I think I've made it pretty clear that I like old stuff. It makes me happy. It makes me feel relaxed and content. It makes me want to use words like whippersnapper and hooligan while holding a rolling pin in one hand and a television remote the size of a box of cereal in the other.
The only real problem I've ever had regarding my love of old things is this; If it is old ... it will smell. As an example, have you ever met an old cheese, old sock or old person that didn't smell?
Several years ago I bought this luggage set. And when I bought it, it smelled. Poorly. Like a musty, musty, must bucket.
I don't actually keep my luggage on my front hall table, I just thought it was a nice way for you to get a good gander at it.
"Gander" is one of the words I intend to use on more of a regular basis when I get old.
Quite frankly I can't wait to get so old I can say and do whatever I want without anyone looking at me like I'm a lunatic. When you're young and you declare in an exceptionally loud voice that you think the person in front of you in line at the grocery store is a "whack job" you come off as judgemental and mean. When you're old and you do the same thing, you're just "a lively old gal".
In order to get rid of the musty luggage stink I used my old standby. Kitty Litter.
Just open up the offending piece of luggage.
Unless you're feeling poorly. In which case you should probably sucker some other poor sod into opening up the stink box.
That lining right in there is what holds most of the stink.
Just pour a box of kitty litter into the offending piece of luggage. Yup. The whole box. Pour it right in there.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
See? Fill it up.
Then close up your piece of luggage (or any other thing you own that's filled with musty smells.
And leave it for a week. You heard me. One week. Just leave it.
When the week is up, just empty the kitty litter and fill your luggage with whatever you choose to. I use my fresh smelling train case as my sewing box and it looks like this!
Cute right?
Only it actually looks like this.
Which isn't nearly as attractive in a photograph. But it's the truth.
You can use this litter trick with almost anything. Musty vintage clothing? Shove it in a plastic bag and cover the piece with kitty litter. Tie the bag up and leave it for a week!
The plastic bag technique works great with just about anything that smells old and musty. Although, I probably wouldn't recommend this exact procedure with old people.
Most of 'em are feisty. If you try and cover them in kitty litter and shove them in a plastic bag chances are they'll knock you right on your keister.
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jen
People look at old people and think they are weird but old people don't give a rats *ss! Thanks for the tip I love old stuff too
ashley
Hi!! I found you on pinterest. I was looking for something else but so glad to find this bit of information! I aquired a large tv entertainment center/armoir thing last week. It's wonderful but, you guessed it.. it smells.
Maybe I'll put kitty litter in some tubs and put it on the shelves ? It makes the entire room smell. Not quite 'old people' but not the smell I want in my room either.
I let you know if I try it :)
Karen
Ashley - It's important that the kitty litter touches whatever material you're trying to get the smell out of. That's how it absorbs the smell from within the piece of ick. You probably don't want to do this, but the best thing to do is lay the unit down and fill the cubbys with litter! If you can, do it, if you can't .. try it your way and see if it helps at least. Good luck. ~ karen!
ashley
that makes total sense. it's a huge very heavy piece of furniture though and I don't think the husband would like the idea of moving it again at all :/ Maybe I'll pour kitty litter on the shelves, keeping it upright
Sue
Aloha,
Karen what a Great Site!! I have an old pressed wood bookcase that smells like mold. Any tips? I have sprayed and sprayed it, to no avail??
Thanks,
Sue
Karen
Hi Sue - You can try my trick by laying the bookcase down and filling it with kitty litter, but if it's pressed wood, chances are the stink is on the inside of the pressed wood and will be VERY difficult to get out. I'm assuming it's pressed wood with some sort of laminate on top. The laminate will prevent the kitty litter from doing its job. You could try it with one shelf or compartment and see how it works, but I sadly don't have high hopes. Prove me wrong though! ~ karen
Sammy Lynn
Watch what you say about old people. It WILL come back and bite you in the butt! :)
Karen
Hah! I actually can't wait to become an old person. :) ~ karen
Kira
I came across your post via Apartment Therapy (via Pinterest). I use vintage suitcases & trunks to display my handmade stuffed toys at craft shows. (I'm drooling over your suitcases by the way!) I feel like I've tried everything to get that "old" smell out of them, with limited success (baking soda, coffee grounds, crumpled-up newspaper, setting them out in the sun). I'll definitely have to try this one! :)
Poshbargains
Hello Karen...I love your site, love you photos and quirky genre..really stylish. Anyway Ive got this lovely vintage bag...very musty smelling but well worth trying anything to. Ive tried the fabric condition trick and hanging in the sun...nothing has worked , so now, one last try..its kitty litter as you suggest. Ive filled it 3/4 full with the stuff ( boy the bag was hugely heavy to cart home...especially with no cat to appreciate it)...I shall let you know in a week if it has worked. best wishes, Puppe ( poshbargains) ps come visit me and you'll see why this trick could be an essential tip if it words.
Karen
Good luck! An lemme know how it goes. Good or bad! ~ karen
Kaylyn
What could I use to get rid of that musty smell in my house? Any ideas? =]
Karen
The whole house?! I don't think there's enough cat litter in the world. :( ~ k
Nancy
Loved reading this and got a great laugh from your luggage pics using your luggage as a sew box and shown first all neat but shown how it really looks once its closed and you're carrying it around. You are so funny. I bought a Guess bag off Ebay and when I recv'd it, it SMELLED! I contacted the seller who of course was offended and started slamming the Guess company that they themselves sell smelling bags, ya no! The woman was crazy... Anyway, just wanted to say you made me laugh and gave me a good tip on how to remove smells.
Karen
Nancy - NO problem! That's what I'm here for. Laughs and information. Lauformation.
Lynn
Thoroughly entertaining! I bought a pre-owned LV handbag and the interior smells musty so I am going to try the unscented cat litter today! Thanks so much for your informative and fun column! :)
Karen
You're welcome Lynn! Glad you found my site. ~ karen
Becca
Please don't say that all old people smell. I find that offensive. Otherwise I have enjoyed reading your blog.
Shirley
Was wondering if you can reuse the kitty litter or need to use fresh each time? (I have never had a cat, only dogs). Thanks
Karen
Hi Shirley - I normally use fresh stuff, but that's because I have cats. Once it's done it's musty job I just use it in the litterbox. I"m sure you could reuse it, but there will be a point when it can't absorb any more smell. (I would think) How's that for a kind of useless answer? LOL. ~ karen
Violet Martha
Your blog about removing whiffs from the cases really made me laugh out loud... Thank you!
Jane
I just tried this amazing idea. We will see in a week what my results are! Thanks for sharing. :)
As for vinegar- it works magic on stinky cars! I recently decided to get rid of my car within a few days. Unfortunately, I am a smoker. Especially when I drive. Well, this left my car smelling so horrible and there was nothing to get the smoke smell out. It was even a convertible! So, the night before I had to turn it back it, I had remembered reading the vinegar trick online. With nothing to lose, I filled a tupperware (preferably a large but short sized) so the vinegar has more surface area. I left a few around the car on stable surfaces. Apparently vinegar absorbs odor, and let me tell you, it worked! Smoke smell gone! It did smell like vinegar, but after putting the convertible top down that went away quick!
Thenar
Fair enough. I'll be 70 this year, but I also co-chair Spain's largest digital entertainment conference (Mundos Digitales) and I host the Virtual Humans Forum at FMX in STuttgart...another cutting edge venue for discussion of some of the most advanced technologies. But I also love old things, especially vintage Fedoras. If I can't return this vintage Akubra to the Ebay seller...first I'll be pissed, then I'll get out the cat litter...I have about 40 lbs of it here for Luna-C. Any particular brand you recommend?
Karen
Just so long as it's unscented. You don't need to replace the musty smell with the overpowering, vile smell of a "flower" never to be found in nature. ~ karen
Thenar
I appreciate the tip....going to try it on a vintage fedora I just bought. But I am an old people and I resent your implications. We do not smell...at least I don't.
Karen
Thenar - Old people who are Internet savvy are excluded. ;) ~ karen
Rose
I bought a fabulous used sewing machine a couple of years ago. It and its case smell like cigarette smoke. The machine is both plastic and metal, and the case is only plastic. Do you know if the kitty litter would work for getting rid of the smoke smell? I'll probably try it, but I wanted to get input from anyone who can speak from experience. Thanks.
Karen
Hi Rose - I have no idea if the kitty little would work on cigarette smoke or not. More specifically cigarette smoke on plastic. You could try it on the case, but I'd be worried about trying it on the machine. What with all the parts that could get damaged from the litter. Give the case a shot, at least then you'll know! ~ karen
Kerry
Oh, so sorry.
Kerry
Sorry to repeat, but, the best way to treat cedar is to sand it a little bit. It refreshes the cedar. And, evidently, there's oil you can use as well.
Here, I found this online:
"There is a product that refreshes the cedar oils in the cedar wood.
I would suggest that you take everything out of the chest and use a fine grade sand paper on the exposed cedar. Do Not use anything heavier than 120 grit and just lightly sand it. Next take the replenishing oil of cedar and using a clean lint free cloth that you have applied the oil to. Rub the freshly sanded wood lightly with the cloth, if you apply to much pressure you will saturate the wood with the oil and leave an oil stain."
Karen
As a quick note ... I always mention on this site that just because you read it on the Internet doesn't mean that it's true. I never recommend anything that I haven't tried and know to work myself. I'd like to give the oil a shot to see if it's true or whether yet again, the Internet is a big fat liar. The other thing is, once cedar dries out it's really very hard to sand it to have the scent come back again. With newer cedar it works, but not as much with anything old. ~ karen
Sandy
I love this idea! Will it work in a cedar chest that smells like moth balls? Yes - someone put moth ball in a cedar chest. I have no idea how to get rid of the smell.
Karen
Sandy - I don't have any experience with that, but someone else who commented here said they had tried to get rid of mothball scent w/ litter and it didn't work. However ... I always say to try it yourself. You never know if something will or won't work unless you give it a shot yourself. ~ karen!
Jena Webber
Great idea. Thanks for sharing, you whippersnapper.
Karen
No problem. The solution works lickity split. ;) ~ karen
Donald Gauland
There are a lot of saxophone collectors with old smelly cases that are going to try the kitty litter trick (do you own stock?) and hope it works. Also, I'm turning 70 soon and feel like I'm 30. I sometimes act like I'm 20 (my wife says 12). So being old is not only a state of mind but anybody that is ten years older than you are.
Karen
LOL! Excellent point. ~ karen