LO has a 40 year old leather motorcycle jacket, gorgeous thing.
For 10 years it hung uncovered in a damp basement. For 5 years it lived in a heap in a moldy shed. Most recently, it's been draped over a shelf in a dusty, grimy, smokey garage for another 5 years.
Anyway, he loves the thing since he's an old motorhead, plus it belonged originally to his BIL who has since passed away.
So I brought it to the cleaners, and while they did a beautiful job making it look and feel wonderful, it still SMELLS pretty bad.
It has a fantastic quilted satin liner, and all the features/hardware you would except a proper motorcycle jacket to have, and the leather is thick and weighty. Obviously I can't toss it in the washer.
Any suggestions on how to at least somewhat get rid of the mildew-y smell? Only thing I've tried is hanging it outside on a few cool breezy days, tehehe, it's not helping.
Thanks ladies!
:)
Ok, not LO then, CONSTANT COMPANION. Is that better? Eventual husband? Hehehe. It IS hanging in the laundry room, it's killin me. He actually wanted to wear it and I said um, you will have no friends between that jacket and the roasted garlic you ate. It suits him and I'd LIKE for him to wear it, but it's not a nice "worn old leather biker jacket" smell it's more of a wet towel on the floor of a dark closet for a month smell.
Anyway I thought LO was Loved One. Damn, I can't keep up. Psh, you guys are always picking on me.
Naturally, he thinks wearing it is the best way to get a seat at the bar.
Try putting it in a contianer with coffee beans for a few days. It will hopefully soak up the stench and then it will smell like coffee. (which will eventually fade)
doesn't LO mean little one??
how about putting it in a garbage bag with some scented soaps and tying it closed, leaving 'em to get acquainted for a few weeks?
khairete
S.
My first thought : Replace the lining. Fabric does not hold up at all to the years of treatment you described. Be sure you get someone who has done this kind of thing before and who knows how to work with linings in leather. I would go to a shop where they sell new ones and ask them to refer you to people who do repairs on leather jackets -- I bet they'll know where to send you.
Your guy also needs to know that if he's wearing some beloved T-shirt with this jacket it's going to pick up the funky smell as well, and that can be hard to get rid of even in cotton, and even with washing! I'd look into changiing the lining ASAP.
My sister puts apple slices in old furniture to get rid of musty smoke smells. It works wonderful.
I think I would put baking soda in cotton socks and tie them shut. Then out them and the jacket in a plastic tub and leave it in the sun for a day or so. That way the heat will open the pores and the baking soda will absorb the odors. BUT I would make sure the baking soda will have no lasting effect on the leather.
LO Theresa? Really?
:p
Hang it up in your laundry room. Between detergents and fabric softeners it will smell pretty good in no time just from the fumes they give off.
Maybe go with "SO" (significant other)? ;)
I would try baking soda, like Cheryl suggested... OR, have you considered coffee beans? Bag it up with some coffee beans (not ground). That is what they use at the make up counters to clean your palette (nasal) and it really does work. I know I have also put them in my refrigerator in lieu of baking soda and it seems to do the trick there, as well. Plus, it smells heavenly.
Leather?? this will suck - but baking soda will absorb the nastiness...which would most likely mean taking it to the cleaners again....
Put baking soda on the lining...put it in a garbage bag for a few days...let it set...seriously...then shake it out.
Febreeze might work...temporarily. However, baking soda SHOULD absorb the nastiness and it SHOULD be good!!!
Good luck!
Not to be mean to PPer but do not spray nasty febreeze on it. That stuff is gross. Plus a Harley type jacket should not smell like a spring mountain. :)
You could try plain ol Lysol (the linen scent is not to overwhelming) and lots of hanging outside.
Maybe there is an enzyme spray out there? Try Googling it.
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_musty-smell-out-leat...
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf365591.tip.html
I don't know if any of those suggestions actually work, but maybe?
__________
And hey, if it doesn't work, you can come back and call us all bitches! {:D
Random ideas in no particular order - Damp Rid (Home Depot type stores), coffee grounds, baking soda... I would try one of two things, depending on my dedication to the cause. I first would consider hanging it in a sealed bag OVER those items to see if they couldn't absorb the smells. I would hesitate to actually contact any of those odor absorbers with the jacket due to staining/discoloration/nasty mess concerns. Or if I really loved my guy and felt uber-Martha Stewart-esque, I might sew a cheese cloth type form which I could lay inside the jacket. I would turn the jacket inside out, cut out a shape following form, sew the form, fill the form with an odor absorber, reverse the jacket back to normal, lay the odor absorbing filled form inside the jacket, zip the jacket, seal the jacket in a giant ziplock type bag and wait for a week or more while praying/hoping/sacrificing to the fabric gods. If all else fails, I think replacing the lining might be a consideration even if it is a last resort one. Good luck to you and may your darling soon be sporting his jacket sans noxious smells.
Perhaps find a company or person who restores leather and ask them. You could ask at a high quality leather goods store for a name and number.
Or ask at a company that does damage control/restoration after flooding, etc.
Definite try ground coffee beans.
Shallow under the bed type box , ground coffee, jacket, ground coffee.
Just use a plastic large Maxwell House size. It doesn't have to be covered or anything.
If it works on skunk smell, it should work on musty.
Good luck!
You are such a thoughtful (and hecka funny) LO,CC,EW or whatever title you wanna use.
I vote try the baking soda or coffee trick.
Let us know how it goes...who knows what I will find this summer when we clean out our shed that I might need "refreshing".
Good luck and best wishes!
Oh...and I love Micky's suggestion as an alternative to cleaning...but hope the stench wouldn't fog up the glass framing!!
What if you offered to have that jacket framed so he could keep it forever
in a specially made for jackets frame (they have those kinds of things hanging up at those restaurants like Planet Hollywood) then buy him a NEW one
just like it for him to wear every day?
Best of luck! ;)
try the newspaper wrapped around activated charcoal...
Stuff it with newspaper. Newsprint absorbs odors.
Febreeze?
I would actually see if you can have the lining replaced. This may cost a fortune, but it would be totally worth it! A good seamstress would be able to do it. If the fabric itself is moldy and you can't actually wash the fabric, you will need to replace it.
I have worked as a museum collections manager and curator. I think the best solution is to hang it on a sturdy hanger outside on a dry, sunny day. Air it out like that as often as you can until the smell subsides.
Never store it in the back of the closet. Keep it someplace where air can circulate around it. Air it out in the sun a couple times per year and wipe with a damp, soft cloth as needed. That smell is from mold spores in the leather and lining fabric. The mold NEVER dies. It just goes dormant. You want to keep it dormant by not allowing the jacket to be in warm, moist environment especially in the closet. If the mold blooms, hang it in the sun again and brush the mold off. Hope this helps!
