Whether you are pulling out seasonal blankets from the storage or a fresh load of laundry, we all love it to have a clean and fresh scent. But tragedy strikes when the blanket smells musty from the storage or turns stale from the bad weather.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of dry cleaning or washing the already clean blankets, there is still hope – Let us walk through some of the ways to freshen them up without the use of a washing machine. Read on!
1) SPRINKLE SOME BAKING SODA
Since the “good old days”, baking soda has always been one of the most useful household products – Not just for baking, but also as a cleaning product. That’s right, for the uninitiated, baking soda also has a reputation as a reliable “moisture absorber” and “alternative deodorizer”.
If your blanket (and bed) is smelling funky from the wet weather, just sprinkle some baking soda on it, let it sit for 30 minutes. The baking soda will soak up the excess moisture and get rid of the bad smell. Vacuum the baking soda off and enjoy the refreshed blanket.
2) INTO THE DRYER
Is the annoying bad weather causing the bedding to become musty? No sun and all gloomy? Wet and rainy? Fear not, there is a very handy invention called the “dryer”. Yes, just put the blanket into the dryer. Let the heat remove the moisture, kill the germs and bacteria causing the bad smell.
P.S. Remember to check the care label on the blanket, not all fabrics can take high heat. Use low heat or tumble dry settings if you want to play safe.
3) DRYER SHEETS & SCENTED DRYER BALLS
Now, putting a pungent-smelling blanket into the dryer may cause an opposite effect to stink the entire dryer up instead. So consider adding a dryer sheet in for better effect, or here’s a good old “DIY essential oil trick” with dryer balls –
- Put a few drops of essential oil on the dryer balls.
- Wait a few minutes to let the oil soak into the dryer balls entirely (wouldn’t want oil stains on the blanket).
- That’s all. Throw the scented dryer balls into the dryer with the blankets.
4) USE A FABRIC SPRAY
“Fabric Freshener”, “Fabric Deodorizer”, “Fabric Sanitizer”, or “Fabric Refresher”. People may call this using different names, but this is one of the most effortless and “Captain Obvious” methods. Just buy and use one of these fabric sprays on the blanket/bedding.
Very easy to find in any supermarket, all the big cleaning brands will definitely have their own line of fabric sprays – Febreze, Glade, Magiclean, P&G, Dettol, etc…
5) IRON, GARMENT STEAMER, HAIR DRYER
Using a fabric spray is all cool. But the underlying problem is still there – A wet blanket will still turn stinky in due time. So unless you get rid of the extra moisture, the same is going to happen again.
Throwing the blanket into the dryer is one way to go, but there are plenty of alternatives if you don’t have a dryer at home – Use the iron, hairdryer, or garment steamer. The whole idea is to apply heat to kill stinky bacteria, then let the blanket dry.
6) GOOD OLD FRESH AIR & SUNLIGHT
What is the best way to freshen up a blanket? Let nature do its magic – Spread the blanket out in open-air, let the sun “sanitize” the blanket. Don’t need to use any chemicals, don’t need any of those electronic gadgets.
THERE COULD BE MORE UNDERLYING ISSUES…
That’s all for the “quick fixes”, but a musty or putrid-smelling blanket could mean something worse. Even though it may look clean on the surface, there may be harmful mold, bacteria, and germs hiding somewhere.
Refreshing the blanket is all good, but it will still turn stinky again if the root of the problem is not solved. Wash the blanket if it cannot be “refreshed”, make sure there is proper ventilation in your room.
PROPER STORAGE
Just how did a washed and clean blanket turn musty in storage? There are many possible reasons, and if you want to prevent that in the future:
- Use a cotton storage bag, not a sealed plastic one. Good ventilation is the key, not a sealed environment.
- Put a dryer sheet or DIY scented sheet into the storage bag.
- Of course, mothballs will stink up any fabrics. Consider using natural alternatives instead – Cloves, cedar chips, herbal repellents.
- Ensure that the storage area itself is properly ventilated. A warm and humid storage area will destroy all the things anyway.
THE END – SOLVE THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM!
If any of the above methods worked for you, then thank goodness, it’s the end of the story. But if the stink persists, then the problem lies somewhere else – It may be a humidity issue, a ventilation issue, or it may be an invisible stain. Best to identify and solve the root of the problem for the sake of your own health.
With that, we have come to the end of this short guide. Thank you for reading, good luck, and have better nights of sleep!
LINKS & REFERENCES
- How To Keep Blankets Fresh In Storage – The Daily Bed
- How To Wash Blankets – Sleep Junkie
