Musty Clothes...

kperk2zw

I have had a LOT of clothes in storage as my husband has been deployed and I moved back in with my parents for that time.  But he will be home soon and I am going to be moving my stuff into our new house in a few weeks.  The problem is that my clothes all smell gross.  Like, old.  I don't mind necessarily washing the stuff I can wash, but it's the stuff that needs dry cleaning, like sweaters, that I don't want to have to pay to have it done for ALL of them.  And of course it would be winter so I would need those things now... But I digress.

Any tips on how to get that musty smell out of clothes WITHOUT washing them?  Like hanging them up and spraying something on them maybe?  Thanks!!! 

Magdala9

If the fabric does not water spot, a vinegar solution may work for you.  1 part vinegar with 4 parts water in a spray mister.   Lay the sweater out flat, mist with the solution leave out for 24 hours.  Flip sweater, mist with the solution leave out for another 24 hours.  If the fabric will water spot, dry cleaning is best.  

srs5624

Get one of those Dryel systems. The starter kit is pretty cheap at the grocery store. I used it all the time when I had dryclean only clothes. I couldn't justify drycleaning pants every single week, so I'd run them through the dryel thing to freshen them up inbetween professional cleanings.

Or, spritz them with some vodka. Vodka is scentless and will usually remove odors. I'd be hesitant to use vinegar if you can't rinse them to remove the smell.

kentuckygirl33

I had this same thing happen to me. I stored all my winter clothes in my garage in tubs and they all smelled musty. I waited for a day/night when there was no rain in the forecast and hung all my sweaters on chairs outside for about 24 hours. The smell was gone when I brought them back inside!

NCV2

I wash wool sweaters on the cold wool cycle with woolite and lie flat to dry.  

I don't have any problems with shrinking.

I would put baking soda on them before washing and the shake off.