French Polishing and Bespoke Furniture
Remove Mothball Smell From A Room in Your House The best way to remove the mothball smell in your home is by using baking soda. Mix some baking soda with warm water and mop the floors with the solution. Then place a bowl of vinegar, bowl of coffee grounds, or a plate of activated charcoal in the room (or closet).
Use equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, spray inside of trunk , keep closed overnight, then air it out. May have to repeat.
I have to say, the load with the Febreeze significantly reduced the mothball scent . Some items, after coming out of the dryer, still smelled faintly of mothballs . I rewashed them in the second baking soda/vinegar load. The fabric of the clothing absorbs the scent and is tough to eliminate .
Try placing coffee grounds or charcoal in an open container inside of the drawers and close. Check back after a few days and replenish with new coffee or charcoal as needed. Similarly to charcoal filters, charcoal is a natural substance that may bring the musty smell out of your furniture .
The chemicals in mothballs are toxic to humans and pets. People are exposed to the chemicals in mothballs by inhaling the fumes . If you smell mothballs , you are being exposed to these chemicals. Extended exposure to mothballs can also cause liver and kidney damage.
Takeaway. Mothball breath is caused by conditions that produce too much mucus in the mouth. Treating the underlying condition will eliminate the smell of mothball breath. Maintaining good oral hygiene habits is also necessary for keeping mothball breath — and all types of bad breath — at bay.
To eliminate the smell , kill the bacteria and germs by cleaning the inside of the drawers and all surfaces with a sponge dampened with vinegar, Murphy’s Oil Wood Soap or any Anti-Fungal Detergents. Then let dry in a well ventilated area.
If any odor remains, place a small bowl filled with white vinegar in the bottom of the trunk and close the lid. Vinegar is a natural odor absorber and neutralizer that will help rid the trunk of odor. Leave the bowl of vinegar inside the trunk overnight.
One of the most successful methods for ridding the mothball smell from clothing is to soak the affected garments in a solution of equal parts water and vinegar. Alternatively, put the clothes in the washing machine and run a cycle using only vinegar; follow up with another wash cycle using detergent and softener.
Naphthalene
Make sure your water level is higher than the level of the mothballs in the test tube. Place the thermometer in the test tube with the mothballs . Light the burner, and take the temp every 1 min. When the entire amount has melted , heat the solution for two more minutes, and then remove the heat.
Eliminate That Thrift Store Odor. To remove odors, dust the surfaces with baking soda. For couches , remove the cushions and work the baking soda into the fabric, including the seatback and armrests. You can even use a brush to work the powder into the fabric.
White vinegar also has antibacterial properties, and it works really well to kill smells . To use it, put straight white vinegar—not white wine vinegar—in a spray bottle and mist the couch with it. As the vinegar dries, the smell will dissipate, but you should also spritz from about a foot away and try not to overdo it.
To remove musty smells from old furniture , fill plastic containers with white vinegar; seal, and punch holes in lids. Put one inside each drawer or cabinet overnight to absorb odors. For extreme cases, clean interiors with a vinegar-dampened cloth.