How can I eliminate strong odors from vintage clothing?

Question

My Aunt died a few months ago, and while cleaning out her storage facility, I found boxes and boxes of vintage clothing from the 1930's, 40's and 50's.

There are clothes, gowns, shoes, evening bags, lingerie, gloves, aprons, scarves, hats... they are all in pristine condition, but they have this horrible smell to them. Not B.O., but just an old age smell, like they have been in storage for the last 70 years!

They are beautiful, expensive clothes and deserve to be preserved and passed on to new homes. I want to sell them, but how can I when they smell so horrible.

The clothes have been hanging out in the air for the last 2 months (in garage) and they still smell bad. I've tried washing those articles that could be washed, but still... they stink! Fabreeze didn't work either. There are too many to have dry cleaned.

How can I get the smell out of these clothes. Any ideas? I really want to sell them and get top dollar, but how can I when they smell so nasty!

Answer 1

Charcoal, kitty litter, and baking soda all absorb odors. You can try encapsulating some items in a large plastic storage container with a largish quantity of one of the above items. I've done this with musty stinky books and it helps reduce the funk. You need to leave the pieces sealed up tight for at least two days - a longer timeframe does a better job.

While hanging them in the garage can help, hanging them outdoors on a sunny day is your best bet. I had a box of vintage clothing stored in my dad's basement for about ten years. Washed them up, hung them outside, and almost all of them lost their mustiness.

People have posted a lot of good tips - if you are still stuck, see if a vintage clothing dealer can provide more help, or if they would purchase or consign "as is".

Answer 2

Go to a dry cleaners and ask them to give you some ideas on how to get the smell out. And take at least some of the clothes to be dry cleaned.

Answer 3

^ what she said. Wash, spray.

Also, if you don't care for the smell of fabreeze, find some "Ordorcide" it kills the smell just as well as the Febreeze, but doesn't leave it smelling all flowery.

Also, NEVER buy the fabreze store-brand knock-offs... they smell worse than the B.O. and, they tend to have cheaper nozzles, so you'll have a higher chance of leaving a moisture stain on your fabric.

Answer 4

Experiment with some of the 'cheaper' ones.
Try:
vinegar and soap
baking soda and soap
I have used unscented OUST to get smells of smoke, etc . Use that for any leather items [ mist it from 2 feet away; air for 24 hours. ] such as handbags, shoes. Febreeze doesn't work as well.

Answer 5

These links have some great ideas: http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Musty-Smell-from-Clothes
http://www.ehow.com/how_155926_wash-vintage-clothing.html

Also - you need something to absorb the odor. You can use charcoal - the kind used for aquarium filters. Put it bags made out of old nylons & hang them near the clothes.

Answer 6

I, personally, would buy them anyway. I'm serious. My email is [e-mail]. Send pictures. I might want them.

About them smell, you should probably just keep airing them out with a fan or something. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Answer 7

Place your color clothes in the wash machine on warm wash...then add your (Mild) detergent, one cup of lemon juice, and two cups of white distille vinegar..during the rinse cycle add fabric softener...wash using small load...

Dry on normal cycle with six bounce sheets...that should do the trick.

Answer 8

if you don't want to take them all to the dry cleaners hang them up around your shower in your bathroom. close the shower curtain and turn on the shower (don't actually put the clothes in the shower). leave them in there for twenty minutes. take them out and spray them with febreeze. goodluck! =]

Answer 9

You already said that you tried febreeze, but there is a Febreeze laundry detergent that helps in getting out odors....i'd try that!

Answer 10

Get them dry cleaned, steam iorned, and use some fabreeze!!!