Freshen Up Your Clothes Without Washing In A Pinch With This Easy DIY Spray

You don't always need to throw clothes in the laundry basket after one wear unless you accidentally spill food on them and end up with a few stains. However, if you go to a barbecue at a friend's house, have a bonfire at your house, or cook dinner with potent ingredients, your clothes could end up with a lingering smell from smoke or food. Instead of washing your clothes, you can freshen them up with an easy DIY spray that's made up of white distilled vinegar and water. Vinegar absorbs odors quickly and efficiently due to its acetic acid component. Acetic acid neutralizes alkaline odors from clothes after a couple of spritzes. However, while there's anecdotal evidence that this hack works, experts haven't tested it.

Vinegar is a common cleaning product that removes dirt, stains, and dust around the house. Even though it's not the best disinfectant, it helps create a cleaner space. Folks tend to use vinegar to clean showerheads, countertops, sinks, mirrors, and windows. In addition to revealing a cleaner area, vinegar eliminates strong odors in a few hours, making it perfect for freshening up clothes. Using a white vinegar spray to freshen up your clothes should be done at least one day before you plan to wear your outfit. For your DIY odor reduction spray, you'll need white distilled vinegar, water, a measuring cup, and a spray bottle.

Odor in clothing is caused by bacteria that are created in warm, moist areas, such as the armpits and groin (via The National Library of Medicine). If you tend to sweat a lot, you'll notice your clothes smelling after a couple of wears. Even though they might lack visible stains, you might toss them in the washer to wear again. However, when applied to clothing, the vinegar solution breaks down and removes the bacteria, eliminating the odor. When it's dissolved in water, the vinegar's acetic acid breaks down into two components: hydrogen and acetate. The hydrogen component is an excellent cleaner that attaches itself to other floating molecules and weakens them; meanwhile, acetic acid works to kill the bacteria and remove odors.

To make your DIY spray, mix half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of water in your bottle and shake it. Then, flip your clothing inside out and spray a small amount on the fabric to patch-test it. Let it sit for a few minutes. If you don't notice any stains, you're in the clear. Next, turn the clothing article inside out again to spray the solution on the front and back. Finally, allow your T-shirt to dry outside for at least a few hours to remove the vinegar smell before wearing it.

If you're worried your clothes will smell too much like vinegar, add a few drops of essential oils like grapefruit, lavender, and peppermint to the mixture before spraying to mask the vinegar smell. After adding essential oils, you'll still want to spot-test a small area before applying the solution to an entire shirt.

However, if you find the oils a bit too strong, opt for lemon juice or lemon-scented essential oil. Lemons have citric acid, which neutralizes alkaline odors the way vinegar does, but it also breaks down organic residue. Lemon helps kill odor-causing bacteria by breaking down the oils in the materials. Plus, they leave a citrusy, refreshing scent behind that vinegar doesn't.

Lemon juice is yellow, so you want to dilute it in water to avoid discoloring your clothing. Furthermore, always hang-dry your clothes after spraying them down so they're ready to be worn the following day. Lastly, store your solution in your kitchen or laundry room so that you have it nearby whenever you need to freshen up your clothes.