First of all a big shout out all my old hikin buddies. Loooog time, no talk but you have been missed. Second my apologies if this is not exactly backpacking related but it does involve a gear problem. You see my mother cat decided to have her kittens inside my cat's meow sleeping bag. While I applaud her taste in bedding I am now left with a very stinky bag. That I can not afford to replace. I know I can not wash it in bleach which I desperately want to do. So any suggestions on how to get the funk out of my bag. Thank you for all suggestions and keep on hikin.
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Washington State, King County
As a guess, I'd consider hand-washing it with woolite in your bathtub, and then consider washing a second time (based on the smell-test) using a front-loading washing machine if needed.
Search online for various suggestions on how to wash a sleeping bag. I'm fortunate enough to have a front loading washing machine at home, so I've done this; it's no problem, just a bit time consuming (and the tennis balls in the dryer are noisy).
My personal drying preference is to sort of "partially dry" using the dryer + tennis balls, then hang it out somewhere to fully dry --- outside initially until it's well past dripping, then indoors literally for days.
All that said, I've no experience with the particular "funk" you're talking about, and as I recall the Cat's Meow is a synthetic bag (my experience is mostly with down).
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Rinse several times in cold water with lots of baking soda. Use the delicate cycle on your machine. Then wash regularly, using an extra rinse or two. If that doesn't do it, the least expensive place to buy the TNF Cat's Meow bag is at campmor.com.
Have your cat spayed so this won't happen again. But at least your cat knows what's comfortable!
Be glad it wasn't a down sleeping bag!
Edited by OregonMouse (05/02/1206:43 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Cleaning cat urine with bleach can be very risky as the combination of ammonia and bleach produces something like mustard gas and it can burn the lungs.
I've read that Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds with a little vinegar in the water will clean cat small. Dr. Bronner's soaps are extremely concentrated and a little squirt in a pail of water works well. Maybe you could stir an old shirt into the litter box and see if it takes the smell out.
You can usually find Dr. Bronner's soaps in organic stores.
If it's synthetic, then just take it to a laundromat and use a big front-load washer. Enough cycles and the smell should come out--you might reclaim some loft at the same time.
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