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Febreeze on wool suiting?

antirabbit

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Is this ok on suiting?
 

antirabbit

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I havent tried that hard. I also dont like the smell of Febreeze. The suit smells old. I will steam the heck out of it and see if that helps?
 

Shoe-nut

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Does a dry-cleaning fit into this equation?
 

jc138

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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.
 

Sartorian

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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.
 

antirabbit

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I like this idea...as a chemist a weak acid solution should do it.
I got this suit super super cheap (Italian made Gieves and Hawkes pinstripe DB in navy), it just smells old. Which I dont mind too much, but I will be wearing it this week at a trade show, so I would like to kill the old smell, after all I am only 33!
I will try the acetic acid approach.....



Originally Posted by Sartorian
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.
 

Sartorian

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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?
 

Clydicus

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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.
 
Last edited:

Harold falcon

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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.
 

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