How to wash yarn?

I inherited a bunch of yarn that has been sitting in plastic storage towers for an unknown length of time. In one of the drawers are a few nice skeins of yarn (no wrapper so I don't know what kind or brand). They smell like cat poo... GROSS. Anyone have some good ideas on how to wash them? How do you wash a skein of yarn without it getting hopelessly tangled?

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Burnett on November 26, 2010 at 9:28am

I would unroll it while leaving it in a large circle tied (if it was store bought, it should do this if you just pull it apart form the twist). Soak it in the bathtub in cool water (especially if it is wool) and use shampoo to clean it. I wash all of my handknits in shampoo. Just let it soak a bit and then rinse it out, hang it to dry and see if it smells better. Good luck!