How to Take the Smell Out of Clothes Without Washing Them? 10 Ways

Have you ever wondered how to remove unpleasant odors from clothes without washing them? For odor removal and energy and money savings, try our top five suggestions.

Our clothes’ durability is significantly reduced by frequent laundering. Our favorite fibers can be quickly damaged, shrunk, and faded by all that hot water, heat, and agitation. But how to take the smell out of clothes without washing them?

We’ll explain how to take the smell out of clothes without washing them in this article.

How to Take the Smell Out of Clothes Without Washing Them?

There are a ton of efficient ways to eliminate those lingering odors. All of this is accomplished without using a washing machine.

Below are tips on how to get different smell out of clothes:

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Hang Them Out

The easiest way to address faint smells is to hang your clothes outside of your closet right after you’ve worn them to air them out. Then I hang them back up inside my closet after letting my clothes and shoes air out for a day. Stronger smells might take a few days to air out, but faint smells typically disappear within a day.

Even better? Whether it’s in your backyard, on your balcony, or next to an open window, hang your clothes outside in the fresh air. Odors can be eliminated with the help of the sun and a gentle breeze. Just be mindful to avoid leaving a colorful piece of clothing in direct sunlight for too long.

Related: Why Do Your Clothes Smell After Washing?

Steam Your Garments

You knew a steamer could get rid of wrinkles and make your garment look fresh, but it turns out it can also make your clothing smell fresher, too!

Bacteria that cause odors are eliminated by the hot, steamy water. Additionally, steamers have a reputation for being able to get rid of relatively recent stains. According to reports, heat can loosen fibers, making stains easier to remove.

Although some delicates, like suede, cannot be steam-pressed. Others might not be able to be steam-cooked for such a long time. For garments with delicate embellishments, it’s highly recommended to turn them inside out before steaming so you’ll have to try other strategies for any stain removal.

Spray With Lemon Juice

Spraying down a piece of clothing with a mixture of a tablespoon of lemon juice and a cup of water will help to eliminate the underarm odor without washing it. It can also help you use up some of those lemons you may have left out. This is a great way to lessen your carbon footprint and use a natural method to get odors out of your clothes.

Use White Vinegar

This is a great way to get odors out of clothes, especially when a particular area smells a little funky. Combine a small amount of white vinegar with water in a spray bottle and shake the bottle to combine the ingredients.

If there is a particular area of your clothing that is a little smelly, you can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to give it a little extra fragrance.

Spray With Vodka

If the smell persists after a few days or it’s an extra-strong odor, spraying the garment with straight clear vodka works surprisingly well. Listen to me before you criticize! It’s a fairly straightforward tactic.

All you need to do is fill a spray bottle with plain, unflavored vodka. You might want to label it to prevent future mistakes and unpleasant surprises.) and spray your garment.

This has been a not-so-secret hack the performance world has used to get smells out of costumes that can’t be washed or don’t have time to be washed between shows.

Spray With Witch Hazel

If the thought of using vodka doesn’t appeal to you, witch hazel will produce comparable results when used to get rid of odors from clothing. Once more, witch hazel’s alcohol content helps to drive the bacteria responsible for offensive odors from the area.

Since vodka has a much higher alcohol content, in my opinion, it is better at getting rid of unpleasant odors. However, witch hazel is significantly less expensive than vodka. So, if you’re on a tight budget and don’t have any vodka at home, this is a good alternative.

Add some witch hazel to a spray bottle to create a similar effect as the vodka method. In order to ensure that it won’t harm the fabric, turn your clothing inside out and test a small amount on a discrete area. Once you’re satisfied, spray your clothing thoroughly, paying special attention to any particularly offensive areas, and then hang it up to dry.

Alternatively, if you want to give the witch hazel a stronger scent, feel free to add a few drops of essential oil. Again, test the solution on a small area inside your garment before using it more liberally.

Spray With Essential Oils

I would typically suggest combining essential oils in combination with one of the other tricks in here (like vodka or vinegar) for best results, but if it’s all you’ve got, it can still do the trick for a short period of time. Although if you’re really in a pinch it can help, it doesn’t really kill any odor-causing bacteria. (Naturally, perfume has the same potential.)

As with every other tip, test it out on a hidden area of your clothing or its interior (if it’s made of similar material) to see if it would result in staining or discoloration.

Freeze Them

The freezer is surprisingly effective, despite not being as quick a fix as spritzing some vodka or hanging your clothes out to dry on a windy day.

To avoid your clothing smelling like frozen peas, simply place your dry article of clothing in a bag and place it in the freezer for the night. You only need to complete that.

Next morning, take a few minutes to let your clothes warm up before putting them on. Although you can freeze your clothes once they are dry, your clothes won’t be stiff but they will be a little chilly. You can prevent frostbite by letting them warm up!

Use Baking Soda

Baking soda is a fantastic way to deodorize clothes without washing. I’ve used baking soda to clean my washing machine and washing soda (the brother of baking soda) to strip my laundry. It’s a great way to get bothersome odors out of your clothes without wasting water or energy.

Simply sprinkle some baking soda over the item to remove the odor, much like how baking soda eliminates odors from refrigerators.

Use the Dryer

If you have a drying machine and are trying to get odors out of your clothes without washing them, you can put your clothes in the dryer with scented dryer sheets for a brief period of time.

However, if you’re trying to avoid the washer to save energy or preserve your clothes, this isn’t your best bet. Your clothes will wear out more quickly and use more energy when you dry them on a machine. However, if you simply need something quick and easy, it can be used.

What Causes Clothes to Have Musty Smell?

Several factors can cause clothing to smell musty. Most likely, you’re wearing clothing that has been folded up in your closet and never washed.

This occurs frequently because most people don’t have the time to do laundry every day or every week. As a result, they end up storing them away until they have time to sort through their wardrobe. These garments might begin to smell musty after a while of use.

The kind of fabric used to make the clothes is another factor that contributes to the musty smell. Your clothes will become harder to dry and smell musty if they are made of certain fabrics that can absorb moisture more readily than others.

Avoid purchasing clothing that is made of materials that readily absorb moisture if you want to lessen the likelihood that your clothes will smell like mildew.

Tips on How to Avoid Having a Mildew Problem

Keep your clothing in a space with good airflow to prevent the need for any of the aforementioned remedies in the future. The absence of a musty odor on your clothing will be ensured by doing this.

If you won’t be wearing something until the following season, it’s a good idea to wash or dry clean it. Better airflow and better-smelling clothing are made possible by maintaining an organized and clean closet.

Prior to storing your clothes, make sure they are completely dry. Mildew will be halted by doing this. if you live in a humid area you may want to purchase a small space dehumidifier for your closet.

Additionally, there are goods like DampRid or AirBoss. These reasonably priced moisture absorbers will aid in preventing mildew and moisture from damaging your clothing.

If your clothes still have a musty smell after washing, you might want to give them another wash while adding some baking soda or borax to the water. then simply make sure of that. they’re completely dry before you put them away.

Before putting your clothes away, make sure they are completely dry by hanging them up near a heater or in the sun.

Conclusion: Take the Smell Out of Clothes

All of these solutions might not work if the odor is particularly difficult to get rid of. Washing your clothes is the only alternative in this situation. There may be no other option at times.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that washing and drying clothing accounts for 120 million tons of CO2 annually. In addition, our clothes will last longer if we wash and dry them less frequently.

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