How to get rid of unpleasant odor on clothes: home methods and industrial remedies

Moscow, 03/06/2022, 08:20:10, editorial office of FTimes.ru, author Elena Vaylo.

Perhaps every woman has at least once asked the question: how to “prolong the effect” of the smell of her favorite perfume on her skin and clothes, and thereby preserve an exquisite and beautiful fragrant trail. The main rule, of course, is the right perfume, which, like the most important accessory, can add special charm to a woman of any age, body type and status. FTimes journalists looked into what ways there are to “extend the life” of your favorite scent.

How to get rid of musty and damp smells on clothes

If, when putting laundry into the machine drum, you smell foreign odors, it is better not to rely entirely on fragrances in detergents. The aromatic substances in powders and rinses do not destroy odors, but only interrupt them. And even the latter is not always possible for them. In your home, everyone will find products that can eliminate, rather than mask, unwanted odors.

Remember that the most effective weapon is fresh, clean air, whether it is hot in summer or frosty in winter, it does not matter. Whatever smell you're dealing with and whatever product you choose, drying your laundry outside on a sunny, windy day will always improve the results.

The problem of removing musty and moldy odors arises sooner or later for all housewives. It is better, of course, to prevent it than to fight it. But if this has already happened, let’s find out how to neutralize the effects of high humidity on laundry.

How to regain lost freshness: 5 best remedies

The mustiness we smell when we smell things is a sign of the presence of bacteria and mold spores. Therefore, the purpose of washing is to disinfect, and not just eliminate odor.

Turpentine, clay and iron

There is an opinion that turpentine and clay are the best products for delicate fabrics.

Turpentine and clay will destroy mold on clothes

In fact, this method is good if, in addition to the smell, there is also mold on the clothes. Then you need to do this:

1. Take a cotton swab, soak it liberally in turpentine and thoroughly treat the moldy area.

   
   First, wet the stain on your clothing with turpentine.

2. Fill it with clay and press it down lightly.
3. Place a paper napkin on top and iron with a hot iron. Turpentine kills mold, decomposes bacterial molecules, and clay absorbs the smell.

   
   Under the influence of high temperature, turpentine and clay easily deal with mold
   4. Rinse thoroughly and wash the item with regular powder.

If there are no visible stains of mold, and the problem is only the smell of mothballs or dampness, treating the entire surface of the clothing in this way is too labor-intensive. And turpentine and clay are not found in every home. There are simpler ways using really available tools.

Soda or salt

Soda and salt are excellent adsorbents and also have disinfectant and bactericidal properties.

Baking soda and salt are universal means for disinfecting and neutralizing odors on clothes.

There are several options for using soda or salt:

• Dissolve 1 cup of baking soda or salt in 4 cups of hot water, pour the resulting solution into 4–5 liters of cool water and soak the clothes before washing. The soaking time depends on the intensity of the odor and the material of the product. In severe cases, you can change the solution several times to a new one. If you choose salt, use only coarse rock salt. Extra and especially iodized varieties are not needed when washing.

  
  Soaking laundry in a saline or soda solution before washing will help get rid of odors.

• Some people simply add 1-2 tbsp. spoons of soda or salt into the compartment with powder when washing. This significantly reduces the hardness of the water, but this option is applicable in cases where the odor is not so strong.

Table vinegar

Acetic acid is the enemy of all fungi and bacteria.

Adding table vinegar to laundry detergents is an effective method

Vinegar, like soda, can be used in different ways:

• Make a solution for soaking laundry by adding 1 cup of 9% table vinegar to a bowl of water.
• Use 1/4 cup vinegar instead of rinse aid. This will not only eliminate the smell, but also make the laundry soft. The remaining light aroma dissipates quickly.

You can also combine the two by adding baking soda to the powder and using vinegar instead of conditioner.

Video: how to get rid of odor on towels using vinegar

Essential oils

Essential oils have been proven to be more effective than antibiotics in fighting mold. So it is not difficult for them to cope with the smell of dampness. It is better to use strong-smelling oils, such as lavender and various citrus fruits: orange, lime, lemon and grapefruit. You can rely on one of them or create a composition from all of them.

Essential oils of citrus fruits, lavender and others successfully fight all forms of mold

Oils are added to laundry detergents, and you can also enhance their effect with vinegar by mixing these substances and making your own environmentally friendly natural conditioner:

1. For 1 glass of vinegar you will need 15 drops of essential oil.
2. For a standard load of laundry, use 1/4–1/2 cup of this liquid.

Essential oils should be used with caution, especially for allergy sufferers. First, smell or place a napkin with a drop of oil in the room to observe the reaction.

Causes of musty and moldy smells on clothes

The best way to combat odors on clothes is prevention. To prevent them, you need to understand where they come from. There may be several reasons:

• increased humidity at home;
• improper storage of clothes;
• under-dried linen after washing, folded in a closet;
• forgetfulness, due to which wet clothes lie in a closed washing machine for a long time;
• mold-prone washing machine.

How to prevent unpleasant odors in things: care and storage rules

Having figured out the causes of moldy or musty odors, you can develop rules that will save your clothes:

• Keep your washing machine clean. Wash it regularly with special chemicals to prevent mold from growing.

  
  Accumulated dirt and mold in visible areas and inside the machine can cause a musty smell on clothes.

• Remove and hang laundry immediately after finishing washing. Even raw things rolled up in a basin can suffocate while waiting for you to get your hands on them.
• Dry your clothes completely, and after ironing, let them cool before storing them in the closet.

This point can be difficult to achieve, especially in spring and autumn, when it is cool outside and the house is cold and dank due to the lack of heating. I'll tell you what I do in such cases. The main thing is that I never wash seasonal items during this period. Nothing bad will happen to them if they hang in the closet or lie in the laundry basket for a few extra weeks. I wait until it gets warm and then I wash it, making sure to use fabric softener. To prevent unpleasant odors, air conditioner is a good help. Seasonal items, especially woolen ones, and bed linen, rinsed with it, create a pleasant aroma in the closet. I try to wash everyday clothes in small portions before the heating is turned on. The heavier the laundry weighs on the dryer, the longer it stays damp. Sometimes I even hang things on chairs and headboards. And I don’t leave them to dry for 2-3 days. This is of little use. I hang the laundry for a day or a day and a half, and then finish drying it with an iron. When the apartment gets completely cold, I place the dryer near the heater, periodically changing the place of clothes on the racks.

For more information on how to get rid of unpleasant odor in shoes at home, read our article - How to get rid of odor in shoes.

Here are some basic tips for keeping your closet smelling nice:

• Keep your closet fresh. Special sachets with aromatic herbs help with this very well. Instead, you can use a cheap, but in no way inferior analogue - fragrant toilet soap. Opened packaging with this flavor creates a wonderful smell on the shelves. And when the soap begins to dry out, it can be used for its intended purpose.

  
  Cabinet scenters create a wonderful smell on the shelves

• A reliable means of preventing mustiness in cabinets is to regularly clean and ventilate them. Periodically shuffle clothes, dust shelves and drawers, and leave them open for a while.

  
  A clean closet is the key to fresh clothes

• Few people pay attention to such a factor as a container for dirty laundry. But in vain. Worn items with all the tasty and not so tasty aromas absorbed into them should be well ventilated. Therefore, a metal or plastic container sealed on all sides is not the best solution. Wicker baskets made from natural materials are ideal. Here the air freely penetrates to the laundry and does not allow it to suffocate.

  
  Wicker baskets made from natural materials prevent the appearance of unpleasant odors inside dirty laundry

If the house itself is a source of dampness

Housewives with high humidity have the hardest time in the fight against mustiness and mold. What to do if the surrounding atmosphere itself is against you and your things. Here we can suggest the following:

• Clean out your closets more often. Wipe the entire internal surface with vinegar or soda solution.
• Periodically remove the contents of the shelves and ventilate them thoroughly, even in winter. Frost kills fungi and bacteria and gives your laundry incomparable freshness. Don't forget to let them warm up and dry before putting things back.
• In addition to fragrances, place absorbent substances on shelves and between layers of clothing. These can be bags that are always in shoe boxes or bags. You can also place small open containers of baking soda in the corners of the shelves. Another unexpected option is cat litter. It is made from natural material, has bactericidal properties, absorbs moisture and eliminates odors.
• Store seasonal items in special vacuum bags.

  
  Vacuum bags save space and keep things fresh

  Read also:  8 simple ways to help purify water if you don’t have a household filter

Animals

Pets are not always well-groomed and washed. Having visited the toilet, a cat or dog immediately runs into the owner’s arms. Accordingly, things begin to smell like urine, or even worse, animal feces.

How to remove the smell of cat or dog urine? It is easy to get rid of this smell from clothes. There are many methods used at home.

Effective methods:

1. To remove unpleasant odors, rinse things in a large amount of water, then add hydrogen peroxide, citric acid and vinegar essence. Many housewives use a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
2. Bed linen, bedspreads or wardrobe items are washed with powders containing enzymes and adding apple cider vinegar to water.

If you can’t remove the smell with improvised means, professional cleaners will help. Quickly removes cat odor Dezosan, Odorgon, Monclavit-1, Zoosan, Urine Off, Nodor, Mr. spray. Fresh.

When removing odors from a cat, you should not use chlorine-containing products. Chlorine does not erode well and has a negative impact on health.

Effective sweat odor neutralizers

The smell of sweat ingrained into fabric is a common problem. Even those who don’t go to the gym or physically work all day are familiar with it. Often worn items in the armpit area one day begin to exude body odors even after washing. This is explained by the fact that, along with the sweat glands, fatty glands also actively function. Molecules of sweat and fat mix on the threads of fabric, and the powder is not always able to break them down. Dishwashing liquid, soda, vinegar, lemon or aspirin can cope with this task:

• Make a solution using one of these products and soak your clothes in it before washing. You can simply add soda or crushed 4-6 aspirin tablets to the powder, and use lemon juice or vinegar as a rinse.
• Make a paste of baking soda or aspirin tablets with water and rub into the armpits, leaving for several hours. Then wash it.

  
  Baking soda and aspirin eliminate sweat odor from the armpits

The main reasons why there is a smell in the closet

The smell in the wardrobe can cause active growth and development of dust mites. A closed and dark space is considered optimal for him. It begins to multiply, which leads to aggravation of the situation.

The mite size is no more than 0.5 mm. That is why it cannot be detected in underwear without a special magnifying glass.

The animal begins to actively grow and develop in the presence of a sufficient amount of dust. The optimal environment for it is also dead human skin cells.

You can eliminate the unpleasant odor that occurs against the background of the body’s life activity in the following ways:

• An item that a person has already worn cannot be put back on the shelf .
• Carrying out regular ventilation of the cabinet.
• The tick cannot live in sunny or frosty weather.
• The cabinet walls can be wiped with a concentrated solution of table salt .

Dust mites cannot live in sunny or frosty weather.
Mites can also be professionally eliminated using steam treatment. This method also helps to additionally eliminate moths and disinfect surfaces.

An unpleasant odor begins to accumulate if there is a constant increase in humidity in the room. Against this background, mold begins to actively develop.

Regular ventilation and drying of things helps prevent the process. An additional heater can be installed in the room. If this is not possible, then you can use a hair dryer. With its help you can reach even the most secluded corners.

To quickly and effectively absorb moisture, you can use silica gel or activated carbon. They are evenly laid out on all shelves of the closet and changed at least once a month.

The situation can be prevented. To do this, it is recommended to follow the storage rules:

• Worn clothing should be stored separately.
• Additional aromatization of the space can be done using perfumes or deodorants.
• We should also not forget that synthetic fabrics contribute to the accumulation of sweat odors in their structure.

Periodically, the closet needs to be completely ventilated.

How to remove odor from second-hand clothes

For disinfection purposes, clothes for second-hand stores are treated with a special gas, the remains of which can cause allergies and other health problems. You should not try to simply kill it with the help of strong fragrances and perfumes, but completely eliminate it.

Ventilation is the best solution

The best way to get rid of gas is fresh air. Hang your purchases outside, preferably in windy weather. If you only have access to a balcony, open as many doors as possible and place them not on the sliding drying rack, but at the top opposite the open space. The time it takes for complete weathering depends on the intensity of the smell and the material of the clothing: from one day to two weeks. When you are sure that things no longer smell, wash them with regular detergent.

To air out second-hand items, hang them out in the fresh air.

Ammonia

The ventilation process can be accelerated by first soaking the laundry in a solution with ammonia:

1. To do this you need to dilute 1 tbsp. spoon of the product in 5 liters of cool water.
2. Items made of cotton or viscose should be soaked for 30–60 minutes, synthetic or thick fabrics - for 6 hours.
3. After this procedure and airing, things must be washed.

Ammonia solution destroys many odors

Video: ways to rid clothes of second-hand smell

Mechanical cleaning methods

In some cases, you can eliminate the musty smell of clothes without using any products. Mechanical methods of influencing tissue are suitable for this:

1. Boiling. Pour boiling water over the items or simmer them over low heat for several minutes.
2. Freezing. The method is suitable for wool and fur products. Place the clothes in a bag and place in the freezer for a day. A similar option is to hang it outside for 1-3 days in frosty weather.
3. Dry thoroughly. Dry textiles in the sun, near a radiator or an open window.
4. Ventilation. Hanging clothes outside after drying thoroughly to get rid of the musty smell.
5. Steaming. Suitable for most types of fabrics. The procedure must be carried out after washing and drying.
6. Ironing at high temperatures with steam. It is especially recommended to iron towels and bed linen - they are stored in the closet for a long time without use, resulting in a musty smell.

Before mechanical cleaning, it is necessary to study the label of the clothing to avoid damage to it by such procedures. This also applies to regular washing, as well as the use of folk remedies.

How to get rid of gasoline and diesel odors

If anyone in your family is involved in car maintenance, you have definitely encountered the problem of removing stains and odors from motor fuel and you know that these substances are “hard nuts to crack.” But here, too, the same soda or ammonia and a large portion of clean air will help:

• If there are stains, treat them with stain remover first. Then, after washing in water at the maximum temperature allowed for the fabric, soak the clothes in a solution of 1 cup of soda and 5 liters of water overnight, then wash and dry the item again in the wind.
• If the smell is very pungent, use ammonia instead of soda in the same proportions.

Due to his occupation, my husband spends a lot of time in the garage, where he often repairs cars, and all his clothes are thoroughly saturated with the smell of diesel fuel. The smell is terrible and the most persistent of all that I have encountered. It is destroyed only by a complete cycle of such repeated procedures: airing, washing, soaking in soda, then with ammonia, washing again and clean air.

Salt

Table salt is simply irreplaceable if you need to remove unpleasant odors from clothes. There are several ways to use it:

1. You can simply wet the cloth and rub it generously with salt. After half an hour, you should wash your clothes, after soaking them in any washing gel.
2. Another way is to combine three tablespoons of salt with a liter of water. After complete dissolution, you need to soak your clothes in the composition and leave them for half an hour.

Emergency help: removing odors without washing

There are times when there is no time or it is undesirable to wash. For example, you don’t want to throw a clean thing into the dirty just because of the aromas that it has absorbed. Or you need to put on a blouse, but before leaving you discover that your armpits smell of sweat. What to do in such situations:

• Place the item carefully in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for 20–30 minutes. Cold temperatures do a great job of eliminating organic odors.

  
  Cold temperatures are great for removing organic odors from clothing.

• Pour vodka into a spray bottle, generously spray the item or problem area until wet and hang it on the balcony. Vodka evaporates quite quickly, and with it an unwanted aroma. If you are in a hurry, dry it with a hairdryer.

I haven’t tried the freezer, but vodka somehow helped me out. I didn’t dare to perform this trick several times in a row with the same blouse, but for one evening it worked 100%.

Tips and tricks

It is easier to prevent a problem than to get rid of it. The same applies to the smell of sweat on clothes. In order not to be tormented by the question of how to remove an unpleasant “aroma”, you need to follow a number of simple rules:

• Personal hygiene must not be neglected - you need to shower regularly (every day), and in the summer - as needed.
• After taking a shower, it is recommended to use body deodorants.
• Natural materials do not have a negative effect on the skin; accordingly, clothing made from such fabrics does not contribute to the appearance of hyperhidrosis. If a person has a disrupted process of body thermoregulation, then he needs to wear clothes only from natural fabrics.
• Often, increased sweating becomes a “signal” from the body about the development of a certain pathology. If you experience persistent hyperhidrosis, then it makes sense to visit a doctor and check your own health.
• Improper nutrition provokes disruption of the body's thermoregulation process. Trigger products are all salty, spicy and pickled foods, as well as food with added chemical components.
• If something smells unpleasant, you need to wash it immediately. You should not hope that the smell of sweat from clothes can be removed by normal ventilation.

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Features of some fabrics

In the fight against foreign odors, it would be useful to take into account the material and color of clothing:

• When processing fabrics that require gentle washing, or items of bright, rich colors, always check in an inconspicuous area the reaction of the dye and threads to the cleaning agent.
• Remember that wool, dense thick items or artificial materials require longer exposure time.
• If clothes that cannot be washed are damaged, place them in a lockable box. Place an open package of soda there and leave it for several hours, sometimes even days. If necessary, replace used soda with new one.

Prevention

• The cabinet is not allowed to be placed in the space between the kitchen and the bathroom. It is also best for residents of side apartments to avoid placing in a corner.
• There should be no clothes in the closet that have not yet had time to dry.
• In a damp apartment, you should put silica gel . These are special balls that are included in every shoe package. With their help, it is possible to quickly and effectively eliminate high humidity. You can buy balls separately at a building materials store.
• Outerwear must be ventilated at least 2 times a year .
• The smell can come from used items. For this reason, they cannot be stored in a closet for a long time .
• A pleasant aroma can be provided using herbal bags . Some owners prefer to use perfume or soap.

An unpleasant odor is difficult to deal with. It is recommended to follow the rules that prevent its spread. The methods have been used for a long time, so they have been tested. To combat unpleasant odors, modern manufacturers offer ready-made products that are sold in any hardware store.

Industrial odor removers

In addition to folk recipes, there are also ready-made products for removing odors from various surfaces, including clothes. Many of them come in spray form, making them easy to use.

Using sprays to remove odors from clothes is easy:

1. The product is applied to dry clothes, preferably placed in a closed space, in order to prevent premature weathering, and wait for several hours.
2. After this, the item is washed or even put on immediately, since the substances in such sprays are harmless.

Table: odor neutralizer sprays

Photo gallery: odor removal sprays

OdorGone Professional eliminates all organic and chemical odors

OdorGone Sport removes odors of sweat and musty SmellOff spray effectively eliminates the smell of sweat SmellOff universal effectively copes with all organic odors

DuftaFeet spray eliminates sweat odor

Ammonia

Before using this product to remove unpleasant odors, you should make sure that the room in which you will wash unpleasant-smelling items is well ventilated. The fact is that the toxic smell of ammonia is dangerous to the lungs. You will need to wash the items in the machine twice - the first time with ammonia, the second time with gel or powder.

Never use ammonia at the same time as bleaching agents. If you inhale this product and feel dizzy, be sure to call an ambulance!