Hello, So a few days ago I got a WW2 navy jumper to a gentlemen who was KIA, and It smells like mothballs. I left it out last night on the porch to get some fresh air I also sprayed some fabric febreeze on it hoping it would help, but It barely does. I currently have it outside on the deck in the shade, and I sprayed some more febreeze on it. Any suggestions on how to rid it of mothball smell?

I don't know if I'd use fabreeze, but I did have similar with an item I had, found leaving it out was best solution [in the fresh air]- here's an article on clothing but not sure I'd use vinegar -maybe others can help better.

 

https://www.ridmycritters.com/how-to-get-rid-of-mothball-smell/

Fresh air for a couple of days should do the trick. I air my uniforms out about twice a year.

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Yeah, 75 years of mothballs isn't going to go away overnight. Air it out for a week at least, and go easy on the Febreze.

Just from memory, there are several articles on this very forum regarding mothball smell, and what to do about it.

 

As others have mentioned, just air - and a little patience.  

 

 

 

 

I got an Ike from a WW2 vet who had it hanging in a closet in a house where he (and everyone else) smoked from 1945 to 2015. It took over a week to air it out on my back deck. 

Mothball odor will go away once an item is removed from the source. I have sealed uniforms in bags and plastic tubs with mothballs for lengthy periods of time. The odor always goes away once the uniforms are removed from the mothballs and left to air out, whether outdoors or in the office. I dont leave leave the items outdoors though...it defeats the purpose of the mothballs to begin with.

Cigarette Smoker odor....thats another subject alltogether. That smell may never leave.

Mothball odor will go away once an item is removed from the source. I have sealed uniforms in bags and plastic tubs with mothballs for lengthy periods of time. The odor always goes away once the uniforms are removed from the mothballs and left to air out, whether outdoors or in the office. I dont leave leave the items outdoors though...it defeats the purpose of the mothballs to begin with.
Cigarette Smoker odor....thats another subject alltogether. That smell may never leave.

Reminds me of the seinfeld episode where they can't get the smell out of the car. No matter what they tried..

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Keep up what you are doing. 
 

It’s the gentlest way to do it.

What exactly is wrong with the smell of mothballs?  I love it.

What exactly is wrong with the smell of mothballs?  I love it.

You don't carry plastic bags around with you do you?, Lol

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2 hours ago, BILL THE PATCH said:

You don't carry plastic bags around with you do you?, Lol

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Ha ha ha... I'm an old trunk guy myself.  I found my first uniform in an old trunk with mothballs in my great grandmothers basement and have been addicted ever since.  No plastic bags.

I got a 17th abn group out of a trunk that had a moth ball the size of a soft ball in it. The jump boots still have a faint odor of the crystal goodness.

 

As for riding it I have had success with both airing out and also putting items with smoke and other odors in a sealed container or a  plastic garbage bag with several dryer sheets. Leave it for a couple weeks and then check it out. Air the item out and back into the bag with more sheets. Seems to absorb a lot of odors and also have read they do this with old books by placing sheets between pages. Resist the urge to spray Fabreeze or other mystery juice on cloth.

 

Here's a update. So airing it out hasn't really helped so I just placed it in a garbage bag with 4 dryer sheets, and I'm gonna see how that works.

Old school was putting it in a trunk with crumpled up newspapers.

Wait til you get one with BO, thats a hard one.

I bought a Luftwaffe visor when on vacation visiting in laws in Canada twenty years ago that just reeked of moth balls. My wife was not too happy I brought that back to the room we were staying in. As others have said, it does go away over time and today you can’t smell it at all even sniffing up close. The comment on BO is so true. Had an A2 flight jacket once that just smelled so bad you couldn’t be in the same room with it. I never could get that smell out. I’ll take the moth ball smell any day! 

Back in early 80’s found a nice looking WWI USMC officers jacket. BO so bad could not bring it in the house so it hung on back porch for several months. Wife and kids complained about smell with it hanging out there, traded it off, bet it still reeks..

Put it next to  a dehumidifier for a week or two and the smell will be gone.  

 

I bought several modern uniforms from a guy that had stored them with moth balls (not sure why as the uniforms were common and made of cotton).  I tried washing and drying them which caused both the washer and dryer to smell like mothballs.  Uniforms still reeked.  I decided to hang them next to a dehumidifier I own and within a week or two, the uniforms no longer smelled like mothballs.

 

Dehumidifiers are magic when it comes to getting rid of odors.  Just my experience here.

The vacuum seal bags sold to store blankets,quilts or bedspreads work well to put smelly pieces in, just zip them closed.

Update: Uniform still smells like mothballs. Would dry-cleaning help? I've never dry cleaned anything before so I'm not sure

I'm also wondering if I keep the uniform in my collection room will it make the other uniforms close to it smell like mothballs aswell?

On 3/9/2021 at 10:37 AM, trenchbuff said:

What exactly is wrong with the smell of mothballs?  I love it.

 

 

Smells like Victory!

Update: Uniform still smells like mothballs. Would dry-cleaning help? I've never dry cleaned anything before so I'm not sure

Dry cleaning has it owns odors, not sure they would mix well.

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So I had some pretty bad smelling uniforms. I would lay them in the sun & fresh air for a day or so then put them in a storage bin with a couple of boxes of baking soda. Worked pretty well for me.