How to Avoid Odors Being Absorbed in Clothes

Keep odors from absorbing into your clothes with simple precautions.

Clothes are very susceptible to absorbing odors from their surroundings. Many odors cling to fabric, making it hard to remove them. The most common odors that are absorbed by clothes are smoke (either from a fire or from cigarettes) and body odor. Clothes can also pick up musty odors when being stored in a basement, attic or garage. Some odors pose health risks to people who suffer from allergies and asthma. Fortunately, there are several solutions to keep your clothes fresh and odor-free.

Things You'll Need

• Jacket or sweatshirt
• Baking soda
• Cornstarch
• Sock
• Scissors
• Rubber band
• Dehumidifier

Instructions

Avoiding Odors While Clothes Are Being Worn

1. Wear a jacket when you are around odors that you don't want to absorb into your clothes. Designate a certain jacket or sweatshirt for this purpose. This is a good solution when you are around cigarette or campfire smoke.

2. Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on areas of your body that sweat and produce body odor. The baking soda or cornstarch will absorb the odor instead of your clothing.

3. Sprinkle baking soda into your shoes to keep your socks from absorbing odor.

Avoiding Odors While Clothes Are Being Stored

1. Cut 6 inches of the toe portion off of a sock.

2. Fill the sock with 1/3 cup of baking soda and fasten it closed with a rubber band.

3. Tuck several baking soda sachets into each bin. The sachets will absorb musty odors.

4. Run a dehumidifier in the storage area to reduce musty odor.

References

• The Restoration Resource; How To Get Rid of the Smoke Smell from Clothing at Home
• Green Eco Services; Top 27 Uses for Baking Soda
• How To Get Rid of Things; How to Get Rid of Body Odor