Before I spend fortunes on dry-cleaning, I thought I'd ask if anyone has done it -- pulled out beloved clothes only to find that they are stinko? You know that musty, rank odor? It's obvious that I used the wrong types of containers and should have tossed in dryer sheets and/or those little doodads that absorb moisture in Vitamin bottles and other places. Or something else.

Is it possible that the odor can be conquered? Dry-cleaning? Hanging them outdoors for a month in the country (I'm a city-dweller, so this not the likeliest option)? Some other technique?

Sigh.

Laurie

My daughter used to compete in Irish dancing. The heavy elaborate costumes would get odors from sweat, and some members of the community swore by vodka in a spray bottle. They would spray the underarms of the costume and let it air dry. I've never tried it but I heard this so often that I think it's a real thing.

Can't you just wash them?

@@JustWatchMe -- Very interesting and new to me. Since vodka won't stain, there's nothing to lose in trying. I'd use a mister to give everything a light going-over before hanging to air. Dry-clean as a follow-up. No Kahlua in the mix, I suppose.

@@Elode -- I've washed the washable things, but they're still funky. A second wash may help. Most of what I'd packed away is dry-clean only, e.g., wool, many with linings.

Ooooh well use those sent beads.

Wash them? I would use a pre-soak if they are that funky.

@Elode@liannatx --

Both items duly noted and on the shopping list.

Can you guess that I'm not particularly domestic in a laundry way? Never heard of scent beads. They sound so '60's and grass-scented clothes have to be better than the odor I'm faced with now.

I would think it would depend on whether or not the funky smell is mildew. If it's mildew I would think washing won't do much good but you can try it to see what happens.

Febreeze?

White vinegar.

1. Let your clothes soak in a solution of one cup of white vinegar in a bucket of Water for about an hour.
   
2. After soaking, wash the clothes with laundry detergent in your washing machine to wash away the mold and vinegar.
   
3. You might need to repeat the process to remove all the traces of mold and any moldy smell from your clothes.

white vinegar is a good option, and for things that won't fade, mule team borax is a miracle. I love that stuff. I use it towels and sheets, and it really gets them clean and fresh.

I second or by now third the white vinegar. I use it for lots of cleaning things. Might take more than one wash and then drying with a dryer sheet. Myself I find Febreeze is just like spraying something with perfume and in a while the overwhelming smells and the old stale one reappears. Good luck.

Vinegar, the universal antidote. How could I have forgotten?

I'm pleased to say that mold and mildew aren't the problems. That was a couple of years ago, when I opened one of those huge Rubbermaid containers. The smell was overwhelming. I slammed the lid back on, taped a note on top ("Mold -- Don't take these clothes), and hauled the whole thing out to the trash. The smell was very different from what I've got now.

20 Mule Team Borax still exists? I have the vaguest recall of a TV series sponsored by the product. It may have been a western-ish show. Ronald Reagan did the commercials between segments of the show and may have been an actor in the show (?). At least, I was a wee thing then. Maybe clips of it were shown during his later career.

I use the Ziploc Vacuum sealer bags for clothes and throw in dryer sheets. I've had a ton of luck with anything I have stored not getting holes, stink, wet or wrinkled.

@@Ashlegal

Great idea for future packing away. Where have you been all my life?

An aside. Sometimes I see a box, "Marked Solved," at the bottom of a post or topic. It's here now. Is that to indicate that kind people about to reply can better use their energies elsewhere?