How to get rid of the musty smell of clothes: effective methods, the use of traditional methods and the use of household chemicals

Violation of the rules of washing, drying or storing in a closet leads to the fact that washed clean clothes acquire a very unpleasant musty smell.
It will not be possible to mask the “aroma” with perfume (perfume only enhances the “aroma” of mustiness). Fixing the problem and returning freshness to your favorite things can only be done with proven, properly selected methods and means.

We will tell you in this article how to remove musty smell from clothes after lying for a long time using improvised means and household chemicals.

Causes of unpleasant odor

Before we talk about how to remove musty smells from your clothes closet, we recommend identifying the cause of the smell. Here are the main reasons why an unpleasant odor occurs:

1. Insufficient drying. Any washed laundry should be thoroughly dried before placing it on the shelves. Even a seemingly insignificant amount of moisture can provoke the development of fungus, which is the cause of the unpleasant odor.
2. The items were folded immediately after ironing. Experts say: any item of clothing or home textiles must be given time to cool. Only when things have cooled completely can you roll them up or hang them on hangers and place them in the closet.
3. Storing clean and unwashed items in one place. For this reason, fresh, aromatic laundry acquires an unpleasant odor, which over time turns into a musty one.
4. Clothes are kept locked away for too long. You should periodically air out those things that are in the chest of drawers or on the shelves of the closet. Otherwise, getting rid of the unpleasant “aroma” will not be easy.
5. The ventilation system in the house is broken. Things often start to smell unpleasant in homes where the ventilation system cannot cope with high levels of humidity.
6. The cabinet was infected with fungus. For example, you might have inherited a piece of furniture with fungus, which, of course, “bloomed.”

But what to do if absolutely all the recommendations for washing, drying and storing wardrobe items have been followed, but there is an unpleasant musty smell on the items? Pay attention to the piece of furniture in which textiles are stored: most likely, the reason for the specific smell lies precisely there!

How to add a pleasant aroma

To give things a special smell that is pleasant to the owners, the simplest methods are used - regular washing, aromatic substances.

Important: fragrances pleasantly refresh things if they are free of foreign odors. Combining an unpleasant amber with any scent will only make the situation worse

Cleanliness support

The best and most reliable way to make things smell pleasant is to keep the entire contents of your closet clean. Worn items should be stored separately. For them, it is better to allocate a separate chest of drawers, a bedside table, and not a shelf in a common wardrobe.

Periodic revision of clothing

Everything in the wardrobe must be ventilated regularly. This applies not only to fur products, which protect against moths in this way. It’s worth setting aside a day and taking out all the things from the closet and shaking them out. Unused items should be thrown away or moved to distant mezzanines.

Humidity level

To reduce humidity in cabinets, use salt, soda, silica gel, rice, and zeolite. Special moisture absorbers are produced, which are used if other methods do not help.

Coffee beans

The aroma of coffee can overpower many odors. The grains need to be roasted and placed in the wardrobe, whole or ground. Wooden cabinets preserve the coffee spirit for a long time; clothes and linens are also saturated with it.

Essential oils

Your favorite essential oil is dripped onto the fabric and left in a closed wardrobe. Gradually, all things acquire this aroma.

Odor control agent: table vinegar

To remove musty smells from clothes, it is absolutely not necessary to purchase expensive fresheners or cleaners. Sometimes simple remedies that can be found in any kitchen will help you get rid of a nasty “aroma.” For example, the most common table vinegar. How to remove musty smell from clothes with its help? It should be understood that even a weak agent, for example, 9 percent, can have a negative effect on the structure of the tissue - destroy it. This can be avoided by simply diluting the vinegar with water. To one part vinegar you will need to take three parts cool water. The procedure should be as follows:

1. It is necessary to pour the composition into a spray bottle.
2. Vinegar mixed with water should be carefully applied to the fabric.
3. After this, the item should be left for ten minutes.
4. The next step is washing with laundry soap or baby powder.

Baking soda

Baking soda is an equally effective home remedy. It is capable of removing traces of fat or oil, various juices, burning and even the smell of smoke from any surface. How to get rid of the musty smell of clothes using baking soda? Experts say it's quite simple. You need to boil one liter of water, add five teaspoons of soda to it. If there are a lot of clothes that smell unpleasant, the amount of product can be doubled. It is very important to mix the soda thoroughly so that it dissolves completely in the water. After this, the product should be removed from the heat, pour it over the clothes and leave it for half an hour. Then you will need to wash the items by hand or using a washing machine and dry thoroughly. By the way, if using vinegar and soda separately from each other did not help eliminate the musty smell from things, you can combine these components. This composition should be used instead of powder in the washing machine. However, it should be understood that this washing method is suitable only for open centrifugal machines. Never use vinegar or soda when washing foul-smelling clothes in a washing machine.

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.

Hydrogen peroxide

How to get rid of the musty smell of things at home? Perhaps this can be done using a product such as hydrogen peroxide. It perfectly removes all “odors” of organic origin, such as sweat, dampness and fungus. In addition, this product can remove old stains from fabric - blood, juice and others. It will be necessary to combine a liter of water and 100 milliliters of a three percent solution of a pharmaceutical product. However, if you are thinking about how to remove musty smell from cotton clothes, you can use undiluted peroxide. You can soak the fabric in this product for no more than 10 minutes.

Main Factors

The reasons for the unpleasant aroma of things are:

• increased indoor air humidity;
• poorly dried clothes;
• lack of air access to things;
• dirt and sweat on the fabric;
• furniture made of low-quality material;
• dust mite;
• Pets;
• nicotine addiction, visiting nightclubs and establishments with smoking areas;
• just purchased items.

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!

Compositions for white clothes

The smell of dampness can be removed from light-colored fabrics using home remedies:

• Ethyl alcohol (70 ml.) with ascorbic acid (1 tablet). The composition is applied to clothing with a cotton swab. An hour after treatment, items are machine washed.
• An aqueous solution (1:10) of hydrogen peroxide 3%. The composition is applied to the surface of the material for several minutes, then the items are rinsed in warm water.
• An aqueous solution (1 tsp per 1 liter) of ammonia. Things treated with the drug are hung out to air or washed.
• A mixture of water (250 ml), ammonia (5 ml), table salt (30 g). Wipe the textiles with a cotton swab soaked in the solution. Cleaned wardrobe items are hung on the balcony for ventilation.

Important! The listed products are suitable for eliminating unpleasant odors from outerwear and other products made from dense fabrics.

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.

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.

Herbs in bags

You can purchase special sachets filled with herbs, or you can make them yourself. To do this, you will need small fabric bags made from natural fabrics. They need to be filled with any aromatic herbs. Melissa, mint, and lavender are excellent. They need to be dried, put in bags and sewn or tied. Instead of herbs, you can put the zest of any citrus in the bags.

Boiling

If your items have a distinct musty smell, do not rush to throw them away! Just boil them. Experts note that this method is only suitable for towels and rugs. Any products made from delicate fabrics simply will not tolerate such a procedure. To boil, you will need a pot large enough to have enough water to cover all the smelly items. You will need to boil water in it. Then, place the textiles in another container, for example a basin, and leave them covered in boiling water for five minutes. After this, you need to wash things and dry them.

Whitening

How to get rid of the musty smell of white clothes? Use bleach! This product quickly and reliably destroys mold spores, which are the source of disgusting amber. Don't forget to use rubber gloves and goggles. For half a glass of bleach you need to take four liters of water. The clothes will need to be kept in this solution for about 20 - 30 minutes, and then washed as usual.

Dry cleaning

How to remove musty smell from items that can only be dry cleaned, such as a jacket or coat? Look for household chemicals that don't require rinsing after use. This product will clean the surface of the product without damaging the fibers of the fabric. One measuring cup will need to be diluted in several liters of water (according to the instructions) and sprayed on clothing using a spray bottle. After this, you should hang the clothes in a sunny place so that they dry thoroughly. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated.

If you don't want to buy expensive products, use regular vodka. How to get rid of the musty smell of clothes with its help? This alcoholic drink needs to be poured into a spray bottle and carefully processed. After this they will need to be dried.

Special anti-damp products

If you can’t remove the smell of dampness and mold yourself, buy ready-made antiseptics:

• Dali is a universal antiseptic used for any surface (wood, brick, concrete, painted or varnished surface, drywall, ceramics). Effective against various types of fungus, mold, moss.
• Alpa fungicide is used indoors and outdoors. It is recommended to remove the top layer of loose surfaces before use. The product does not affect glossy paint or varnish.
• Stop mold Olimp. An antiseptic without chlorine and toxins is made for use in bathrooms, basements, greenhouses, garages, and damp apartments.
• Biotol spray will help get rid of fungus and mold on the balcony, kitchen, and bathroom. Can be used for fencing in a private house, monuments.
• Mavix-BIO is a complex product that effectively uses a water repellent. Mold and odor should be removed in two stages: first, treat the wall with impregnation, then with an antiseptic.

Preventing musty odor

In order to prevent mold from appearing in your wardrobe or chest of drawers where you store bed linen and towels, and therefore an unpleasant odor, you should use an alcohol solution of iodine. This product will need to be poured into a jar with a very narrow neck, which will need to be placed on the bottom shelf. It is important to prevent the absorption of iodine vapor into the fabric. To do this, plug the neck of the bottle with a ball of cotton wool.

Another useful tip: always dry clean laundry well. Sun and fresh air combat mustiness better than all other remedies. You should not leave laundry outside overnight. Experts recommend periodically ventilating all chests of drawers and closets; once a season, the shelves should be thoroughly cleaned, sorted through linens and gotten rid of all dirt. A very useful procedure is quartzing all surfaces of furniture intended for storing fabrics.

Useful tips

To get rid of the damp smell from linen and clothes, you do not need to use several methods at the same time. It is enough to use one that is more suitable for you. If it doesn't help, try the second one.

Things must be dried in the sun during the off-season.

For example, before putting away winter overalls/fur coats/down jackets, dry them thoroughly in the sun on both sides and only then put them in the closet. It’s even better to put them away in special bags or covers.

To combat the smell of dampness in your shoes, you must dry them after each hike. This can be done with electric dryers or, the old-fashioned way, by stuffing large pieces of newspaper. Paper absorbs moisture well. To eliminate odor, you can use special sachet balls.