How to Remove the Smell of Mothballs?

Mothballs are those funny smelling things that are typically encased in a plastic container and hung in the closet to ward off moths and silverfish. Earlier mothballs were made with naphthalene, which is a crystalline, solid hydrocarbon. It has a pungent smell and a flammable nature, which is one reason it is no longer used in making mothballs.

The smell of moth balls is so characteristic that most of us can recognize it even months after moth balls have been removed from a home. The good thing about the smell of moth balls that lingers for so long that it keeps protecting clothes even after the ball itself has dissolved. The bad thing is that the smell of moth balls will usually stay on clothes even after they have been washed repeatedly.

Then how to get rid of the strong unpleasant smell of it?

It may be possible to remove the smell of moth balls by sealing the clothes in a plastic bag together with a powerful deodorizer, such as dryer sheets or a sachet of dry lavender. Lavender is also a natural moth repellent, and it can be used instead of moth balls in the first place.

Baking soda and charcoal may help absorb the smell from the inside of drawers or cupboards, and furniture polish can sometimes help with the outside. The best solution, however, is to let the wood breathe. If you have a chance to put the furniture outside, do it, but make sure it won't get wet. Water will embed the odor even further into the wood grain.

In addition, the most common way of doing is to hang the clothes in the sun on and off for at least a week. This seems to work especially well if the clothes are hung dry, before attempting to wash them even once. After the smell has dissipated, it could also help to wash the clothes with a little vinegar added to the water.

The best thing you can to avoid the smell of moth balls is to use them as little as possible. Choose natural scents like lavender, mint, and rosemary, which are natural moth repellents. Moth balls are extremely toxic to pets and children, and should be avoided in houses trying to keep their surroundings green.

Warnings
Mothballs are solid pesticides composed of naphthalene, paradichlorobenzene, or 1,4-dichloro benzene and are all toxic carcinogens. Subsequently, 1,4-Dichlorobenzene replaced naphthalene as an ingredient in mothballs. It is an organic compound that is a colorless solid with a scent similar to camphor. Both the naphthalene and 1,4-dichlorobenzene help to kill moths and the larvae by the chemicals' potent fumes. Both are solids that transition to a gas that is toxic to moths. In addition, the telltale scent of mothballs is a combination of the thalene or benzene with camphor, itself an irritant and toxic if ingested.

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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