That old, sharp smell of mothballs is a big problem. In fact, it is a very strong smell that doesn’t stay in one spot. It gets on your clothes and in your wood furniture. Eventually, it can fill up a whole room. Have you ever opened a box and smelled that? If so, you know it is a hard smell to fight. Therefore, you need to know how to get rid of mothball smell for good.
Getting rid of this smell can certainly feel like a hard job. But you don’t have to give up. For instance, you don’t need to hide your things away forever. There are good tricks that work. Indeed, they do more than just air things out. This guide will show you five of the best tricks. Specifically, you will learn how to get rid of mothball smell from your clothes, furniture, and home. These are real tips that work so let’s get started and make your home smell fresh.
Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of the Mothball Smell?
First, let’s learn about the smell. It helps to know what you are fighting. The smell is not just a scent. Instead, it is a gas from a chemical.
Understanding the Chemicals That Cause Mothball Smell
Mothballs are little balls of bug killer. In the past, they were made of a chemical called naphthalene. Today, however, they use another chemical called paradichlorobenzene. Both of these chemicals do something special. Specifically, they turn from a solid ball right into a gas.
This process is called sublimation. To explain, it means the solid mothball skips being a liquid and becomes a gas. This gas, in turn, kills moths and protects your clothes. But the gas gets everywhere. For example, it goes deep into clothes, wood, and even walls. As a result, the chemical leaves behind an oily film. This film keeps making the gassy smell for a long time.
How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell: Essential Prep Steps
Before you fight the smell, you need to get ready. Doing a little prep work first makes the tricks work much better. This is like getting ready for a big game. In short, good prep is a key part of learning how to get rid of mothball smell.
The First Step in How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell: Ventilation
Your first tool is free and simple. It is fresh air. The mothball gas is strong because it is trapped in a small space. So, the first thing to do is let the gas out.
First, open all the windows and doors in the room. Then, get some fans if you have them and point the fans out the windows. This will push the bad air outside. Let air move through the room. This is a very important first step because it gets rid of the gas in the air. Consequently, this makes the air safer and the smell weaker.
Finding and Removing Mothballs Before You Clean
Next, you must find the source of the smell. Look through all your closets, drawers, and boxes. You need to find and throw away any mothballs that are left. Of course, the smell will not go away if the mothballs are still there.
Be sure to use gloves to touch them. This keeps the chemicals off your hands. After that, put any old mothballs in a bag you can seal. Ask your local trash service how to throw them away, since they are a special type of hazardous waste. As you sort, make piles. For example, put clothes you can wash in one pile and put furniture and other things in another.
How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell with Fresh Air and Sunshine
One of the best odor fighters is the sun. It is natural and also free. The sun’s UV rays are great at breaking down the chemicals in mothballs. For this reason, this trick works well for clothes, blankets, and other strong fabrics.
How to Use Sunshine to Break Down Mothball Odor
Take any items that are safe to be outside. For instance, this can be cotton shirts, wool blankets, or jackets. Hang them on a clothesline. Or, lay them flat on a clean sheet in a sunny spot. This easy step is a huge help for how to get rid of mothball smell.
Ideally, you should leave the items outside for a full day. Also, flip them over so the sun hits all sides. The sunshine and fresh air work together. The sun’s rays clean the fabric and break down the smell while the wind carries the bad smell away. You may need to do this for a few days if the smell is very strong. Still, you will notice a big change.
How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell in Clothes: The Soaking Method
Sometimes, fresh air is not enough. The smell can be deep in the clothes. For clothes you can wash, a special soak is the next best trick. It uses simple things from your house to stop the odor.
A Vinegar and Baking Soda Soak to Get Rid of Mothball Smell
White vinegar is a great odor remover. In fact, it has an acid that helps cancel out the mothball smell. Similarly, baking soda is also great at soaking up bad smells.
- First, fill a large tub or sink with warm water.
- Then, add one cup of white vinegar for each gallon of water.
- Next, put the smelly clothes in the water. Let them soak for at least an hour, though a few hours is even better.
- After the soak, drain the water.
- Now, wash the clothes in your washing machine. Use your normal soap. Also, add half a cup of baking soda to the wash.
- Be sure to use the hottest water that is safe for the clothes.
- Finally, when the wash is done, smell the clothes. If they still smell, wash them again before you dry them. Importantly, heat from a dryer can lock the smell in forever.
Can I Just Use Laundry Detergent to Remove the Odor?
It is easy to just want to throw clothes in the wash. However, this usually does not work on mothball smells. Regular soap is made to clean dirt and normal stains. Unfortunately, it is not strong enough to break down the oily mothball chemicals.
The pre-soak step is what really works. It gives the vinegar time to work deep into the clothes. In other words, it helps it neutralize the smell. If you skip the soak, your clothes will likely still smell after the wash. Therefore, taking the extra time to soak is how you will succeed in your mission of how to get rid of mothball smell.
Using Natural Absorbers to Get Rid of Mothball Smell
What about things you cannot wash? Or what about smells in drawers and closets? For these, you need to use something that soaks up the smell. Indeed, activated charcoal is the best choice for this.
How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell in Closets with Charcoal
Activated charcoal is a special type of carbon. It has millions of tiny holes. As a result, these holes trap bad smells.
You can buy activated charcoal in small bags. Then, place a few bags in drawers, closets, or storage boxes. If you need to fix one item, like a bag or shoe, you can do this too. Put the item and an open bag of charcoal in a big plastic bin with a lid. Then, seal the bin and let it sit for a week. The charcoal will slowly pull the mothball smell out of the item. You can find these charcoal bags at home goods stores like The Container Store.
Using Coffee Grounds and Cedar to Absorb Mothball Smell
If you do not have charcoal, check your kitchen. For example, fresh coffee grounds can also soak up strong smells. Put a small bowl of coffee grounds in the smelly area. The coffee smell will be strong at first. But when you take it away, the mothball smell will be gone too. This is a good tip if you need to know how to get rid of mothball smell right away.
In addition, cedar wood is another great natural choice. Cedar blocks or chips have a nice, fresh smell. This smell helps cover up and remove bad odors. So, place cedar blocks in your drawers. Cedar also helps keep moths away naturally. All in all, it is a good way to go from a bad chemical smell to a nice, clean one.
How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell From Furniture and Carpets
The mothball smell gets into more than just clothes. In fact, it can go deep into furniture and carpets. It can stay there for years if you don’t clean them.
How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell From Upholstery
For a couch or chair, you need to be gentle. First, vacuum the furniture very well. Use the small hose tool to get into all the cracks. Then, sprinkle baking soda all over the fabric. Use a lot of it. Let the baking soda sit for a few hours or even overnight. After that, vacuum it all up.
If the smell is still there, mix white vinegar and water. Use equal parts of each. Then, put it in a spray bottle and lightly spray the fabric. Crucially, first test it on a hidden spot to make sure it is safe for the fabric. Let it air dry. The vinegar smell will go away, and as it does, it will take the mothball smell with it. For very bad smells, a steam cleaner can also push the smell out of the fabric. You can find more tips for cleaning furniture from experts like This Old House.
How to Get Mothball Smell Out of Carpets
Carpets can hold a lot of mothball smell. The best way to clean them is with baking soda. This is a very important method for how to get rid of mothball smell from your floors.
First, get a big box of baking soda. Sprinkle it all over your carpet. Use enough so you can see a white layer. Then, let it sit for a long time. Overnight is good, but a full day is even better. This gives the baking soda time to soak up the oily smell. Afterwards, vacuum the carpet very well. You may have to go over it a few times. If the smell is in the pad under the carpet, you might then need to call professional cleaners.
The Final Steps for How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell Completely
Sometimes, a light smell stays behind, even after you have tried everything. Here are the last two tricks. One just needs time. The other is a strong tool for very bad smells.
Why Patience is Key for Lingering Mothball Smell
Mothballs work by turning into a gas over time. So, getting rid of the smell can also take time. You may notice a light smell even after cleaning. This last part can be a real test of your knowledge on how to get rid of mothball smell.
Continue to keep the area open to fresh air. For instance, keep windows open and fans running. Be patient. The last bits of the chemical will slowly fade away. Eventually, the smell will be gone. This is very true for places like basements. Furthermore, using charcoal bags while you wait will help speed things up.
Using an Ozone Generator for Severe Mothball Smell
If the smell is everywhere, like in the walls and floors, you may need an ozone generator. This machine creates a special kind of oxygen called ozone. Indeed, ozone is very good at destroying smells.
However, this machine can be dangerous. This is a very important warning. Ozone is not safe for people, pets, or plants to breathe. For this reason, the room must be totally empty before you use it. You must also seal the room. After it is done, you have to air out the room for many hours before it is safe to go back in. Therefore, always read the safety rules very carefully. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has information on the dangers of these machines.
Prevention: How to Avoid Needing to Get Rid of Mothball Smell Again
You won! You finally figured out how to get rid of mothball smell. Now, you want to make sure it never comes back. Of course, the best way is to stop using chemical mothballs.
What to Use Instead of Mothballs to Prevent Odor
Thankfully, there are many nice-smelling, natural ways to keep moths away. For instance, cedar wood is very popular. You can use cedar blocks or chips. Lavender is another great choice. You can also put small bags of dried lavender in your drawers. In addition, you can use dried rosemary, mint, or cloves. They not only protect your clothes but also make them smell good.
Storing Clothes Correctly to Avoid Future Mothball Smells
The best way to stop moths is to store clean clothes. This is because moths like to eat food spills and sweat on clothes. So, always wash your clothes before you put them away.
Then, store your wool and silk clothes in sealed containers. For example, you can use plastic bins with lids or vacuum-sealed bags. These create a wall that moths cannot get through. If you clean and store your clothes the right way, you will never have to worry about how to get rid of mothball smell again.
FAQ – How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell
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1. Why does the mothball smell last so long?
Mothball smell lasts a long time because of what mothballs are. They are solid chemicals that slowly become a gas. This gas is what keeps moths away. Since they turn to gas so slowly, the smell gets deep into clothes, wood, and rugs. It can take a long time for the gas to go away. The smell sticks to everything, which is why you can still smell it weeks or months later.
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2. What is the fastest way to get mothball smell out of clothes?
Airing out clothes is the best way to remove mothball smell. If you can, hang your clothes outside in the fresh air and sun. The moving air and sun help break down the smell. If you cannot hang them outside, use a room with open windows and a fan. After airing them out, wash the clothes. You can add one cup of white vinegar or a half cup of baking soda to the wash to help get rid of any smell that is left.
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3. How can I remove the mothball smell from a room or closet?
To get the smell out of a room, first remove any mothballs. Then, open all the windows to let fresh air inside. You can put bowls of white vinegar or coffee grounds around the room. These items will help soak up the bad smell. Activated charcoal also works very well. For a closet, do the same. Leave the door open and use a fan to move air around. Cleaning the walls and floors with a cleaner also helps.
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4. Can I get the mothball smell out of wooden furniture?
Yes, you can get the smell out of wood, but it takes some time. First, empty the furniture, like a dresser. Wipe down all the wood surfaces with a mix of water and vinegar. Then, let the furniture air out. You can put it outside in a shady spot or just use a fan. Putting an open box of baking soda inside the drawers for a few days will also help absorb the smell.
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5. Is the smell from mothballs harmful to breathe?
Yes, the smell from mothballs can be harmful. They are made of strong chemicals. Breathing in the gas they make can cause headaches and dizziness, and it can be bad for your lungs. The smell is not safe for people, especially kids, or pets to be around for a long time. This is why it is very important to air out any area where you have used them. It is best to use safer ways to keep moths away.
