Good day, fellow MuseumLers - If you are planning to handle the spinning
fibre (what is fibre content?) with your bare hands and then use the
thread/yarn to make something that you will be wearing against your skin,
you should go ahead and wash the fibre in the hottest possible water with a
synthetic detergent (and lots of rinsing) to remove as much of the mothball
contamination as possible. Just because it doesn't smell as strongly of
mothballs doesn't mean that the contamination level has dropped to a safe
level to be on your skin. "Ounce of prevention = pound of cure" when it
comes to your own personal health.

Happy to provide further clarification off-line if needed.
Regards,  
Meg  
.   _  _  _  _  _  _  _   _ _   ___________     
Margaret E. Geiss-Mooney     
Textile/Costume Conservator &    
Collections Management Consultant       
Professional Associate - AIC     
707-763-8694     
[log in to unmask]        


...lovely spinning fiber from a friend that had
overly zealously packed it in mothballs. I've had it hanging outside
all day long and it seems like it is a little better but I was
wondering if there was anything else I can do to help it air out. This
is for my own personal use so I can wash everything if need be but I'd
rather not if I don't have to. ...

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