Tips For Getting the Moth Ball Smell Out of Clothing
Often if you buy old clothing from a secondhand store or a yard sale the clothing may have a moth ball smell, and this can be difficult to get out of the clothing. Fortunately there are ways that you can get rid of the mothball odor so that you can actually enjoy wearing the clothing that you bought.
One of the most common ways to get the moth ball smell out of clothing is to hang the clothing out in the fresh air for several days; of course you will want to bring the clothing indoors at night and put it back out during the day. Try hanging the clothes in direct sunlight if possible, and you will want to do this for several days before you try and wash the clothing. When hanging the clothing in the sun ensure that it does not get too much sun. Although the sun does help to breakdown the odor, it can fade fabric, especially delicate fabrics. You can try spraying the garment with a fabric freshener before hanging it outside.
If you have machine washable clothes you can try to remove the moth ball smell by adding a cup of vinegar to the wash cycle. This may need to be done twice before the odor is no longer detected. Vinegar is great for removing mothball odors, as well as mildew and body odor.
There are some commercial products available that are meant exclusively to remove the moth ball smell from clothing. The products work by capturing the odor-causing molecule from the air. These products are usually sold as pouches that can be put in the closet where the clothing is hanging.
Another option is to purchase an ionizer, which will kill odors. To use this machine as a way to get rid of moth ball smell from clothing you will need to hang the clothes in a room that can be closed off; make sure that the clothes are hung in a way that there is some space between them. Turn on the ionizer and let it run for about 5 minutes or until you can smell ozone. Although this method is supposed to work well, the machine is very expensive so you might want to find another method of getting rid of the odor. The machine might be a wise investment if you deal in secondhand clothing as part of your business, but other than that there are less expensive methods of freshening clothing.
When trying to remove the moth ball smell from clothing you will need to be patient as you may have to try several methods before you can successfully remove the odor. There are some things that you will not want to try when trying to get rid of this odor, such as place the clothing in a dryer with dryer sheets. This will likely set the odor into the clothing where you will not be able to remove it. The dryer sheets will only mask the odor for a short time.
Secondhand clothing can be a real treasure; you can find some wonderful clothes for pennies, but you have to know how to get rid of moth ball smell or those clothes will be worthless to you. If you are shopping for clothing at a thrift store, it is best to buy clothing that doesn’t have a strong odor, but if there is a piece of clothing that you absolutely have to have, you can remove the mothball odor with some effort and time.