Removing bad smell from clothes

How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them

Alice Marini
By Alice Marini. Updated: February 13, 2017
How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them

I bet it happens to everyone to be in a hurry and wonder how to make clothes smell good without washing them. Here you'll find the solution! Bad odors in clothes are produced by bacteria, so whatever is able to kill those bacteria will also remove bad odors from clothes. So, you do not always need to wash your clothes to make them smell good.

You might be thinking it is nasty to look for ways to not wash clothes, but think again, because removing bad odors from clothes without washing them can be useful for everybody. Below we will list some of the occasions when you might need to use the methods we present. So, continue reading as on OneHowTo.com we explain how to make clothes smell good without washing them.

Steps to follow:
1

When and why you might need to make clothes smell good without washing them:

  • when you are in a hurry for work, or children have to go to school, and you have no clean clothes as you had a rough week and didn't do the laundry.
  • when you are travelling and cannot carry lots of clothes. Hotel laundries can be slow and expensive, so you might need to freshen up your clothes and wear them without washing them sometimes.
  • the boy/girl you like wants to see you tonight for a romantic date and you want to wear that particular dress that makes you look so beautiful, but it needs a freshen up.
  • you want to save water due to environmental or economic reasons and are trying to wash your clothes less often.
How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them - Step 1
2

Let the sun and air do their job.

It might sound obvious, but hanging your clothes inside-out outside on a sunny day can remove bad odors within 20 minutes. The sun, in fact, kills the bacteria that cause bad odors, and the air makes clothes transpire, taking bad odors away. This way, your clothes will smell good naturally.

If the weather doesn't allow you to hang your clothes outside, hang them in, close to a window or a fan.

This method is particularly effective with cigarette smoke and cooking odors.

How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them - Step 2
3

How to make clothes smell good naturally: lemon juice, vinegar, vodka.

  • you can mix a tablespoon of lemon juice with a glass of water, put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray your clothes on the front and the back.
  • mix a part white vinegar with a part water, put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray your clothes on the front and the back.
  • spray some pure vodka on your clothes to remove bad odors naturally

Some things to bear in mind:

  • lemon and vinegar can be aggressive on some fabrics, try them on a small, non visible piece before using them on the all garnment.
  • if you are thinking you will smell like lemon, vinegar or vodka, do not worry, those smells will vanish after you let your clothes dry.

For more household uses of lemon, check our tutorial.

How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them - Step 3
4

Using air fresheners to make clothes smell good without washing them

Air fresheners, if specifically marketed as odor removers, can work wonders on dirty clothes. They won't clean you clothes, but will make unpleasant smells vanish. Just spray a small quantity of your preferred scent on your clothes.

This is not a natural way to make clothes smell good, so let clothes dry before wearing them as the air fresheners can be aggressive on your skin.

5

How to make clothes smell good naturally: essential oils

A good natural alternative to air fresheners can be essential oils. Mix a few drops of your preferred essential oil with water and put the mixture in a spray bottle. Spray on your clothes to freshen them up.

Bear in mind that essential oils cover smells, they do not remove bad odors. So, this solution is suitable for clothes which are not too dirty.

How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them - Step 5
6

Baking soda

Baking soda is very powerful when it comes to make clothes smell good without washing them. Just put your clothes in a container with a tablespoon of baking soda, cover the container and shake well. Let act for 15 minutes. All of your clothes' odors will vanish!

7

Freezing clothes to remove bad odors without washing

It sounds weird, but freezing actually kills the bacteria responsible for bad odors. Freeze your clothes for a couple of hours and they'll come out as new!

8

Tips to prevent bad odors and wash less often:

  • Always hang your clothes in the wardrobe instead of accumulating them all together
  • Choose natural fabrics such as cotton, silk, and wool, that do not make you sweat and do not absorb smells
  • Put some perfumed herbs' packets or some scented wood in the wardrobe
  • If you are travelling, lay scented layers in between your clothes

Let us know of more ways to make clothes smell good without washing them!

How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them - Step 8

If you want to read similar articles to How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them, we recommend you visit our Home cleaning category.

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1 comment
Jacqueline Van Der Heyden
None of this will work when having a cigarette on break at work, need a quick smoke eliminator.
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How to Make Clothes Smell Good without Washing Them