Rabbitch

Um...short term? Febreze. Lots and lots of Febreze.

And then I've heard that Orvus Paste is really, really, really good for washing tremendously dirty (and stinky) fleeces. Plus it only takes a little bit. Comparatively. ;) Although apparently it's sold in fairly large containers, so you might have enough to wash an entire flock. But then, you're probably gonna be doing this sort of thing for quite a while.

Plus you might wanna stock up on the hooch. It sounds like quite a job. Keep thinking of all the lovely fiber when you're done! (Shall I run now?)
 

Clearly MonicaPDX hasn't smelled this goat. Febreeze, no matter the quantity, is not going to penetrate that greasy fleece. Orvus paste is an effective cleanser, but it is pure sodium laurel sulfate, which means it cleans by corrosion and there is a lot of debate over the safety of it [it causes cataracts and hair loss and may lead to liver problems-we all know you'll be damaging your liver enough just from the alcohol consumption required to get through this fleece cleaning.]

Shampoo, hot water and a good soak in the washer. Might take two rounds, but once that grease melts, you'll be surprised how white and shiny it is. The stink goes away with the grease. Mmmm, goat sweat!
 

Time for big gulp of bleach!
 

(Rubbing my hands in anticipation)

Heh, can't wait to see this! Have fun and be sure to do a photo documentary, k? OKAY?
 

Okay, how in the name of Bejeezus (my new fave deity) did you manage to take on the stink? Do you volunteer for this stuff?

Also, 1412. 1412 stitches, and still counting that I've tinked on the "Peacock Piece of Shit Shawl That Better Be Friggin Stunning When I'm Done Or I'm Burning All My Knitting Needles."
 

Jen, just had to say thanks for the info on Orvus. Yes, I know I'm not Rabbitch [g], but I check back on comments. Good to know about things like, you know, side effects! Grnghh. Ok, I'll never be getting around to buying Orvus now...

(Corrosion? Who came up with this idea for an effective 'cleaning' agent? "Oh, we'll just corrode the outer layer away, just like debridement, that's a fine method!" Oy fucking gevalt.)
 

Hey MonicaPDX, read the ingredients in shampoo. It's there too.

For the stink, I recommend a good strong smear of Vicks Vaporub under the nose. Yours.
 

So don't get near B.C. for while then?
 

Baking soda is an excellent "shampoo"--I use it on my own head, and I recently had my hairstylist comment on how very healthy my hair and scalp are. It also takes care of lots of different kinds of stink. I would recommend soaking the stinky stuff in warm water with a bunch of baking soda dissolved in it, as a first step. (I usually rinse with water and a little apple cider vinegar to balance the pH, but I don't know if that's necessary in this case).
 

Yeah, vinegar is good. Cuts through the grease. And your hair cannot be "healthy". You and your hair dresser have seen too many adverts for cosmetic products. Hair is dead. Dead, dead, dead. It can be clean and shiny, but it can't be healthy. 'Cause it's dead. You could look it up.
 

Oh FSM, now I'm gonna be the fucking fleece cleaning pedant, aren't I? I just have to stick another comment in here to say no soda, baking or otherwise. I know I told you in an email, Bunnie, but just to put it out there for others: Soda and mohair are a bad combo. I don't know why, I just know that using any kind of baking soda or soda mordants or anything with the word "soda" is supposed to be kept far from the mo because it makes the fibers break and felt and do everything you don't want them to do. This may include pepsi, I don't know. However, if you're cleaning your fleece with pepsi, you need more help than I can give.

Sorry, y'all. I'm not trying to be all smarmy and shit. Succeeding without trying-that makes me a natural, right? Mohair just requires different handling than other types of hair/fleece. Vinegar or hair conditioner in the final rinse helps boost the sheen. I've heard of someone dissolving the stuff from a dryer sheet in the last rinse as well. There's a good .pdf on mohair here, but it doesn't include the soda warnings, I'll try to find that so I can figure out why soda is bad.
 

Um. Those are all nanny goats, right? Because billy goat stink never comes out, no matter what you do nor how many times you do it.
 

Hey anonymous, pedant much? "Healthy" as in "shiny, clean, very few breaks/splits." If I were writing a formal paper on hair care, I would be unlikely to use "healthy" as the adjective, but in casual use it's perfectly acceptable.

And vinegar is actually not all that great as a grease cutter.

Didn't know about soda/mohair being a bad combo, sorry! I hope you didn't try it before being warned, Rabbitch!
 

I am SO glad I read these comments before taking on a goat fleece. And now I know enough to be deeply impressed by the fearless people who do!

Can nine and a half pounds of fleece be washed in a washing machine? No, of course not, it would felt in a regular cycle. Still sounds like the right size.