Do you know how to wash polyester fleece accessories correctly?

Do you know what it even is?

Fleece fabric is most commonly made from polyester, AKA a type of plastic. It’s soft and stain-resistant but yeah, It is the same material used to make plastic bottles. Fine polyester fibers are woven into a light fabric, then brushed, almost felted, to lock it in place. This is also why polyester fleece is considered safe for chinchillas - The brushing/felting process prevents this fabric from ripping or fraying like other materials.

Why am I telling you this? Well, plastic melts. If you wash your fleece products in scalding hot water or dry them in high temperatures you can damage the product.

Have you ever seen little gray balls on your accessories after drying? It’s a combination of pet hair and melted plastic! Before washing your polyester fleece accessories, it's beneficial to give them a quick brush to remove any loose debris and pet hair. This simple step can help improve the effectiveness of the washing process and ensure that your accessories come out looking clean and refreshed.

Pay particular attention to areas where dirt and hair tend to accumulate, such as seams and corners. By removing excess debris before washing, you can prevent it from becoming embedded in the fabric. Once you've finished brushing, your accessories are ready to be washed.

For most fleece accessories, washing in medium temperatures and using a delicate/air-drying setting will yield the best results. It’s even better to remove items while still slightly damp and finish by air-drying. This will make them softer! Following this advice will extend your cage accessories “pretty” lifespan.

What should you use to wash your cage accessories?

There are several things you could use. Generally, any detergent is fine, but most people use too much even on their clothes. It’s popular to use an allergy-friendly, gentle, scent-free detergent. To be honest, I haven’t noticed a big discrepancy between the detergent styles, so use what you like HOWEVER, please refrain from using fabric softener: Liquid or Dryer sheets.

Fabric softener is kinda of a problem product in general. It does soften fibers on fabric, but it does so by coating it in a thin water-resistant waxy coating. Over time, this coating will ruin your cage accessories. It can be stained, and make the item feel tacky. This waxy coating is most detrimental to items like carrier pads, leak pads, and liners since it will prevent the fleece from wicking moisture through to an absorbent later. The urine will rest on top, saturating your pet’s feet, lower belly, and base of the tail.

This brings us to wicking! Fleece fabric is NOT absorbent. It’s hydrophobic, which means its threads cannot absorb water. Brand-new fleece is very tightly woven and almost felted, so liquids will rest on top for quite a while before seeping through. This also means washing new items made for absorbing urine will be harder to clean AT FIRST because the soap and water will have a harder time cleaning the inside fibers.

When you purchase new carrier pads, leak pads, or fleece cage liners you’ll need to wick them. “Wicking” them means washing the item several times, the more they’re washed correctly, the looser the fibers become allowing liquid to wick through the weave and into an absorbent fabric sewn inside. “Blizzard” fleece wicks faster than “anti-pill” styles since the latter is a thicker fabric.

Important note: Liners and Covers are not the same product. Covers are decorative and used to protect plastic shelves from being chewed on. They are not “bedding”. They are not hygienic to use as bedding, as they cannot absorb urine. This is why many cover users have white stains on their shelves and cage floors. That white staining is excess calcium in your pet’s urine, and it can be a real pain to clean up. Covers need to be removed frequently and laundered. We can’t tell you how frequent, because that depends on the size of your cage, if you offer a litter pan, if your chinchilla uses that pan, and how many chinchillas are in the cage total. Use your best judgment - A chinchilla’s cage should never smell.

Are your liners or covers extra stinky? This can happen, especially if you save up a load before washing.

Set your machine to the heaviest soil setting, and make sure it’ll soak the items for a bit.

You can add 1/2 cut of White Distilled Vinegar to the wash to deodorize, and 1 cup to the final rise to soften.

You can add 1/2 cup of full-strength Simple Green to the wash as an alternative option, too.

I do suggest that you only use these items if you know your machine can handle them. I don’t want anyone out here killing a major appliance, but in my years, I have never had one fail by using vinegar or Simple Green.

I hope this little article about proper maintenance for fleece products is helpful to someone out there, Thanks for reading!