How To Take Bad Smells Out Of Clothes Without Washing Them

Wondering how to take bad smells out of clothes without washing them? Try my six top tips to help remove bad odours and save energy and money.

Repeated laundering has a drastic impact on the lifespan of our clothes. All that hot water, heat and agitation can damage, shrink and fade our favourite fibres and fast. This means we end up buying new clothes more frequently, which is bad news for our bank balances and the environment.

All that laundry is also bad news environmentally. The majority of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from our clothing are made at home – not from the manufacturing stage. Instead, these hefty emissions come from washing and drying our clothes.

In fact, it has been estimated that laundry accounts for around 120 million tons of CO₂ emissions each year.

Washing our clothes less certainly makes sense – both from a money-saving and environmental perspective. But who wants to stink?

Don’t worry – whether you want to extend the time in between laundry loads or just get a bad or musty smell out of an item in a hurry, there are heaps of effective ways to get those lingering smells out. All without putting your clothes in the washing machine.

How To Take Bad Smells Out Of Clothes Without Washing Them

Here are my tried-and-tested favourite fixes for banishing bad odours from clothing without having to launder them.

Remember that most clothing smells don’t actually come from the fabric itself. They come from bacteria feeding on sweat and skin oils that get trapped in the fibres when we wear our clothes. If you can deal with the bacteria and let those fibres properly air out, you can often buy yourself extra time before a wash is truly needed.

As such, I like to think of these quick fixes as having a similar role to that of dry shampoo. While they won’t take the place of washing your clothes, they will buy you a little extra time between laundry loads, or temporarily sort you out when you are in a laundry-based pickle that needs fixing fast.

Hang Clothes Up To Air

✅ Best for removing general faint bad smells

For clothes that have a faint bad smell, then I’ve found that the easiest and least resource-intensive way to tackle them is to hang your clothes up to air.

Simply hanging your clothes on a hook in your bedroom overnight can be enough to remove any faint odours on clothes you’ve worn that day.

Don’t hang your clothes in the wardrobe though – you need a good flow of air all around the garment for it to be able to air out properly. Give it at least a day – some clothes may need a few days to fully air out.

If you feel that the item needs a bit more than hanging up in your bedroom, then the very best way to remove odours is by airing it outdoors for a few hours. There’s nothing like some sunlight and a breeze to get bad smells out. This is because sunlight is amazing at killing the bacteria that are responsible for bad smells, and the wind helps naturally freshen your clothes.

Just make sure that you turn dark-coloured clothes inside out when doing so, to help avoid any sun damage.

If it’s raining outside, or you don’t have any outdoor space, the next best thing is to place your item of clothing on a hanger and hang it from your curtain rail. Your window should be open to allow a gentle breeze to flow.

This method works because fresh air and sunlight help break down the bacteria responsible for smells, while the airflow allows moisture trapped in fibres to evaporate properly.

Spray With Vodka

✅ Best for removing strong localised bad smells

For stronger or more persistent bad smells, then you need something stronger than air. In this case, that something stronger is vodka.

I know a stiff drink may be preferable if your favourite item of clothing has taken on a bad smell that seemingly won’t come out. But the vodka isn’t for you – it’s for your clothing!

I know it sounds wild, but spraying clothes that have a bad smell with vodka can help remove the stink without resorting to washing. I’ve been using this method for years, and I can tell you that vodka works amazingly well at shifting bad smells from most items of clothing.

It’s a technique that’s been used by theatre and wardrobe departments for years. The Dutch National Opera & Ballet, for example, are big fans of this technique to keep costumes smelling fresh between performances.

The idea behind using vodka is that the high alcohol content temporarily kills the odour-causing bacteria responsible for causing those bad smells. Don’t worry about smelling like a pub. Vodka dries odourless, taking with it the stink.

To use, simply decant some undiluted vodka into a spray bottle. Turn your garment inside out and test the spray in a hidden spot to make sure the vodka doesn’t damage the fibres. Once you are satisfied that it won’t cause any damage, give your item a good mist.

I find that vodka works best for smells concentrated in particular areas. If, for example, the underarms of your top smell bad, turn your top inside out and concentrate the spray in the underarm area. Then leave the item to dry – preferably by a window or outside.

If it needs a scent boost, you can add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil to the vodka. However, safety first! Make sure you spray it in an inconspicuous area first to ensure the oils won’t cause any damage to your fabric.

Try my guide to cleaning with vodka for more even more uses for this versatile cleaner!

Spray With Witch Hazel

✅ Best for removing localised bad smells on a budget

If the idea of vodka isn’t so appealing, then you can get similar results removing bad smells from clothes using witch hazel. Again, it’s the alcohol content of witch hazel that banishes the bad odour-causing bacteria.

In my opinion, vodka is far superior at removing bad smells as it has a much higher alcohol content. However, witch hazel is much cheaper than vodka. This makes it a good option if you are on a tight budget and have no vodka in the house.

Similar to the vodka method, add a little witch hazel to a spray bottle. Turn your garment inside out, and test a little on an inconspicuous spot to make sure it doesn’t damage your fabric. Once you’re happy, give your clothing a good mist – focusing on any particularly stinky spots – before leaving it to dry.

If you want an added scent boost, then again, feel free to add a few drops of essential oil to the witch hazel. Again, test this on a small spot inside of your garment first before applying the solution more liberally.

Pop Your Clothes In The Freezer

✅ Best for removing general bad smells, such as cooking smells

Another option to remove bad smells from clothes without washing them is to pop them in the freezer.

I know, I know. First I suggested vodka and now I’m suggesting freezing your favourite clothes. But trust me on this! Freezing your clothes can reduce bad or musty odours, because the freezing process slows down the odour-causing bacteria and helps neutralise smells temporarily.

Whilst it’s not such a quick fix as spritzing some vodka or hanging your clothes on your washing line on a blustery day, the freezer is surprisingly effective.

Simply pop your item of dry clothing in a bag (to avoid your clothing taking on the smell of frozen peas) and pop it in the freezer overnight. That’s all you need to do.

The next day allow your clothes to warm up for a few minutes before getting dressed. Your clothes won’t be stiff – as you put them in the freezer when they are dry – but they will be a little chilly. Letting them warm up means you won’t get frostbite! It’s not an alternative to washing your clothes, but it will buy you some extra time between washes.

See my full guide to freezing clothes for all the details.

Steam Your Clothing

✅ Best for removing general strong bad smells in a flash

Looking for a ready-to-wear solution? A handheld garment steamer (like this one from Lakeland) is a speedy yet effective way to make your clothes smell fresh. And for bonus points, it removes creases and wrinkles at the same time. This leaves you looking and smelling presentable in mere minutes.

This method works because the high heat from the steam kills those pesky odour-causing bacteria. Just make sure you follow the laundry care label first, to make sure your garment is suitable for steaming.

If it’s not, try hanging your clothes up in your bathroom whilst you take a shower. The steam can help shift any faint smells, whilst also helping to remove any creases or wrinkles.

Bust Out The Bicarbonate of Soda

✅ Best for removing strong bad smells from delicate items you may not want to spray with anything, or steam.

If you’ve got a particularly delicate yet smelly item of clothing – perhaps something that’s been sitting in storage and has gone a bit musty – then my final hack to try is bicarbonate of soda.

Bicarbonate of soda is a fantastic natural deodoriser. It gently reacts with the acidic molecules responsible for bad odours and neutralises them.

To harness its powerful deodorising properties, you can simply pop your stinky item in a plastic bag, and sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda into the bag alongside it. Tie the bag up tightly, and leave it for anything between a few hours and a few days (depending on how bad the smell is), to let the bicarb work its magic. After a few days, remove the item and shake off the bicarb.

Check out my full bicarbonate of soda cleaning guide for more tips.

What About Vinegar?

I have seen a few people recommend spraying your clothes with a solution of vinegar and water, and then leaving your clothes to dry.

I’ve tried this (I’ve always got a bottle of vinegar to hand!) – both in a 1 part vinegar to 3-4 parts water, and a 1 part vinegar to 1 part water dilution, and I just didn’t find it as effective as vodka or witch hazel. Cheaper, yes. But not quite as good.

Whilst vinegar works brilliantly in your washing machine, when it comes to spraying it on clothes, I’ve found it simply masks odours for a short time with its own strong smell. Once the vinegar dries and evaporates, the original smell often returns.

What If None Of These Options Have Worked?

If you have a really stubborn stink on your hands, then you might find that none of these options works. That’s because these tricks are brilliant for buying extra time between washes, but they can’t remove the build-up of oils, sweat residues and bacteria that only a proper wash can fully shift. So, in this case, your only other option is to wash your clothes.

If you’ve washed your clothes, and they are still coming out stinky then try changing your detergent. For laundering clothes, I have found that Dr Bronner’s liquid castile soap is hands down the best way to get rid of all types of bad smells once and for all.

From body odour and cigarette smoke to the musty smell vintage clothing sometimes has – Dr Bronner’s seems to get out all kinds of stinks from all types of clothing. Even smells that other methods haven’t been able to touch.

Before running a full load of laundry, I use around 50 to 100 ml of liquid castile soap in place of standard laundry detergent. Then I add a few tablespoons of white vinegar to the fabric conditioner drawer, before running a standard wash. Once the wash cycle is finished I dry my clothing as usual.

This will banish bad smells in the blink of a spin cycle – even if nothing else has worked. It also resets the fabric completely, removing the build-up that airing, steaming and sprays simply can’t reach

More Eco Laundry Resources

Another other tips to get rid of bad smells? I’m all ears!

You can also try my guide to getting smells out of preloved clothing – whether it’s perfume, damp, cigarette smoke, fabric conditioner, or something else that’s stinky. I’ve got heaps of top tips!

And here’s my guide on how to wash wool by hand or in the washing machine. It even covers if you’ve washed your favourite jumpers, and they’ve come out of the wash a bit stinky.