How to Freshen Up Dirty Clothes Without Washing Them
There are many reasons why clothes can take on an unpleasant smell. Most often the reason for it is sweat that gets absorbed into the fabric. However, this situation can also be caused by smoke at a picnic with a BBQ, or by another person’s perfume, or by pets. Unfortunately, we don’t always have an opportunity to put these bad-smelling clothes into the washing machine; not to mention that in some cases, it can ruin the fabric.
5-Minute Crafts is sharing several vetted methods that will help you remove bad smells from your clothes and bring back a fresh look and aroma without washing them.
Method #6
Place your clothes in a bag and put them in the freezer for a few hours. Low temperatures are detrimental to bacteria that cause unpleasant odors — therefore, your clothes will again become pleasant after freezing. If desired, you can also dry them in the sun.
❗This method will come in handy if you have to deal with fabrics that can’t be washed or that can’t get wet.
Method #5
With a low level of acidity, vinegar effectively neutralizes various odors. Take white vinegar and mix it with water in a 1: 1 ratio. Pour the resulting liquid into a spray bottle. Turn the clothes inside out. Test on a small but invisible to the eye area before fully spraying it on your clothes. If the color of the fabric doesn’t fade or change, you can apply the solution with a spray bottle to the whole item. As the clothes dry, the vinegar smell will disappear. To speed this process up, you can hang your laundry to dry outside or by an open window.
❌ It is not recommended to use dark vinegar (wine or balsamic).
Method #4
If you like to drink coffee, you can use leftover coffee grounds. Place them into a paper towel and then put it into a plastic bag with the clothes. Close tightly and leave them overnight. The coffee grounds will absorb the bad smells during this time. All you will need to do is slightly air out the clothes by leaving them for 10-20 minutes on the balcony or by an open window.
❗This method will come in handy if you have to deal with fabrics that can’t be washed or fabrics that aren’t supposed to get wet.
Method #3
Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 cup of water together. Pour the solution that you get into a spray bottle and sprinkle it on the clothes. Let them dry. As a result, the clothes will no longer have an unpleasant odor and will take on the fresh aroma of the lemon. Lemon juice can cause colors to become less intense, that’s why it’s better test the solution on a small, slightly visible area before using it. If the color of the material doesn’t fade, you can apply the solution to the whole item of clothing.
Method #2
Option #1. Mix baking soda with water to make a paste. Turn the garment inside out and apply the paste to the areas with unpleasant odors. Wait until they dry. Then use a brush to remove any remaining paste from the item. As a result, the clothes will no longer have an unpleasant smell.
Option # 2. Place your clothes into a plastic bag. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to it and close the bag. Shake well. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Afterward, take the clothes out and remove the remaining baking soda with the help of a brush.
❗This method will come in handy if you have to deal with fabrics that can’t be washed or fabrics that can’t get wet.
Method #1
Turn the garment inside out and leave it hanging outside in sunny weather (preferably for the whole day). Sunlight kills bacteria that make clothes smell bad. If this is not possible, try leaving your clothes on the balcony or near an open window overnight. In some cases, this also helps (for example, to get rid of the smell of smoke).