Hi Moms! I know this is a long shot, but here it goes. My daughter had a toy flashlight on her bed last night that, for some reason, leaked battery acid onto and through the comforter and sheets. I have a waterproof mattress pad, thank God. I tried baking soda and washing the comforter, but the stain and heavy metallic smell remain. Should I trash it or does anyone have any other suggestions on how to remove the stain and odor. I am not opposed to trashing it as I know that it is a health hazard if I cannot completely remove it. Just hoping for a fix so as not to have to throw away a pretty Pottery Barn comforter. Thanks!
Cut it out... use the comforter to make pretty pillowcases and a small lap quilt, do you have any friends/family that sews?
Trash it. The battery acid will continue to burn (corrode) through the fabric and she may possibly get burns too if she lays on it. There is no way to stop (neuturalize) the chemical process. This is why batteries need to be disposed of in a special way through a recycling center other than just tossing them in the regular trash which would be an environmental hazzard.
Call the customer service line of the battery company. They should replace the cost of your ruined items.......
I would take it to a local dry cleaner and see what they think. If anyone would know if there's a chance to remove that kind of stain, it would be a place that cleans clothes and comforters every day.
Get rid of the sheets, quilt and the waterproof mattress pad. As another poster said it can possibly burn your daughter and continue to eat through the fabrics.
Probably trash it.....
maybe you could cut out the effected section and patch it??
I've always been able to easily clean up gunk from corroded batteries in toys, etc. with a Q tip dipped in rubbing alchohol. I'm not sure how that would work on your comforter, but it's worth a shot before trashing it. Good luck.
Make a thick (wet but not too runny) paste of baking soda and thoroughly soak the stained area in the paste. Change the soak every six hours. Do that 2 or three times, see how it smells, and once it no longer smells like batteries, launder it. This will neutralize the acid but will not do anything to remove the stain. The stain is basically a bleaching of the fibers in the fabric. So that probably won't change as much as you'd like. But at least the comforter will be safe to use. Give it a shot.
