Mothballs can leave an unpleasant smell in rooms, clothes and hands. Odor-neutralizing substances, such as vinegar, can also remove mothballs from your clothes, while toothpaste and a lemon-flavored detergent can remove it from your hands. Fortunately, if something has become soaked with the acrid smell of mothballs, there are tried and tested methods that can help you avoid the problem in the future.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Remove the Mothball Odor from Rooms and Clothes
Step 1. Use coal
If the clothes have been stored indoors, it is likely that both the room and the clothes have become impregnated with the smell of mothballs. In this case, you can use activated charcoal tablets to eliminate it. Put them in a bowl and leave them closed in the chamber along with the clothing. They will go to absorb the bad smell.
You can usually buy activated charcoal tablets at pet stores or department stores in the form of pellets
Step 2. Treat items you can get wet with vinegar
If you can wash your clothing, use vinegar to remove the smell of mothballs. Try washing them by hand using equal parts water and white vinegar. You can also put them in the washing machine using vinegar instead of regular detergent.
Both hand washing and machine washing should get rid of the nasty smell of mothballs from your clothes. However, delicate clothing should be hand washed. Read the garment care label to understand which washing method to use
Step 3. Place a basin full of vinegar in the closet and in the room
If the smell of mothballs has spread inside a room or you can't wash a garment, fill a bowl with vinegar and place it in the area where it is most intense. It should neutralize the odor left in the environment and on clothes.
If you don't have white vinegar available, you can use coffee grounds
Step 4. Air the room
A little fresh air from outside will help naturally remove the smell of mothballs from your clothes. If they have been kept indoors for a long time, such as an attic, open all windows on a nice, breezy night. Remove them from containers where you have stored them, such as boxes or trunks, and hang or spread them out on a shelf. Try to expose them to fresh air to eliminate the smell of mothballs.
- With this solution you can remove the pungent smell of mothballs even from a room.
- If you use this method, check the weather forecast. Do not leave the windows open if there is a risk of rain or other precipitation.
Step 5. Try cedar shavings
Put them in drawers, dressers and closets that contain items impregnated with the smell of mothballs. In addition to removing it from clothes, they can also remove it from inside the furniture. Crepe shavings easily absorb bad odors.
You can buy them at almost any hardware store
Method 2 of 3: Remove the Mothball Odor from Hands
Step 1. Wash your hands with lemon dish soap
The lemon scent is strong enough to mask and eliminate bad smells, while the degreasing substances contained in the product enhance its effectiveness. If you want to remove the smell of mothballs from your hands, wash them well with a lemon dish soap after touching it.
If the smell persists, sprinkle some talcum powder on your hands after washing them and rub it into your skin. This way you will get a better result
Step 2. Use toothpaste
Put some toothpaste (not gel) on your hands and rub it as if you were going to wash them with soap. A walnut should be enough to remove the unwanted mothball smell.
Step 3. Try baking soda
This substance is great for absorbing and removing bad odors. In the case of mothballs, mix it with the water in a bowl until you get a fine paste, then rub it on your hands and let it sit for 3 minutes before rinsing them.
Step 4. Try tomato juice
It can effectively remove unwanted and unpleasant odors. Therefore, fill a bowl with tomato juice and soak your hands in it for 5 minutes before rinsing them. If this method works for you, it should greatly reduce the smell of mothballs from your skin.
Step 5. Use oranges
The scent of citrus fruits is able to remove persistent odors from the hands. Peel an orange and rub the zest into the skin. This system should help you significantly decrease the smell of mothballs.
Method 3 of 3: Store Clothes Without Using Mothballs
Step 1. Wash and dry your clothes before storing them
To prevent your clothes from smelling bad, store them without adding the mothballs. Therefore, wash and dry them before storing them in the closet and drawers. This way, by eliminating the odors that attract moths, you will prevent these insects from invading your clothes.
Step 2. Protect clothes by placing them in airtight containers
Instead of using mothballs, store clothing in sealable containers. You will keep moths away without having to use mothballs. Vacuum bags are particularly effective in keeping moths away.
You can buy them on the internet
Step 3. Use natural repellents instead of mothballs
Store your clothes by placing a few bowls containing natural repellent next to them. Spices such as rosemary, cinnamon and eucalyptus leaves are very effective and leave no bad odors. You can also use absinthe and peppercorns.
