A question about milsurp wool blankets

[David LaPell]

Question for you ex-military guys...I bought a couple wool blankets from surplus, two from the Army Medical Corps, they're surplus but like new not a mark on them, BUT THEY STINK! Not mothballs but almost like a chemical smell. Some one told me that it was what the government uses to keep moths off of them. How do you get that smell out we washed one and hung it outside, the other is washing now. Nice blankets, 80% wool, I picked up a 70% wool a couple of weeks ago for next to nothing and my son loves it. Will be really nice for those cold winter days and nights once they smell better than they do now.

 

[Rule3]

I would wash them again with a bunch of Baking Soda added to the soap you use.

I saw some advertised at Sportsmans Guide and it said do not wash OR dry-clean. So how the heck would you clean them?. I sure ain't using any bedding or clothing without washing it.

 

[walnutred]

As a kid in the ‘60s we had some very warm quilts that my grandmother, mother and aunts had made. Seems when my uncles came home from WW2 and Korea they brought home wool Army blankets. The female members of the family thought the wool blankets too scratchy to use so they became the liners for quilts. Some of the blankets were a little worn so they were doubled up with two Army blankets being sewed together and that becoming the quilt liner. In my memory those quilts with wool liners were the warmest blankets imaginable.

 

[mc5aw]

David ... I had a similar problem which was rectified by hanging the blankets outside for a few days. The heat from the sun and the fresh air overnight made the smell disappear. As long as it's not damp out, you should be good to go.

 

[JSR III]

I would also suggest lots of dryer time and don't spare the dryer sheets. I have wool blankets that I store in plastic bins for use when I do my primitive rendezvous (1740 to 1840 timeframe). They used to get the bin smell from being stored closed up for months at a time. Now I throw in a couple of the same dryer sheets and they come out smelling very fresh. Also much better than moth balls.

 

[gunblade]

I have several of these surplus blankets and I just toss 'em in the washer when they get dirty...they've probably shrunk some over the years. Great for camping...I also spread one out over the table to lay stuff on when I set up at a gun shows. Can't recall a chemical odor, but they did have that smell of...I dunno...old military stuff.

 

[sarge1967]

Hang them outside. The sunlight's UV rays break down the chemical. It may take a few days but it will go away. I bought a couple of the Russian 100% wool blankets a few years ago did this and the smell went away. You can wash them but do not completely dry them in the dryer. They will shrink. If you do put them in the dryer make sure you clean your lint trap every 15 min or so. They shed a TON of lint.

 

[Alpo]

I bought some Italian Army surplus wool blankets. Moth ball stink to high heaven. Hung 'em on the line for about 4 days. Smell was gone.


Sportsmans Guide sells some stuff they call "disaster blankets". I bought some, 'cause they were cheap. After about three days of use, stuck my finger though one.

They aren't "woven". They are pressed, like felt. For a short time, like the fire department covering a victim, or Red Cross pass out after an earthquake, they might be fine. But they certainly aren't long term, and if you try to clean them in any way they go to pieces.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Yes, Ye Olde Sunlight is a marvelous way of getting the stink out of many things-and it's free!

 

[Straightshooter2]

My wife says to wash them in a vinegar/water mixture. Use about 2 or 3 cups of vinegar in a normal size washing machine although she says more vinegar won't hurt.

CW

 

[Marshwheeling]

I have been tempted by those surplus wool blankets, but the bit of equipment I really like are the fiberfill poncho liners. They weigh next to nothing; I usually sleep under one at home because the regular bedclothes are too hot and confining. I take one camping, too, as it has to be pretty cool out before I need to wrap up in a sleeping bag. I usually end up under my poncho liner on a Thermarest, with my sleeping bag still rolled up for a pillow.

 

[Engine 21]

Hang outside in sunlight for 3 or 4 days - natural sunlight and wind will take care of the "smell".

 

[therevjay]

Like everyone else said, fresh air & sunlight. It won't hurt a thing to wash wool blankets (or other wool items) no matter what the labels say. Just make sure you use COLD water and never-ever put them in a dryer. I've always used "Baby shampoo w/conditioner" but I 'spose any mild soap will work.

 

[rburg]

Aww. They just smell like old indians. Back during the wild west days, our Army gave them blankets used to comfort those with small pox. Then they moved them on to indian tribes! Solved another problem. Our Army blankets were woven. Then around here they were worn to the point where all you could see is the threads! I generally have one in each of my jeeps. Never know when you might need a good blanket. Rain parka, too.

They do no good at home in a closet. We still see them from time to time at the gun shows. The white medic ones are pretty expensive. But real wool. The ones we had back when I was growing up might have been from the 1800s! Never waste anything. Parents were too cheap to buy me a sleeping bag. I finally had to buy my own, but it wasn't as warm as the wool blanket. At least after the zipper broke. I'd think a pretty good sleeping bag could be made by sewing a zipper around one.

 

[gizamo]

If you have a quality wool blanket of three points size or better...and know how to use it... You will be well served. I got rid of my sleeping bags, years ago.

 

[mwtdvm]

Sorry but that is not correct!

Aww. They just smell like old indians. Back during the wild west days, our Army gave them blankets used to comfort those with small pox. Then they moved them on to indian tribes! Solved another problem.

The Army was not that smart! There was a pseudoindian ethnics studies at University of Colorado and his phony research in this area and others eventually got him terminated. Google Ward Churchill for a history of this guy!

The American Indians didn't need the Army to do stuff like this! Their lack of resistance to European diseases in general managed to kill them off quite effectively. If you look at the map, you will see Texas has very few Indian reservations. The Catholic church did a very good job of introducing disease albeit inadvertently into the local population under the Spanish "rule"