Community Chat

[chrystaltree]

No, never.  I'd package them and send them back. You know...because new clothes shouldn't be wet or damp.   Personally, I would have wasted brain cells trying to figure it out, I'd just return them.  

[suzyQ3]

@seaBreeze, sorry to be a pain, but I can't find anything that substantiates either the chemistry or the result that you mention.

If it were so, given the wide use of formaldehyde, surely  we would be dealing with quite a lot of wet clothes being delivered.

If you have any concrete sourse, I really would be interested. :-)

[seaBreeze]

@suzyQ3

Good discussion.  I try to cite empirical sources, but none on Internet.   Condensation from the dyes, and formalin (the mixture of alcohol & formaldehyde used to make textiles) would be the same premise as why you are not to keep your dry cleaning in their plastic bags .... holds in mildew from their cleaning chemicals.   So an imported new garment is not going to be "wet" when it is newly sealed in a fresh plastic bag to be shipped to a warehouse.   I assume certain tempertures in shipping containers, warehouses etc. would produce condensation in some more than others.

The Government Accountability Office has a chart (Pg. 15) showing the levels that China uses vs. other countries--I wish I had access to a later version:  

https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10875.pdf

[Kachina624]

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@seaBreeze wrote:

Kachina,

Temp changes is what turns gas into a liquid (e.g., condensation).  A perfect environment for this would be a garment treated to 'ship' in a plastic bag loaded on a cargo vessel from Asia~! 

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@seaBreeze.   Why would a garment be treated with formaldehyde?  I checked numerous places and nowhere is it listed as an insecticide.  The only application with fabric I could find was as a permanent press finish.

[seaBreeze]

                                      @Kachina624

Have you heard of OSHA~?  They have standards for using it as an insecticide (see site below).  Formaldehyde is also used for a multitude of other reasons on clothing ... e.g., reduce moisture, stain resistance, colorfastness, etc.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/1993-08-09

The title of the article is called:  "Labeling requirements for Formaldehyde when used as an insecticide."   

[Sooner]

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@Equuleus wrote:

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@Kachina624 wrote:

I don't believe manufacturers could get away with soaking garments with formaldehyde, and I don't believe they're wet.  If they were damp, by the time you got them, they'd smell to high heaven of mildew.  There's something about temperature change that makes them feel wet.

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That was the other thing that I thought odd.  No mold or mildew smell.  I have a very sensitive nose and will often smell something in the air before anyone else.  I didn't smell anything odd or off that one would expect of wet clothing.  Just the usual odor you get with new clothing.  However, it did still feel wet and cold in comparison to the plastic which was hot.

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I think it is something they fill the bag with, a gas, or something they put on the clothes to keep them from molding or mildewing.  They can get away with anything.  They've killed dogs with their products and done lots of other things.  And think about the clothes coming all that way on a cago ship.  That's probaby that smell we often compain about.  It just gets damp under certain conditions or if they use too much I'll bet.

Speculation on my part, but makes sense to me!

[ShowMe]

Have never received any clothing that has felt damp....but my gosh, the smell from the bug killer is awful.  It's not just items of clothing I've purchased from QVC, it has also happened with some clothing items I've purchased from Vermont Country Store.  Usually after one washing the odor is removed, but have had some items where it takes 3 washings and fabric softener to get rid of it.  I have ordered items from Talbots, but they have been sent to me from their stores, not a warehouse.  Maybe they had been sprayed before being sent to the stores and the smell has escaped while hanging in the store.  

I always launder new clothing before wearing it.  

[puttypiesmom]

I remember ordering a cardigan a long time ago that was damp and I was wondering at the time if they forgot to include the silica packets but I think they will not help at all in this.  Jeans too were damp.  I think Qvc must not be unfolding and airing out or inspecting merchandise that comes out of the shipping containers from China or Vietnam.  I think their warehouses would become a biohazard as employees inhaled the fumes.  Better to just ship it out to unsuspecting customers who think it's just from laundering or humidity.  

[TuesdayTaylor]

Liquid Knit