Thursday, June 19, 2008

Bye Bye Mothball Smell!




Whenever I go to an op shop/thrift store I head straight to the bag section because my perfect find will never be too big or too small and the price rarely exceeds $10. The only issue I have with op shop bags is the mothball smell, I'm far too young to have the smell of a well preserved 85 year old drifting around.
Luckily I've picked up a few tricks to remove the smell over time.

Spray and Wipe→ If the fabric is waterproof (pleather, leather, synthetic and shiny!) a roll of paper towels and kitchen spray will get rid of the smell and any stains on the outside.
Just Add Water→ Most bags have a lining that can be pulled out. Handwash the lining in a shallow basin with some Napisan or baking soda. Hang your bag out to dry in the sun.
Wake Up & Smell The Coffee→ This one can be done two ways. Put a plastic bag inside the bag like a lining and add a couple of tablespoons of ground coffee, not instant, it has to be ground beans. Believe me, it makes a big difference.
Put a couple of teaspoons of ground coffee into a zip lock bag and tuck it into a pocket. Close up your bag and leave it overnight, your bag might smell of coffee for a while but the old lady smell will be gone.

1 comment:

Heybigtrender said...

hey, tahnks for the tips! recently bought a cute vintage clutch, but the smell is so gross! really helped :)