. Doubt yarn would be any different.

[Sweet Sue]

I know that sewing thread will get weak because I had some from my mom that was 40-50 years old, and it would break very easily, but I haven't had any problems with yarn so far.

[buggainok]

My suggestion for yarn that has a "musty" or "old" smell would be to just wash the completed project and use a nice smelling liquid fabric softener. Makes it nice and soft, too.

[MeerKat]

I have some yarn I have had for 15 years and still use it without any problems.

[wiffey1]

I have some old yarn that was stored in a cardboard box under a bed - it was not useable as it kept breaking. Other old yarn I received was kept in plastic storage boxes and plastic bags - it has been fine to work with.

[OKWTink]

Yarn too old? Huh. Must say I've never run across that. And yep, I'm old!

With regard to the musty smell, if you don't want to put each skein in a leg of nylon stocking and wash it (presuming it can be machine washed) then enclose it in a container with charcoal which is very good at absorbing odors. Or, you can try coffee beans which works quite well, but then you have the aroma of coffee! I use coffee beans in refrigerators that we unplug for seasonal use.

Or, you can try the simplest way first and enclose it with some fabric softener sheets and see if that helps.

[AudreyL]

I never had trouble with old yarn. I am careful how I keep it

[Susan136]

I also have yarn that is 20 years or older and have no problem with it. It is currently stored in my walk up attic in bins.

[Susan2014]

No trouble yet as I have a lot and store in Boxes.