I need to look into some clips that'll hold. Slept in the backyard last night and had a sheet under me since I hadn't treated the underside with Permethrin yet. It was more trouble than it was worth. Kept slipping around and I felt like I was tugging at it all night to keep it in place.Originally Posted by Oh-No
ETA: Holy cow I've been eaten alive! I've got a skeeter "rash" on one hand, one knee, and various bites all over.
Last edited by JaxHiker; 09-02-2008 at 13:03.
I'd think twice about using the permethrin. If you have a chemical sensitivity, you may have a reaction to the permethrin as well. Personally, I think using permethrin is a really bad idea anyway. There was a recent thread discussing the use of permethrin.
Grip clips ought to work.
Grizz
My husband is in the industrial laundering business and is very familiar with various fabric manufacture treatments.
I'll just throw out that according to what he knows, most fabric manufacturers use some sort of "sizing" on their fabrics during the production process to help keep the fabric cooperative and looking crisp. This is one reason it's always recommended that you wash new clothes before wearing, for example.
Most of these chemicals are very dangerous and are not meant for lengthy human contact.
IMO (and my husband's), it's very possible you are having a reaction to something that was used on the fabric during production.
I would suggest that you wash your hammock and see if that helps.
After seeing the recent posts about these kinds of reactions, I'm going to wash ALL of my hammocks !
Perkolady
This makes a lot of sense to me. I was debating washing my hammock. Now I am convinced. I have slept in it since mid May, though I have had a light sheet in it. I had not thought about the sizing issue, though I knew about it on clothes.
“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Well, I washed my hammocks. Gee, they smell nice now !
I found out another bit of info I will pass along...
It seems that many larger manufacturers of fabric items buy fabric by weight, rather than yardage, so as you can imagine, things can get added to the fabric to increase the weight.
Unfortunately, according to the chemist for my husband's company (who often has to figure out what the heck is in the fabrics causing laundering problems for my husband), metallic substances are often present (largely from the dying process). Yes, even LEAD !
When it comes to our "outdoor" fabrics, more often than not, we're using it in a tarp, or a tent, or somewhere it's not normally making skin contact. It's a very different situation inside of our hammocks though!
I have several hammock wannabe fabrics waiting for me to find the time to start sewing. I think I will prewash them before I even start sewing.
As a regular quilter (think granny bed quilts), I ALWAYS prewash the fabrics before using to avoid exposure to the harmful sizing chemicals. I think it would be a good idea to handle outdoor fabrics the same way.
Perkolady
I have a HH I bought on ebay a long time ago. I never used it because I have a severe allergy attack whenever I go near the thing. I figured it was because the previous owner had cats or something. Now I'm wondering if there is another reason. Anyway, I want to wash this hammock and use it. What do you all think about a handsoaking in Dr. Bonners? The only other thing I have besides regular detergent is revivex down cleaner....maybe that would be better?
I also just bought a used HH off ebay, haven't even got it yet, but this thread is freaking me out. What is the easiest way to wash it? Planning to take it on a week long trip 1st week of oct, & an allergic reaction would suck.
Ape, I had emailed HH and asked how to wash. Ann suggested handwashing in a tub with a lttle dish soap. I don't think dish soap is the best idea. I've washed fabrics with dish soap and they seemed to come out faded. I used the revivex down cleaner I have and it came out fine. Dried real fast too. Revivex make another cleaner that would be more specific to the hammock material. I'm sure there are other brands of shell/nylon cleaner as well.
When I washed mine, I soaked them in the bathtub with lukewarm water and Sportwash detergent. The Sportwash is fragrance-free and it's normally used on outdoor fabrics, so I figured it'd be safe for the hammocks.
Everything turned out fine. They took a while to dry though- where the knot areas are in particular.
Perkolady
Thanks for quick replys!
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