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I rarely wash my fall jackets. Most of them are made of delicate leather or suede so I can’t throw them in the wash or even get them dry cleaned. The other day I took out my favorite leather jacket and noticed that the armpit areas had a terrible stench. I immediately panicked because I didn’t want to spend the money to get the jacket professionally cleaned. I figured there had to be a way to remove odors from a garment without washing the whole item. I did a little research and found that the following methods work for removing smells from the armpit areas of a jacket:
- You can use baking soda to remove sweat odors. First, turn the coat inside out and lay it flat. Sprinkle baking soda on the odorous area and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then shake the jacket out (go outside to avoid a mess). You can remove the extra baking soda with a vacuum cleaner’s hose attachment. Hang the jacket outside to air it out. This method worked best for me.
- Use cheap, high-proof vodka. Mix the vodka with water in a spray bottle (about 30% water, 70% vodka). Then spray the affected area. Vodka dries odorless, kills bacteria, and will remove smells. Read more here.
- Deodorize your jacket with a mixture of lemon juice and water. Scrub the area with the mixture to get rid of odors. Hang dry.
- Use detergent to spot clean the area. According to ModernMom, you can do this by dissolving 1 tablespoon mild detergent with 4 cups warm water. Turn the jacket inside out and use a sponge to spot the clean the armpit areas. When you are done, use a sponge and clean warm water to rinse the area.
- If your jacket is denim, you can put it in the freezer. According to Elle, many in-fabric smells are created by bacteria, which can be killed by freezing temperatures.
For more clothing tips, check out this easy trick for hemming your jeans and how to get oil stains out of clothing.
[Image: Fashion Lush]
