Friday, March 16, 2012

How to get musty odors out of vintage clothing

 I don't know about you, but I absolutely despise that old, musty op shop smell.  And it gets a lot worse when you have a whole room jam packed full of vintage treasures that are waiting to be washed.  So anyway today I did some research and discovered the technique used by the Mad Men wardrobe to keep their vintage smelling fresh.  Here's what you do...
 - Fill a spray bottle with one part vodka and two parts water
- Give it a shake
- Take your clothing outside and lightly spray it
- Give it some time to dry and air out
- I then turned heavy coats inside out and sprayed them on the inside too
- Ta da... no more stinky second hand store smells!
I was really astounded by how well it worked, the odors had completely disappeared and the clothes were as good as new again.  Because ermmm I have rather too many clothes in my personal wardrobe, I will pack away my summer/ winter things depending on what season it is.  Even though I always make sure I have washed them before they get packed away, they still end up musty after sitting in an old suitcase for 6 months.  So I'm definitely going to be using this on all my other clothes as well!
x
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12 comments:

  1. Barn House AntiquesMarch 16, 2012 at 1:21 AM

    OMG who would have thought Vodka! I am going to try.

    ReplyDelete
  2. two squirrelsMarch 16, 2012 at 2:51 AM

    Oh sweet this is one I have not heard of, thank you! Will give it a go. Cleaning and getting tipsy on the rest of the vodka. Yip all good.
    When I pack my season dresses in cases I always put in lavender bags, it keeps them fresh and with a pretty smell. The most important thing it stops moths and evil silverfish.
    Have a great weekend love v

    ReplyDelete
  3. MalaykaMarch 16, 2012 at 12:48 PM

    Thank you:). This method definitely works!
    Two Squirrels: Of course I had totally forgotten about lavender bags! I used to always use them when I was young (I think my grandmother probably made them for me). Might try and dry some lavender tonight. x

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 18, 2012 at 4:28 AM

    Thanks for this tip will defo give this one a go. I have lots of coats to sort out so I'm hoping this will do the job!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Miss MapleMarch 18, 2012 at 1:36 PM

    Thank you for that good advice. I hope it works well in vintage purses too. I have a really nice one which has a very strange smell.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Emma LittonMarch 18, 2012 at 6:37 PM

    I'm totally gonna try this! Such a great idea.

    xo,
    Em

    ReplyDelete
  7. inaMarch 21, 2012 at 12:07 AM

    Oh, that I'm gonna try! Never thought that you could do anything like that. I didn't, btw, know that lavender stops moths and silverfish. Red cedar is supposed to do that, too. I'm not too thrilled about the lavender smell, but even if I so far - fingers crossed - haven't had to suffer from any unwanted creatures in my wardrobe, I'm constantly afraid of them...

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  8. lasophiaMarch 22, 2012 at 12:58 AM

    Holy moly, I have to try this. I wash my clothes but the smell still lingers. Luckily I have a lot of vodka sitting around. I'm pregnant so I can't go drinking it.

    Sophia
    Http://lasophialasophia.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Katie VanVlietJuly 13, 2012 at 12:31 PM

    Have you tried vodka on antique chiffon? I have a wedding dress to wear in two weeks, replaced the lining which helped, but if I start sweating the musty smell start to come back! I should wear a garter belt to hide lavendar sachets....hmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ibbleOctober 27, 2014 at 2:03 AM

    Great tip. Is it safe to use on a wool coat with sheepskin trim?

    ReplyDelete
  11. james brownnAugust 1, 2016 at 10:48 AM

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    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownOctober 17, 2016 at 7:10 AM

    Love this outfit! Looks amazing!
    prairie underground clothing

    ReplyDelete

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