How to Get the Scent of Mothballs Out of Your Home

Mothballs leave behind an unpleasantly strong odor.

Mothballs consist of a combination of chemicals, including an insecticide called naphthalene -- the chemical that gives mothballs their distinctive smell -- or paradichlorobenzene, also an unpleasant smelling insecticide. Once commonly used to deter cloth-eating moths from destroying your clothing and textiles, mothballs are now known to pose a potential health hazard to small children and pets. The strong odor mothballs cause permeates the surroundings quickly and, when allowed to linger, can be difficult to remove. Persistence and proper removal techniques help to effectively get rid of the strong, obnoxious odor.

Things You'll Need

• Fans
• Pet odor neutralizer
• Bucket
• Clean cloths
• Mop
• Laundry detergent
• Baking soda
• Vacuum
• Cotton balls
• Vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Open windows throughout your home and leave them open for as long as possible each day for several days in a row. Place a fan near the windows, pointing in toward the room, to draw fresh air into the home. The circulation of fresh air is vital to getting rid of the mothball smell.

2. Mix pet odor neutralizer in a bucket of hot water, according to package directions. Wash surfaces such as walls, hard-surfaced furniture and flooring with the odor neutralizer. The enzymes in the neutralizer help break down and remove the mothball odor.

3. 

   Washable items can be deodorized in the washing machine.

   Launder washable items, such as curtains, upholstery and small area rugs. Use laundry detergent and add 1 cup baking soda to the wash cycle to remove the mothball odor. Hang these items outdoors to dry in the fresh air and sunlight.

4. Deodorize carpeting and upholstery by sprinkling baking soda over the surfaces. Leave the baking soda on overnight then vacuum the next morning.

5. 

   Vanilla serves as a natural and fragrant odor absorber.

   Place three or four drops of vanilla extract on each of several cotton balls. Tuck two cotton balls into each room, behind furniture or in another discreet location. The vanilla naturally absorbs odor while replacing it with a pleasant fragrance.

Tips & Warnings

• Repeat these steps for one or two weeks to get rid of mothball odor.

• Substitute activated charcoal for baking soda to remove mothball smell from porous surfaces.

References

• Good Housekeeping; Mothball Odor in Car Interior; Heloise
• AARP; Mothballs Are Unsafe for Keepsakes; Candy Sagon; February 2011
• University of Kentucky; Odors: What's That Smell?; Linda R. Adler, M.A.; January 1997
• NPIC; Mothballs; May 2011