Linda, it's ironic you were mentioning cotton seeds in the batting. I was just discussing this with the clerk in the fabric store who cut my length of cotton batting. I am fairly new to quilting. Have only been doing it seriously for a couple years. You can see some impurities in the rolls they sell now, as I was chuckling at her compulsively picking them out before she gave it to me. She said that when she started quilting (I'd guess her to be about my age) that cotton batting came to the stores pretty crudely and that one had to pick it over so that any dark or chunky stuff didn't show through fine fabrics in the quilt. I didn't know that factoid and thought it was pretty cool. So, I guess ultra clean cotton batting happened in our lifetime.

Oh boy. I was you, about 8 years ago. We just needed new windows, they were moldy. So we saved up to replace them, casings and all. Turns out, our development was built right in the middle of a huge scandal in this area involving paying off building inspectors, etc, etc. Lucky us! So then the siding came off. No Tyvec wrap. No insulation. No flashing. Lots of mold. So now we add new plywood, wrapping, insulated siding on Day 1. THEN we get to the back of the house. Deck is built with boards parallel to the house instead of perpendicular. Rotted 3 boards deep where it was attached because...no flashing. So now we also need to dig out the rotted wood, displace all the carpenter ants, and repair. Oh! And as a bonus, the sliding door was not attached to the house frame except for one large wad of caulk in one corner. But did we learn? NOPE! We spent 6 years recovering from the unexpected expenses and also grading the lawn/replacing the deck. The lawn sloped -toward the house, so the sump pump ran all the time. I was concerned about damage to the foundation eventually, so we fixed it. What a difference! Then 2 years ago we started in again. The tub chipped, so I decided it had to go because I was afraid of what I'd find under it. Fortunately, the only surprise that project was the sink pipes not actually being fastened together in the wall. It was a miracle we didn't have a waterfall in our kitchen! Speaking of kitchen, we just finished a remodel. Among the choice building techniques we found were rows of test holes for almost every screw in the cabinets trying to find the studs. A spacer above the microwave/vent made of scrap 2x4 and masking tape. Then there was the live wire left dangling in the wall with just some tape on the end, that was special. The other wiring was so convoluted it took a whole morning to figure out what was attached to what and where things went. Luckily, that concludes the major kitchen problems. Let's move on to my current projects. We had to gut the basement and replace all the drywall due to mold. And they used the wrong type of insulation in the basement (the fluffy cotton candy stuff), so that all went and we now have the proper insulation. We had another live wire with tape hidden in the ceiling. None of the outlets or switches were attached to the wall, they were just in boxes dangling on the end of the wires held in place by the faceplates. We had one vent discovered that had been walled over. They also ran out of space in the panel box for power circuits. So what to do with all the electric in the basement? Why, just feed an outlet nearby, then run FOUR leads from there. Code here is 2 max. We at least had a GFI on that outlet, but not on the one used for the sump pump. Plus that GFI also controlled the second floor bath outlet and the box in the kitchen with the outdoor light and under cabinet lights on it. Trust me, that was not easy to figure out! Speaking of wiring, there was also a light box under the drop ceiling. No fixture, I had no idea it was there. But there were 3 wires that connected through there, and one coming out that went over the rim. So you couldn't even attach a fixture if you wanted to! Our GC has never seen anything like it. We had to upgrade the panel box before the kitchen project, so at least now everything we've touched is up to code and on appropriate circuits, GFI, etc. Oh! And the fireplace, which I've been working on while the GC does the basement. The mantel was wider than the hearth, so it had about an inch overhang on each side. Classy! So decided to replace them both. Turns out, the reason the tiles on the side of the hearth looked loose was because they were. They tiled right on the plywood, so most of those side tiles came of with my own hands, no tools. So what's my point? You have an important decision to make. If you think this is original builder incompetence, you need to either jump ship now before the rest of their stuff crumbles (or burns the house down), or decide it's worth staying and save like crazy to make the needed repairs on the way. It may even pay off to find a GC you trust and have him go over everything, and I mean -everything- in detail to see what you can catch early and what to prepare for. For your sake, I hope it was just the tile guy that was horrible. But if the builder didn't catch that, which would have been obvious for days (or lack thereof), I wouldn't hold high hopes. (BTW, all this was on top of normal stuff, like a roof at about 25 years, new furnace after about 27, etc...).

what dcarch said, after it's frozen (or even cold) the label will not stick. I use regular old masking tape, scotch brand I believe it is and I put the tape on before it goes into the freezer or even in the fridge. I do not buy any off brand though, you have to use a higher quality tape and not something for the Dollar Tree. But if you put something in a plastic container or baggy and that is already cold and you then try and stick the tape to the package, it will not stick because of the condensation that forms pretty much immediately. So I put the tape on it before I begin filling. OH and if using a ziploc baggy, I write on the baggy first or the pen(Sharpie) won't write on the cold wet baggy.

was in a bit of a rush, so to clarify. to do this we would have to go to email that way I could give you # of supply house. which you'd verify by looking them up online. after talking to them, you would call & order case of filters & mastic tape (hopefully you'll get the mastic tape!). I would pick up your pre-paid order. often my clients pre-pay supply house..and deliver. just not to your area! the part I come in on is picking up & mailing to you. case of filters is light, but bulky. the weight is the hardcast tape. by email we could exchange price to ship...and address to mail to you. shopping usps, ups & fed ex prices we can decide via email.delivering by truck. 18 wheeler is expensive. manager told me that there was an $80 charge for mini split covers. these were small, so a high price for a small pkg makes other options more attractive. it is only a few times that I've done this. but when you see someone trying to do it right.. it is worth it, in time & hvac supply access, to me. as you'll find out by clicking on my user name to access my email, the 'not so secret' will be out. once again. not many men with my name! did you have a chance to see if the double supply chase stops at the bottom of the grill? do you understand what I mean? with the chase stops at the supply grill.. then the velocity of the air is greater & not lessened/wasted continuing down the wall. this will give the supply grills more air. sorry to have taken longer to clarify than usual. I'd been keeping a close eye on this thread, but had some paying work to do. take care.