How To De-Stink Your Clothes Naturally (& Minimize Microplastics!)

No one likes walking around with smelly clothes, and as someone with high sensitivity to artificial fragrances, finding natural effective options is essential (for my sake and everyone in the gym around me!)

I’ve been trying to wash my clothes less in general ever since I realized how much laundry can contribute to microplastic pollution (more on that in a minute!).

Luckily, there are plenty of natural and cheap options that can help you get the smells out of your clothes and other fabrics without washing them. 

These methods can not only help you remove some of the stubborn BO stink that might be lingering but also put more time in between washes.

For this article, I tested out some of the easiest, most natural ways to treat smelly clothes. These recipes are super easy, accessible, and use mostly stuff you probably already have in your pantry (or bar!). 

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Reducing  Microplastic Pollution Through Your Laundry Routine

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of your laundry? There are several ways in which regular laundry can contribute to water pollution, but one that we may overlook is microplastics. 

Plastic continues to sneak into our lives in all sorts of ways, clothes being one of them. In fact, plastic fibers make up about 60% of all clothes made today. Natural fibers like wool, cotton, and linen aren’t the norm anymore, sadly. And sometimes even natural fibers are blended with plastic ones, making them non-recyclable and non-biodegradable, adding to the microplastic issue. 

When we do laundry, the friction, soap, and water causes our fabrics to slowly break down. Each time we do a load of laundry, a small amount of tiny microfiber particles are washed down the drain.

It may not be noticeable at first, but have you ever had a pair of pants wear thin over time? You can see how the fabric sheds ever-so-slowly until it’s see-through!

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles measuring less than 1mm, so they’re basically invisible to the naked eye. But they’re there. Most microplastics come from the breakdown of bigger plastics, and surprisingly, a 2022 study estimates that a third of all ocean-bound microplastics come from laundry!

Every year, about half a million tonnes of microplastics from textiles enter the ocean.

At times, these kinds of issues can feel bigger than us, and it’s easy to feel helpless and disempowered. But, individual impact does matter and contributes to building habits that support cleaner oceans and less plastic pollution in our natural spaces. 

We don’t know very much yet about the direct impact that microplastics may have on human health, but initial research isn’t good. For example, a study that was first published in early 2024 linked microplastic exposure with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

So what can you do at home to reduce microplastic pollution? 

♻️ Do less laundry 

♻️ Slowly shift away from synthetic to natural fibers (we have lots of clothing guides to help you find healthier brands!)

♻️ Only run full loads in order to minimize friction and therefore microplastic shedding

♻️ Care for your clothes to make them last longer

♻️ Consider buying second-hand clothes 

If doing less laundry supports cleaner oceans and less microplastic exposure in general—I’m all in! The recipes I tried here are to eliminate funky smells without having to wash them. This means less laundry, less microplastics, less water, and less time folding clothes!

Why Choose Natural Ways to Remove Odor? 

Odors and unpleasant smells are part of life. We can’t avoid the musty smell of clothes that have been sitting in the closet for too long. Or your pet’s smell on the couch. Or the lingering sweat odor from your workout tops. 

What you can avoid are the toxic chemicals, artificial fragrances, and harmful ingredients in most detergents and odor-fighting products. Not only are they bad for you, but these chemicals also leech into our waterways, polluting the ocean. 

Detergents, fabric fresheners, pods, and most commercial odor-fighting products rely on toxic ingredients. Plus, most of them mask smells rather than actually killing the bacteria causing the odor. 

Some of the most common problematic ingredients you’ll find lurking on these products include: 

• 1,4 Dioxane (as contamination)
• Artificial fragrances and dyes 
• BHT
• Formaldehyde-releasers
• Phthalates
• Optical Brighteners

The funny thing is that not only are these products bad for you, they often don’t work all that well either. Countless natural options are super effective in keeping your clothes smelling great without compromising your health. 

Natural odor-removing staples to keep in your pantry are: 

• White vinegar
• Alcohol or vodka 
• Baking soda
• Lemon 
• Sunshine (yes, putting your clothes in the sun can help eliminate odors!)
• Witch hazel 

I’ll be using some of these ingredients to create natural, safe, and effective recipes to tackle even the most stubborn smells. 

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Here are 6 DIY ways to remove odor from clothes—without washing them!

I tested out the most common and natural ways to remove odors from clothes, linens, sofas, and other fabrics I have at home. 

I mostly tried these out on clothes, but the sprays should work for pretty much any fabric, so if your shower curtains or sofa cushions need a little freshening—these will work! 

1. Vodka Spray 

If you’ve been trying to find ways to get rid of the smell on clothes, sheets, and furniture, you’ve probably seen vodka as an option. Vodka can kill odor-causing bacteria that even detergents won’t get rid of sometimes.

For this recipe, I was looking to recreate a “Febreze” spray without the toxic ingredients. I tried it on a few shirts that didn’t necessarily need a full wash but could use a refresh. I also used it on a shirt with a lingering smell I couldn’t get rid of and simply washing it wasn’t enough. 

Ingredients & tools

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vodka 
• 15 drops of essential oils (I used lemon and eucalyptus but tea tree and lavender are also good options!)
• An empty spray bottle
• A funnel 

Directions

1. Measure and mix the water and vodka together in a jar
2. Add the essential oils of your choice
3. Move the mix into a spray bottle using a funnel to avoid spills. 
4. Spray your clothes with it and hang them in a spot with good air circulation. 
5. Let them dry for 24-48 hours. 

Thoughts on this method

I was surprised at how well this actually works! I sprayed the vodka mix on four different shirts, all with different levels of smelliness. One had a musty smell from sitting in my closet for a while, one had a lingering body odor, and two simply needed a refresh after being worn but weren’t quite ready for a wash. 

The vodka spray worked perfectly for all of these scenarios. The musty closet smell was completely gone and my shirt felt super fresh. 

I wore one of the shirts that just needed a refresh after 24 hours of spraying it. I wanted to see if I noticed any smells—and I didn’t! I love to have the option to simply refresh rather than wash my clothes after every use. This is not only great for reducing microplastic pollution and water usage, but also for making clothes last longer. 

Finally, the last of my shirts that had a lingering smell is now smelling like new. I washed this one 24 hours after the vodka spray because I felt like it needed that extra push, but it worked! The smell is completely neutral which is exactly what I look for since I use fragrance-free detergents. 

This vodka spray is definitely going to be a staple in my laundry room moving forward. 

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2. Vodka & Vinegar Spray 

This is similar to the first spray, but it’s reinforced with white vinegar for more stubborn smells. Not only do you have alcohol to kill odor-causing bacteria, but also vinegar that neutralizes smells thanks to the acetic acid content. 

This can also work as a non-toxic alternative to refreshing sprays like Febreze. I’ll be using it for a few workout bras that have a lingering sweat and body odor smell. They usually smell fine after washing, but quickly after putting them on, I can sense a not-so-pleasant smell. This is probably because of bacteria build-up. 

I’ll also try this out on a cotton cover-up that isn’t machine-washable. I’m doing this to compare with the first spray and see if one is more effective than the other. 

Ingredients & tools

• ¼ cup of white vinegar
• ¼ cup of vodka 
• 1 cup of water
• 15 drops of essential oils (I used tea tree & lavender)
• An empty spray bottle
• Funnel 

Directions

1. Measure and mix all the vodka, vinegar, and water together in a jar.
2. Add the essential oils of your choosing (this is optional!)
3. Transfer the mix to a spray bottle using a funnel. 
4. Spray clothing or fabrics, hang them, and let them dry in a well-ventilated space for at least 24 hours. 

Thoughts on this recipe

I used this spray on a few workout bras with a lingering body odor from long-term use. The point of this blog is to do less laundry to reduce microplastic pollution, but unfortunately, workout clothes must be washed after every use.

I have a few workout bras that still hold up perfectly but don’t smell great since I had them for a couple of years. Rather than getting new ones, I’m trying to restore these by getting rid of lingering smells, so I can continue wearing them. 

So I took two approaches here. For one, I used the spray on clean workout bras that didn’t need washing but had lingering smells. The second approach was to use it on a few dirty ones that needed washing, to make sure they don’t accumulate smells over time. 

For the clean ones, the spray didn’t quite work. I noticed slightly less odor, but definitely still there. For effectiveness, I think this will work better with consistency over time. 

For the bras that needed washing, I noticed a significant difference in some of them, and not so much for others. The newer bras smell completely neutral, the older ones still have a lingering smell but it’s not as noticeable. 

The key here is going to be consistency. I want to extend the life of my newer bras as much as possible, so I’m going to spray them regularly to avoid the bacteria build-up over time. And I’ll continue spraying the older ones too, hoping I can restore them to brand new again! 

I also used the spray for a cover-up I bought while traveling in Southeast Asia. It’s hot out there, and you need to wear covers to enter temples, so it has a lingering sweat smell. Plus, it’s not machine-washable. 

Overall, I really like this one. The spray works great. The workout bras are a very tough smell to tackle, so I wasn’t expecting miraculous results, but I do see a lot of potential to prevent smell build-up. 

My cover-up smells like new, which is amazing because it has been sitting in the closet for months. I kind of thought I would never use it again. 

I’m excited to give new life to clothes I thought were done and continue wearing them. After all, the most sustainable clothing is the one that’s already in your closet! 

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3. Baking Soda & Lemon Spray (+ the Sun!)

This recipe came from Mom 4 Real and it’s a homemade odor neutralizer. Both baking soda and lemon are staple ingredients in a non-toxic cleaning cabinet. Lemons have antibacterial properties thanks to their acidic nature and baking soda is pretty much good for everything, but in this case, it absorbs odors and neutralizes smells. 

For this one, I’ll be using it on some towels with a lingering smell of humidity that I can’t get rid of. My dryer hasn’t been working great and it’s not fully drying my towels, so you can imagine how that smells!

Ingredients & tools 

• 1 ¾ cups distilled water
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (store-bought or freshly squeezed)
• 1 spray bottle
• 1 funnel 

Directions

1. Add the water, baking soda, and lemon juice to a jar. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice. Make sure to leave the seeds out if you do that. 
2. Mix well until the baking soda has dissolved. You might notice some fizzing. 
3. Transfer the mix to a spray bottle using a funnel 
4. Spray on any fabrics or clothes

Thoughts on this recipe 

I have to say, I’m very impressed with this recipe. I didn’t have a lot of faith that it could remove the heavy humidity smell from my towels. First, because of the heaviness of towels in general, and also because the smell was very strong. It smelled like a wet towel that was left on the floor for days… because that’s kind of what happened, except it was just humid inside my dryer! 

I figured this would be a tough smell to tackle, especially on a big towel, but it was worth a try. 

Because I assumed it needed extra support and ventilation, I stretched the towel outside in the sun and sprayed it all over with this recipe. I did it early in the day so it would get at least 10 hours of full sun. 

To my surprise, by the end of the day, that moist, humid smell was completely gone. I mean gone. Fully. So I’ll give this a 10/10 and continue trying it with different clothes and fabrics. Very excited to build up my arsenal of odor-fighting natural recipes! 

Out of the three sprays I tried, I think this is the most effective one! 

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4. “Dry Cleaning” (a DIY liquid-free option)

If you’re looking for ways to tackle smells without any liquids, this is for you. It’s perfect for blankets, jackets, or clothing that can only be dry-cleaned. You may not know that most dry cleaning relies on toxic ingredients and fragrance-heavy options, so this is a safe, accessible way to keep fabrics smelling great! 

I’ll be using this for a jacket that’s been sitting in my closet for a while. Not only does it have that stale closet smell, but it also has some odor from using it a lot during the winter. 

Ingredients & tools 

• ½ cup of baking soda
• A bag large enough to hold your item

Directions

There are two ways you can approach this:

The first way is to add your garment to a sealable bag, sprinkle it with baking soda, and seal it. 

The second one is to hang the item on a ventilated area and sprinkle the baking soda on it. In both cases, allow the baking soda to work for 24-48 hours. 

I used the first method, so here’s a step-by-step breakdown

1. Put the garment on a hanger to keep it from crumbling inside the bag. 
2. Measure ½ a cup of baking soda
3. Put the garment inside the bag and sprinkle the baking soda into it, making sure it all falls inside the bag
4. Seal the bag as tightly as possible. I let part of the hanger out so I could hang it while the bag wrapped around the garment. 
5. Let it sit for 24-48 hours and then open the bag and dust the garment off. Make sure to do this outside to avoid having baking soda all over the floor.

Thoughts on this method

I gotta say, when I started sprinkling the baking soda onto my jacket I had a tiny panic attack about not being able to get all of the baking soda out of my jacket.

I was definitely able to get all of the baking soda off the jacket, but it did take some effort to remove it all. The excess came off quickly, but there was a white dust that remained. I had to grab a dry kitchen rag and sort of scrub the dust off. 

Before I used this method, the jacket had both a musty smell from sitting in the closet since winter and a bit of sweat odor from using it in the summer. This is a dry-clean-only jacket, and I’m too sensitive to chemicals and fragrances to take it to the dry cleaners, so this was actually perfect! 

I’m very excited to try this method with some of my dry-clean-only blankets and jackets. I always struggle with this, and sometimes even just bite the bullet, take it to the dry cleaners, and then leave it out in the sun to air out some of the fragrances. It’s not ideal, but necessary at times (but not anymore!). 

Definitely recommend! Worth the effort of dusting for a non-toxic alternative to dry cleaning. 

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5. Sachets 

This isn’t so much about removing odors but about adding nice smells to clothing and fabrics. As I said before, I’m very sensitive to artificial fragrances so all my clothes tend to smell very neutral. However, sometimes I do crave nice aromas to make my subconscious feel like my clothes are clean haha! 

I read about these sachets as a great way to add natural smells to clothes and also to keep them fresh longer. There are a few different ways to use the sachets: 

• Hang them in the closet to avoid the musty smell of clothes 
• Put them in drawers with clothes or linens
• Put them between cushions on the sofa 
• Add them to the dryer

Ingredients & tools 

• About a cup of the herbs of your choice. I’ll be using lavender and rose but you can also use rosemary, mint, chamomile, or any other fragrant herbs.
• Drawstring cotton sachets 

Directions

1. Grab your cotton sachet and fill it with herbs about ¾ of the way. You can do equal parts of different herbs if you’re using more than one. 
2. Using the drawstring, close your sachet with a knot, making sure it won’t open up. 
3. Toss it in your dryer, hang it alongside your clothes, or put it in a drawer where you keep clothes or fabrics. 

Thoughts on this method

I tried a few different ways of using the sachets. One was to hang a couple in my coat closet. I live on the East Coast, so for part of the year, we don’t use this closet, and the jackets tend to get a “closet” smell with time. 

After a couple of weeks of the sachets hanging in the closet, I did notice a subtle lavender smell in the closet but it didn’t transfer to any of the clothes. One of the sachets was hanging directly on a hanger with a coat, and the part that was directly in touch with the sachet picked up a bit of the smell, but the rest of the coat still smelled musty. 

I also put a sachet in a drawer with some workout clothes and had the same results. You can sort of smell the sachet when you open the drawer, but it doesn’t transfer to the clothes. For those two methods, the sachets didn’t quite work. At least not to make clothes smell better, but if you want a slightly better-smelling closet, then you can try this! 

For those necessary laundry loads, I also tried adding one of the sachets to my dryer. As I said maybe too many times throughout this article, I’m very sensitive to artificial fragrances. But I do love nice-smelling clothes, and part of me craves that “fresh” scent back from when I used commercial detergents. 

Well, it looks like we can have it all! I’m very excited to report that in the dryer, this works beautifully. My clothes were lightly scented in the most perfect way of lavender and rose. Not too overpowering, but enough to notice it. I also love that I can tell this is herbal and not artificial. 

My guess is that the heat of the dryer helped in transferring the smell from the herbs into my clothes. 

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6. Sunshine 

This method is as old as time and great not only for smells but for drying your clothes naturally, and with less impact. And it’s pretty simple too—you just hang your clothes in direct sunlight. 

There are two ways to approach this method. One is to hang smelly clothes outside without washing them, or, as I did for many of the recipes above, use a natural deodorizing method and support it with some sunshine. 

The second is to sun-dry necessary laundry which helps to keep them fresh longer and also extends the life of your clothes—both good for the environment! 

Tools

• A nice sunny day
• A rack or wire to hang your clothes

Directions

1. Easy—just hang your clothes outside in a spot where they’ll get direct sunlight for as long as possible. 
2. Let the sun do the work 

Thoughts on this method

I love this simple way to preserve clothes and get rid of smells. I actually grew up without a dryer, so I always hung my clothes outside. When I moved to the US, I started using a dryer (and ruining all my clothes!). 

Growing up in the desert where it sometimes doesn’t rain in the whole year and sunshine is a daily guarantee, relying on the sun was pretty easy. Now, living in New York, it’s not as reliable. But when possible, it’s my favorite way to dry and deodorize clothes. 

I tried this for a linen blouse with a musty smell and for another linen blouse that smelled like campfire smoke. The trick for this method is patience. It works, but it takes some time. I would say 12-20 hours of direct sunlight. That means, sometimes this is a 2-day venture. 

The stronger the sun, the better it works, just make sure to give it enough time if it’s partially clouded, humid, or it’s fall/winter. 

I hope this guide has helped inspire some small changes in your laundry routine that will help you:

• decrease microplastic pollution
• make your clothes last longer
• save water
• and get the stinkiness out of your fabrics!

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