The practice of adding water to ginned cotton to reduce bale packaging forces and increase the bale weight was studied in regard to potential biological degradation of the cotton due to excess moisture. This study showed that added moisture did indeed increase bale weight, but at the same time, caused significant increases in yellowness and grayness of lint. The excessive moisture levels stimulated microbial activity; especially troubling was the large increase in mold activity, which may be considered as an unnecessary health risk. Microbial activity was not uniformly dispersed through the treated bales and this spotty behavior may add to difficulties during lay down at the mill.