I see on here a fella had a question about burlap or jute and i had the same question. i can't find on this board the answer but maybe one of you could send me a message about the topic. i have heard and i think that burlap would start to smell and eventually come to pieces whereas the jute (i assume) i've heard being synthetic would not smell or mold or mildew. however, i have never seen or felt the stuff. please respond any comments. thank you.