Febreeze on wool suiting?

A good airing won't take care of the odor? I'd avoid spraying such chemicals on my suits, but then, I consider Febreeze noxious on its own.

After that, a good sunning might help, too.

Does a dry-cleaning fit into this equation?

This sounds like a really bad idea. Dare we ask what happened to your suit that it needs fabreze?

I've done this more than a few times without adverse affect. Also note that Febreeze has a variety of scents, some more noxious than others.

Crack open the piggy bank and use this instead:

http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/pro...?productId=513

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here for a couple of weeks now, but this is my first post. I am always compelled to jump in on questions of deodorizing. Febreze is awful and chemical and doubtful any improvement on the standard Lysol approach: "cover the smell" with perfumes. Best deodorizer out there is white vinegar. It should be a staple product in every man's pantry. About $1.50 for a gallon in your cheaper grocery markets. Put some in a bottle and spray it in a mist over your article of clothing. Yes, it will then smell like vinegar, but air it out in front of an open window, or outdoors in the sun, and the smell will be gone. It does actually eliminate the odor, and doesn't just cover it up. The smell of vinegar fades with exposure to fresh air. I have used this method several times on my fine wool suit (the only one I own) and it works well, without causing damage. A quick web search will also yield you thousands of entries on this subject. Good luck, and never believe the marketing hype about deodorizers etc. Vinegar, sometimes some baking soda, they're all that really works.

PS A stinky room?

Stick a wide-mouthed bowl of vinegar in the room for a day. Does a wonderful job of absorbing the odor. My lady moved into a place where the former tenant had left a horrible, lingering body odor. It had permeated everything. That's how I discovered vinegar in the first place (can also be re-used).

And putting some vinegar on a towel and swinging it about in a smoky room helps to get rid of the smoke.


'rabbit, since you're a chemist, can you explain the basic chemistry of why the acetic acid works?

Supposedly, febreze does more than just cover up odors. The active ingredient, cyclodextrin, is essentially a ring of sugar molecules that binds hydrocarbons and retains the odor molecules.  Works for me.

Edited by Clydicus - 12/5/12 at 7:09am

Wow, necro-thread.

I have a small bottle of febreeze at the office which I would use in an emergency but otherwise steaming and airing the suit at home is the best choice.