Goose down litter box

[Susan Edkins]

It's just starting to get cold here in Houston, so I reached up to pull out my favorite goosedown comforter. For some reason known only to his Satanic majesty, my cat had peed on it (more than once) and then apparently left it alone to age and acquire that fine patina only cat pee can achieve. I nixed hubby's suggestion of dry cleaning (too expensive and likely futile) and decided to try washing it myself. What the heck; it was probably doomed anyway.

I dissolved 2 scoops of Oxyclean powder in hot water, added it to the washing machine with regular detergent, and washed on reg. cycle. I crammed it into my dryer (bit of a tight fit) with a tennis ball and a fabric softener sheet, low heat, and dried it thoroughly. It was an I'll-be-damned moment. No stains, no smell. I realize YMMV, and in the event that the cat from hell sniffs out whizz remnants undetectable to the human nose and decides to revisit said comforter, I promise to follow up this post with a full recantation.

Regards,

Susan

[Suzie-Q]

-> It's just starting to get cold here in Houston, so I reached up to pull out

-> my favorite goosedown comforter. For some reason known only to his Satanic

-> majesty, my cat had peed on it (more than once) and then apparently left it

-> alone to age and acquire that fine patina only cat pee can achieve. I

-> nixed hubby's suggestion of dry cleaning (too expensive and likely futile)

-> and decided to try washing it myself. What the heck; it was probably doomed

-> anyway.

->

-> I dissolved 2 scoops of Oxyclean powder in hot water, added it to the

-> washing machine with regular detergent, and washed on reg. cycle. I crammed

-> it into my dryer (bit of a tight fit) with a tennis ball and a fabric

-> softener sheet, low heat, and dried it thoroughly. It was an I'll-be-damned

-> moment. No stains, no smell. I realize YMMV, and in the event that the cat

-> from hell sniffs out whizz remnants undetectable to the human nose and

-> decides to revisit said comforter, I promise to follow up this post with a

-> full recantation.

->

-> Regards,

->

-> Susan

A tennis ball?

[jamie]

Sure. You need something like a tennis ball or a clean tennis shoe to fluff the down out as it dries.

[Suzie-Q]

-> Suzie-Q wrote:

-> > -> > ->

-> > -> I dissolved 2 scoops of Oxyclean powder in hot water, added it to the

-> > -> washing machine with regular detergent, and washed on reg. cycle. I

-> > crammed

-> > -> it into my dryer (bit of a tight fit) with a tennis ball and a fabric

-> > -> softener sheet, low heat, and dried it thoroughly. It was an

-> > I'll-be-damned

-> > -> moment. No stains, no smell. I realize YMMV, and in the event that the

-> > cat

-> > -> from hell sniffs out whizz remnants undetectable to the human nose and

-> > -> decides to revisit said comforter, I promise to follow up this post

-> > with a

-> > -> full recantation.

-> > ->

-> > -> Regards,

-> > ->

-> > -> Susan

-> >

-> > A tennis ball?

->

-> Sure. You need something like a tennis ball or a clean tennis shoe

-> to fluff the down out as it dries.

Amazing. I never knew that.

[Viviane]

I'm amazed that you're amazed. I have spent all my life in countries that rarely use clothes driers and I knew that! Ha!! On visiting California many years ago at the tender age of 17 (I grew up in England) I was astounded to find that people used driers rather than clothes lines - all the more incredible as the climate was so good compared to England. Even then I found it extraordinary that people would not use the sun and wind (free) to dry clothes.

[Suzie-Q]

-> I'm amazed that you're amazed. I have spent all my life in countries that

-> rarely use clothes driers and I knew that! Ha!! On visiting California

-> many years ago at the tender age of 17 (I grew up in England) I was

-> astounded to find that people used driers rather than clothes lines - all

-> the more incredible as the climate was so good compared to England. Even

-> then I found it extraordinary that people would not use the sun and wind

-> (free) to dry clothes.

Convenience. Simple as that.

With both spouses having to work, in most cases, or in single parent households, there's often not enough time to do eveything one has to do and still earn a paycheck.

Sad, but true.

[Phisherman]

Right now it gets dark about the time people get home from work, so a clothes dryer makes a lot of sense. I now live in a neighborhood where clothes lines are strangely prohibited. I recall my mother hanging clothes outdoors as well as the basement. In the winter, this adds needed humidity to the air. On the downside, clothes dried indoors tend to be stiff and lack the freshness that UV rays and wind provide.