How can I get the smell of moth balls out of clothes?

Question

I have an old coat that I love the style of, but it smells of moth balls... especially when it gets wet.

Answer 1

Clothes? You should try getting that taste out of your mouth after you eat a couple of them!!

Answer 2

Take it to a dry cleaners. I was given some outfits for my son that were brand new (Tags still on them) but they had been stored in a closet or container with moth balls and I tried everything to get rid of the smell and finally ended up throwing the outfits out. Vinegar didn't help either.

Answer 3

I inherited a lot of vintage clothing from my auntie that had been stored for years with moth balls. You can put the coat in a cardboard box and use either a tub of baking soda or activated charcoal to absorb the odor. Both work, but activated charcoal worked faster.

Answer 4

Seal them in plastic bags or containers, the moths can't get at them through plastic. But they have to be well closed. Big ziplock bags work well with small items, shoes and tops. Iyou can find the catering size you can put bigger items folded. Small suitcases that can go inside a wheelie bin heavy duty bag will also do as long as you tie the bag well.

Answer 5

If you can wash it vinegar will remove any strange odors. Just add a little to you wash. Also alway use a good soap- Like Tide, cheap soaps often don't clean well. Works great on towels or smelly socks too.
For a coat- you need to have it dry cleaned- if the cleaner did not get the odor out then he didn't clean it correctly.

Answer 6

Hang it outside at night when it's not raining or snowing, of course. The night air will eventually freshen the material. The colder the temperature, the better.

Answer 7

try washing the clothes