Getting a musty smell out?

[designerloot2015]

Howdy all,
I have a jacket to sell that has quite a musty odour. I can't wash it. Does anyone know of a good method of getting out musty smells?
Thanks
KS

[curraone]

cat litter works for books, so probably can work for clothes too

put jacket in a pillowcase and then in a large container and pour cat litter over, leave for at least  4 days

you will have to brush or vacuum out  the small residue

[thecatspjs]

lots of fresh air

place in dryer on lowest heat for several minutes with two or three fluffy tumble dryer sheets

more fresh air

repeat if required

[beach_and_home]

Throw it out!! Even if you follow the advice here, which is good advice, the smell will just come back as soon as the jacket is packed up inside a bag etc when you post it. The only way to get rid of the smell completely is to wash it and hang it out in the sun.

[thecatspjs]

Beach and home I respectfully beg to differ. 

Many musty smells in fabrics are able to be simply eliminated.  

[beach_and_home]

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@thecatspjs wrote:

Beach and home I respectfully beg to differ. 

Many musty smells in fabrics are able to be simply eliminated.  

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Maybe, but she is talking about a jacket she wants to sell on Ebay. If it was just for herself to keep then yeah, sure, try to get the smell out. If it's worth so much that it is worth selling, then I would recommend getting it dry cleaned. Then she can add that to the description as a selling point too, that it has just been dry-cleaned.

[nevillesdaughter]

If you have a garment steamer, they are great for eliminating the type of smells that seem to inhabit garments that have been stored for a long time.

Febreeze (from Coles) is quite a good product, especially if followed up with the sunlight and fresh air option,treaing both sides of the garment, and regularly turning it inside out and back again. A lot can depend on how robust the item is.

Good luck,

Marina.

[thecatspjs]

The OP did not say the jacket was not clean, just that it has a musty odour.

Gosh the way lots of people cram clothes into their wardrobes means that a musty smell can develop really quickly.

Agree steaming can contribute to freshening too, but IMO mother nature and her sunlight and fresh air can work magic.

[designerloot2015]

Thanks all, I will give it a try. Much appreciate the advice from everyone.

[001babygirl_123]

Hi I was just wondering why you cant wash the garment. I have been restoreing vintage clothing for many years and found that a gentle hand wash with a gentle detergant and hung in the sun to dry is the only way to eliminate the musky smell that is due to mold. Dry cleaning is expensive and the smell will return. You cant see the mold on colored fabrics but on a black fabric you can see it clearly. If washing is out of the question steam the garment with a steamer or the steam on your iron with out ironing it then hang out in the night air and leave all day in the sun, turn your garment inside out as to avoid fading, repeat this process until the smell is gone.

Hope this is of some help.