# ?? Fleece in Vacuum Sealed Bags?



## cat_woman (Sep 21, 2014)

I have mentioned earlier that I was lucky enough to pick up 3 merino fleeces for free. My question is: do you think I can store them in those vacuum sealed storage bags until I can clean them without hurting the fibre? I thought I was going to have time, but it looks like it may be months before I can touch them now. They're currently in big garbage bags that is taking up the entire storage area under my stairs and they don't smell that great either. What do you think. I don't want to ruin the fleece.


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## RenegadeJane (Dec 4, 2015)

cat_woman said:


> I have mentioned earlier that I was lucky enough to pick up 3 merino fleeces for free. My question is: do you think I can store them in those vacuum sealed storage bags until I can clean them without hurting the fibre? I thought I was going to have time, but it looks like it may be months before I can touch them now. They're currently in big garbage bags that is taking up the entire storage area under my stairs and they don't smell that great either. What do you think. I don't want to ruin the fleece.


I like clear plastic bins lined with a cotton sheet. Not air tight in case there is moisture. But that is my process…others may have different systems.


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## Prism99 (Apr 14, 2015)

I don’t see how the yarn would be damaged by storage in vacuum bags. However, I would highly recommend adding a couple of Dr. Scholl’s carbon shoe inserts. They will absorb some of the odor and also, I think, any moisture that might be trapped in the bag with the yarn. Be aware that vacuum bags often start gradually seeping air so that they do not remain a true vacuum. It is also probably A good idea to open the bags every 6 months or year to check on the contents.


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## katrapp (Mar 21, 2013)

I have four bags of merino that a are vacuum sealed. I really hope they are fine. It has been three years now. But I haven't been spinning as much as I should be. I have hopes of joining the Tour de Fleece and try to spin for a while at least once a day, as well as resume knitting. (Which I haven't done since January) I just need to get my mojo back.


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## rosewa (Oct 2, 2019)

katrapp said:


> I have four bags of merino that a are vacuum sealed. I really hope they are fine. It has been three years now. But I haven't been spinning as much as I should be. I have hopes of joining the Tour de Fleece and try to spin for a while at least once a day, as well as resume knitting. (Which I haven't done since January) I just need to get my mojo back.


Definitely try that or one of the other suggestions. Moths are v bad here in Oz and it’s essential to protect it here. Best wishes, Rose


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## cat_woman (Sep 21, 2014)

katrapp said:


> I have four bags of merino that a are vacuum sealed. I really hope they are fine. It has been three years now. But I haven't been spinning as much as I should be. I have hopes of joining the Tour de Fleece and try to spin for a while at least once a day, as well as resume knitting. (Which I haven't done since January) I just need to get my mojo back.


I hope your fleece is ok and that you get your mojo back. I'm looking forward to TdF this year. My goal this year is to spin DK weight yarn.


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## katrapp (Mar 21, 2013)

rosewa said:


> Definitely try that or one of the other suggestions. Moths are v bad here in Oz and it’s essential to protect it here. Best wishes, Rose


I have my fleeces in a sealed tote in the garage. I paid extra to get the kind with a gasket and has 6 latches. Here the brand is Sterilite. I got them at Walmart, but Amazon carries them too, you just have to purchase so many. It is sold by the box, not individual crates.


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## cat_woman (Sep 21, 2014)

katrapp said:


> I have my fleeces in a sealed tote in the garage. I paid extra to get the kind with a gasket and has 6 latches. Here the brand is Sterilite. I got them at Walmart, but Amazon carries them too, you just have to purchase so many. It is sold by the box, not individual crates.


I'll have to look into those bins. I'm trying to save space though so I thought I'd I could get the fleeces into a vacuum bag and get them down as small as possible so my husband would quit grumbling about me using up all the storage space in the house (and possibly squeeze in more when he's not looking 🤣😉).


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## katrapp (Mar 21, 2013)

cat_woman said:


> I'll have to look into those bins. I'm trying to save space though so I thought I'd I could get the fleeces into a vacuum bag and get them down as small as possible so my husband would quit grumbling about me using up all the storage space in the house (and possibly squeeze in more when he's not looking 🤣😉).


You can get quite a lot into a tote because you can really compress it down and with so many clamps, that really helps. Much better than the regular totes with just the two clamps.

The vender I went to at Plyaway in Kansas City MO, had a vacuum sealer that was big. I have a pound of fiber in each bag. It was not the vacuum cleaner kind, where you attach the vacuum cleaner to it and suck out all the air. Or the smaller ones you use to seal food in.


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## goodcrocheter1 (Apr 4, 2017)

cat_woman said:


> I have mentioned earlier that I was lucky enough to pick up 3 merino fleeces for free. My question is: do you think I can store them in those vacuum sealed storage bags until I can clean them without hurting the fibre? I thought I was going to have time, but it looks like it may be months before I can touch them now. They're currently in big garbage bags that is taking up the entire storage area under my stairs and they don't smell that great either. What do you think. I don't want to ruin the fleece.


If they are smelling now,putting them inside a plastic storage vacuum bag will probably degrade them quicker even keeping the air out of the fleeces. The degradation needs to be dealt with now I would think. If you can afford it,I would get them dealt with now - they might not last otherwise,with you saying you cannot deal with them at the moment. I don’t kniw about these things,so no expert,but a smell is a smell……Good luck. .


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## cat_woman (Sep 21, 2014)

goodcrocheter1 said:


> If they are smelling now,putting them inside a plastic storage vacuum bag will probably degrade them quicker even keeping the air out of the fleeces. The degradation needs to be dealt with now I would think. If you can afford it,I would get them dealt with now - they might not last otherwise,with you saying you cannot deal with them at the moment. I don’t kniw about these things,so no expert,but a smell is a smell……Good luck. .


The smell isn't caused from the fleece degrading. If you haven't handled a raw fleece you haven't had the pleasure of a stinky sheep. They smell bad naturally. With that many raw fleeces in the confined storage area under my stairs the smell is going to permeate into the wood and drywall. I've put them into storage bins for now but once I find the extra large vacuum storage bags, they will be packed up. I probably won't get to them now until next summer.


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