Tell me how often freshly washed linen that has been well dried and ironed does not lie in a chest of drawers or closet, fragrant, but exudes an unpleasant amber? When a specific “aroma” appears, many housewives seek to remove it, using both household chemicals and various folk methods for this. However, it is not always possible to remove a nasty smell from things the first time. How to get rid of the musty smell of clothes? Let's talk about it right now!
Causes of bad smell
Before we talk about how to remove the musty smell in the closet with clothes, we recommend that you determine the cause of the smell. Here are the main reasons why bad odor occurs:
- Insufficient drying. Any laundry that has been washed must be dried thoroughly before being placed on the shelves. Even a seemingly small amountmoisture can cause fungus to develop, which is the cause of the bad smell.
- Things were folded immediately after ironing. Experts say: any item of clothing or home textiles must be given time to cool. Only when things are completely cool, you can roll them up or hang them on “hangers” and place them in a closet.
- Store clean and unwashed items in one place. For this reason, fresh fragrant laundry acquires an unpleasant odor, turning into musty over time.
- Clothes kept locked up too long. Periodically, you should ventilate those things that are in the chest of drawers or on the shelves of the cabinet. Otherwise, getting rid of the unpleasant "aroma" will not be easy.
- The ventilation system in the house is broken. Things often start to smell bad in homes where the ventilation system cannot cope with high levels of humidity.
- The closet was infected with a fungus. For example, you could inherit a piece of furniture with a fungus, which, of course, “bloomed”.
But what if absolutely all the recommendations for washing, drying and storing wardrobe items were followed, but there is an unpleasant musty smell on things? Pay attention to the piece of furniture in which textiles are stored: most likely, the reason for the specific smell lies precisely in it!
Odor Control: Table Vinegar
To remove a musty smell from clothes, it is not necessary to purchase expensive fresheners orcleaners. Sometimes simple means that can be found in any kitchen will help get rid of the nasty “aroma”. For example, the most common table vinegar. How to remove musty smell from clothes with it? It should be understood that even a weak agent, for example, 9%, can negatively affect the tissue structure - destroy it. It is possible to avoid this, just dilute the vinegar with water. For one part of vinegar, you will need to take three parts of cool water. The procedure should be as follows:
- It is necessary to pour the composition into a spray bottle.
- Vinegar mixed with water should be carefully applied to the fabric.
- After this, the thing should be left for ten minutes.
- The next step is washing with laundry soap or baby powder.
Baking soda
Soda can be called no less effective home remedy. It is able to remove 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 with baking soda? Experts say it's quite simple. It is necessary to boil one liter of water, add five teaspoons of soda to it. In the event that there are a lot of clothes that smell unpleasant, the amount of the product can be doubled. It is very important to mix the soda well so that it dissolves completely in the water. After this, the product should be removed from the fire, pour clothes over it and leave it for half an hour. Then you will need to wash things by hand or with a washing machine, dry thoroughly. By the way, ifusing vinegar and soda separately from each other did not help eliminate the musty smell from things, you can combine these components. Use this composition should be instead of powder in the washing machine. True, it should be understood that this method of washing is suitable only for open centrifugal apparatus. Never use vinegar and baking soda when washing smelly clothes in a washing machine.
Ammonia
This tool, according to experts, can effectively eliminate any unpleasant odors from things, even very persistent ones. To do this, you need to prepare a solution of ammonia. For ten liters of water you will need one tablespoon of alcohol. This solution must be sprayed on a fabric that has an unpleasant odor. Leave wardrobe items or home textiles for 5 to 6 hours (if they don't smell too strong, 3 hours is enough). Rinse your clothes afterwards.
Hydrogen peroxide
How to get rid of the musty smell of things at home? Perhaps this can be done with the help of a tool such as hydrogen peroxide. It perfectly removes all "aromas" of organic origin, such as sweat, dampness and fungus. In addition, this tool is able to remove old stains from the 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 pharmacy. However, if you are thinking about how to remove the musty smell from cotton clothes, you can use undiluted peroxide. Soak fabric in this productno more than 10 minutes.
Ammonia
Before using this odor remover, make sure that the room in which you will wash odorous items is well ventilated. The fact is that the toxic smell of ammonia is dangerous for the lungs. You will need to wash the clothes twice in the machine - the first time with ammonia, the second with gel or powder.
Never use ammonia at the same time as bleach. If you inhale this product and feel dizzy, be sure to call an ambulance!
S alt
Table s alt is simply indispensable if you want to remove an unpleasant smell in clothes. There are several ways to use:
- You can simply dampen the cloth and rub generously with s alt. After half an hour, you should wash things, after soaking them in any washing gel.
- Another way is to combine three tablespoons of s alt with a liter of water. After complete dissolution, you need to soak the clothes in the composition and leave it for half an hour.
Natural coffee
Thinking about how to get rid of the musty smell of things lying in the closet? Take a small container, like a jar, fill it with coffee beans and place it on the bottom shelf. This method will not only remove all unnecessary fragrances, but also give clothes a slight pleasant smell.
Soap
By the way, instead of coffee beans, you can use regular toiletsoap. Both a bar purchased in a store and soap made by yourself are suitable. It must be wrapped in fabric and placed in a chest of drawers or on a cabinet shelf. After that, your laundry will smell fresh, and there will be no trace of the smell of dampness or mold. Of course, the soap will have to be changed periodically, because it keeps the smell for no more than a month and a half.
Herbs in bags
You can purchase special sachets filled with herbs, or you can make your own. To do this, you will need small fabric bags made from natural fabrics. They need to be filled with any aromatic herbs. Melissa, mint, lavender are excellent. They must be dried, put in bags and sewn up or tied. Instead of herbs, you can put the zest of any citrus in the bags.
Onion
A home remedy like onion juice will help you fight any odors. You just need to chop the onion with a blender or meat grinder, squeeze and process the foul-smelling fabric. Do not forget to rinse the product thoroughly after this.
Boiling
If your things have a pronounced smell of mustiness, 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 of delicate fabrics simply will not tolerate such a procedure. For boiling, you will need a pot large enough to have enough water for all things with an unpleasant smell. It will need to boil water. Then into another containerfor example, a basin, it is necessary to fold textiles and leave them for five minutes filled with boiling water. After that, you need to wash things and dry them.
Whitening
How to get rid of the musty smell of white clothes? Use bleach! This tool quickly and reliably destroys mold spores, which is 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. In this solution, clothes will need to be held for about 20 - 30 minutes, and then washed as usual.
Dry clean
How do I get musty smells out of dry-cleanable items like a jacket or coat? Look for household chemicals that don't require rinsing after use. Such a tool 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 clothes with a spray bottle. After that, you should hang the clothes in a sunny place so that they dry well. 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 it? This alcoholic drink must be poured into a spray bottle and carefully handle things. After that, they will need to be dried.
Prevention of musty smell
In order to prevent mold in yourwardrobe or chest of drawers where you store bed linen and towels, and hence the unpleasant smell, you should use an alcohol solution of iodine. This tool 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 exclude the absorption of iodine vapor into the tissue. To do this, plug the neck of the bottle with a cotton ball.
Another good tip: Always dry your clean laundry well. Better than any other remedy, the sun and fresh air fight against mustiness. Do not leave laundry outside overnight. Experts recommend periodically ventilating all chests of drawers and cabinets, once a season, general cleaning should be carried out on the shelves, sorting out linen and getting rid of all contaminants. A very useful procedure is quartzing all surfaces of furniture intended for storing fabrics.
