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Sweaters Smelling Musty? Here's How To Refresh Them — With & Without A Dryer

Author:

Sarah Regan

September 18, 2024

mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor

By Sarah Regan

mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor

Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, and a registered yoga instructor. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from SUNY Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.

Image by Tatjana Zlatkovic / Stocksy

September 18, 2024

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With autumn well underway and winter just around the corner, it can only mean one thing: sweater weather. But as you pull your favorite sweaters out of storage, you may notice they could use a bit of a refresh.

So, to find out how to get our sweaters back to smelling brand-new, we asked Becky Rapinchuk of Clean Mama for her top tips. Here are three ways to bring yours back to life, with and without a machine:

Take advantage of your freezer

Got a freezer? Believe it or not, you can use it to help eliminate smells, according to Rapinchuk. All you have to do is fold your sweater up, place it in a bag, and leave it in the freezer overnight.

"The cold air will kill bacteria, and the bacteria is what is giving it a little funky smell," she explains. And just as an FYI, Rapinchuk adds this method also works well with jeans and sports gear.

Try this DIY fabric refresher

Fabric refresher is a quick and simple way to bring life (and a pleasant scent) back to your sweaters, and Rapinchuk has a great DIY recipe for one. Here's how to make it:

What you'll need:

½ cup water
¼ cup vodka or rubbing alcohol
5 drops of an essential oil of your choice
A spray bottle

Method:

Add your ingredients to the spray bottle, and shake to combine.
Hang your sweater up, and spritz it lightly with the fabric refresher.
Allow to dry.

Fluff in the dryer

And last but not least, if you have access to a dryer, giving your sweaters a quick spin can help fluff them up fast. Rapinchuk recommends putting them in the dryer with wool dryer balls on low/no heat. It shouldn't take much time at all for them to look freshly laundered, so check on them after 5 to 10 minutes and repeat if necessary.