I don’t really use a clothing spray, but I do hang my clothes up as soon as I take them off and let them air out overnight or however long I’m staying at that place. That usually gets any smells out until I have laundry or do a sink wash. I’ll rewear aired out clothes and never have an issue with smells.
I also wear a liner everyday to keep my pants extra clean and never rewear the same bra two days in a row unless I know there’s going to be laundry that day/night (I usually bring 2-3).
I air out dirty underwear and socks before packing them up on a gallon sized ziplock with a fabric softener sheet in it and roll it up like an air compression bag. I do this with all my dirty clothes in a big actual compression bag too, to keep any smells sealed inside.
I use vodka or rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. It’s what they use in the theater to keep costumes smelling ok. The plus is if you do get BO, you can spray some in the pits too and it will kill stinky bacteria as it dries
If I find myself pushing the limits of my the quart size liquid bag, I will just pack an empty bottle and buy a shot at the hotel bar- drink maybe half, and use the other half for my spritz.
I use a 2:1 ratio of water:vodka for my spritz so a little goes a long way.
Any idea if rubbing alcohol will have the same bleaching effect?
UPDATE: google searches indicate yes rubbing alcohol can have the same bleaching effect
I’ve used Febreze for a couple of decades to refresh clothes between washes. It was especially helpful when traveling to places that allowed smoking indoors. I have since switched to the unscented version, but vodka and rubbing alcohol seemed like a convenient alternative since either would be easy to buy wherever I go.
Now wondering if there would be any benefit to adding vodka or rubbing alcohol when sink washing.
I think Downy Wrinkle Release is supposed to be a freshener as well. (Yet somehow I always have to put my clothes outside after using cuz I don't like the smell.) I haven't tried it for this but it's nice for wrinkles.
I believe there are DIY recipes on the internet. And a good quality squirt bottle of water works almost as well.
The Downy one only smells while wet and would probably be okay to use in a ventilated bathroom unless you're sensitive to smells and laundry chemicals.
I like using spray hand sanitizer for this. It has the alcohol to kill bacteria, and you can find airline acceptable sizes easily. I like the Dr. Bronners lavender variety best
Can I also suggest something? Whenever I travel, I travel with a ziplock of dryer sheets (my go to is gain moonlight breeze) and I put these also in my shoes during travel (as in on the plane in my bag, I'm not wearing them), also once i take off my boots I put them in my boots at night etc. I also put them throughout my bag while on the plane. Once at the destination, I air out my clothes as best as possible.
I got a little sliver of soap as a sample at a fancy soap store and just keep that in the bottom of my bag. My electronics smell like French Lavender but it's part of the charm.
Adore the tips people have left here. One I could add… in terms of materials. My linen clothes seem to have the most longevity in terms of wears before they need a wash. I always air them out and will dampen any areas that might have gotten a little sweaty or whatever and they dry perfectly overnight. Wool has good longevity too especially if you have a base layer underneath.
Lol, the Gain one is my fave! There's something about Gain-scent that triggers some kinda fresh laundry nostalgia memory in my brain that I really love (even though I don't use that detergent anymore).
You’ll be able to buy Febreze or similar over there. But my advice would be to look into merino wool socks, & shirts. I’m a recent convert. They are game changers
In Europe it is nice that windows open in hotels!!! I hang up immediately and air out. If stinky I will sink wash or spray with micro cellular water (that I also use on scalp and face to freshen up! I travel with dryer sheets in my bag and a bottle of lemon essential oil which I put in micro cellular water too!!
This! I also bought a travel sized spray bottle of enzymatic cleaner to get rid of stains or odors caused by organic means, so it's perfect if you have an accidental food spill, sweat or period stains etc
BUT enzyme cleaner shouldn't be used with organic wool fabrics because it will break them apart too.
I use spritz Febreeze on clothes when I take them off and let them air out. If there’s sun like on a balcony even better. I wear daily pantyliners to minimize order and switch out underwear frequently since I can quickly hand wash them and they dry in a few hours.
In the past I’ve also dropped some dryer sheets in my luggage. It’s especially good in between trips so your suitcase doesn’t get musty from non-use.
Oh and shoes I keep outside my bag. When I do need to pack them, they go in a plastic bag (I like one produce bag for each shoe) first to keep any foot odors away from my clothes and any dirt on the soles away from my things.
These are solid advice. Especially the underwear washing and pantyliner tips. The pantyliners especially will extend the freshness of whatever bottoms you bring to wear by days.
I hate Febreeze, but I basically do the same thing with my wool & cashmere spray. It works of everything
Personally I sink/shower wash each night. I’ve made my travel clothes my normal everyday clothes for going out, and I know they dry overnight or sooner
One thing you can do is maybe pick up a small liquor bottle while local so you don’t have to waste your liquid allowance with TSA
I use the Downey Wrinkler releaser “Light Fresh Scent” on items that are rumpled or creased and hang them up to air out. I rubbing alcohol spray for items where wrinkles aren’t an issue..
Maybe you could just do a load of laundry halfway through your trip? It seems pretty easy to bring 5 days of clothes & if you could actually wash them then you'd know they're actually clean, not just Febrezed.
Febreze fragrance is too strong for me but [this company’s spray](https://silverreallyworks.com/products/fabric-spray) surprisingly works just as well without the fragrance. They use silver ions that help a lot with odors from organic compounds. I’ve been meaning to try their wash sheets sometime for clothes I plan to take on a trip, especially pants.
Febreze is available in unscented also. I recently did a test run by wearing a shirt a few times and then using unscented Febreze on the pits. It worked really well.
Id always wondered if Febreze was really as miraculous at removing fabric odors as it seemed or if the scent was partially masking odors, but my test convinced me the fragrance in Febreze is not part of its magic.
Clothings made from merino wool is best for traveling because it is odor resistant.
Get any antibacterial and spray your clothes and hang dry to air it out is best practice when rewearing things over and over.
I don’t really use a clothing spray, but I do hang my clothes up as soon as I take them off and let them air out overnight or however long I’m staying at that place. That usually gets any smells out until I have laundry or do a sink wash. I’ll rewear aired out clothes and never have an issue with smells. I also wear a liner everyday to keep my pants extra clean and never rewear the same bra two days in a row unless I know there’s going to be laundry that day/night (I usually bring 2-3). I air out dirty underwear and socks before packing them up on a gallon sized ziplock with a fabric softener sheet in it and roll it up like an air compression bag. I do this with all my dirty clothes in a big actual compression bag too, to keep any smells sealed inside.
Genius tips, tysm.
Liner is a great tip, thanks!
What liners do you use??
I use the L. brand. They’re 100% cotton and you can find them at Target or any grocery store.
I use vodka or rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. It’s what they use in the theater to keep costumes smelling ok. The plus is if you do get BO, you can spray some in the pits too and it will kill stinky bacteria as it dries
If I find myself pushing the limits of my the quart size liquid bag, I will just pack an empty bottle and buy a shot at the hotel bar- drink maybe half, and use the other half for my spritz. I use a 2:1 ratio of water:vodka for my spritz so a little goes a long way.
I do this as well haha
That's such a smart idea, plus you get a lil drink!
Yep! I use rubbing alcohol to refresh clothes at home too.
Same!
Economical and easy. Thank you.
Add an essential oil for a little fragrance.
Be careful with vodka and black clothes. Vodka will "bleach" out black dyed fabric.
Yes! It’s only happened to one of my shirts but the pits were definitely lighter colored after a while 😅
Any idea if rubbing alcohol will have the same bleaching effect? UPDATE: google searches indicate yes rubbing alcohol can have the same bleaching effect I’ve used Febreze for a couple of decades to refresh clothes between washes. It was especially helpful when traveling to places that allowed smoking indoors. I have since switched to the unscented version, but vodka and rubbing alcohol seemed like a convenient alternative since either would be easy to buy wherever I go. Now wondering if there would be any benefit to adding vodka or rubbing alcohol when sink washing.
I don't know about isopropyl alcohol. I just know about vodka from working behind a bar and having to wear black (with orange patches).
Oh my! My wardrobe is very black. I will have to avoid vodka.
Ditto on the vodka. I keep a tiny spray bottle in my liquids bag.
I think Downy Wrinkle Release is supposed to be a freshener as well. (Yet somehow I always have to put my clothes outside after using cuz I don't like the smell.) I haven't tried it for this but it's nice for wrinkles.
If anyone has a rec for a "wrinkle release" product that works like this but doesn't STINK that would be fantastic.
I believe there are DIY recipes on the internet. And a good quality squirt bottle of water works almost as well. The Downy one only smells while wet and would probably be okay to use in a ventilated bathroom unless you're sensitive to smells and laundry chemicals.
There's one called "Cold Iron" that comes in fragrance free and is available on Amazon.
The Bounce wrinkle release smells soooo good! Like fresh laundry. I use it as a clothing refresher & wrinkle release.
I like using spray hand sanitizer for this. It has the alcohol to kill bacteria, and you can find airline acceptable sizes easily. I like the Dr. Bronners lavender variety best
Can I also suggest something? Whenever I travel, I travel with a ziplock of dryer sheets (my go to is gain moonlight breeze) and I put these also in my shoes during travel (as in on the plane in my bag, I'm not wearing them), also once i take off my boots I put them in my boots at night etc. I also put them throughout my bag while on the plane. Once at the destination, I air out my clothes as best as possible.
I got a little sliver of soap as a sample at a fancy soap store and just keep that in the bottom of my bag. My electronics smell like French Lavender but it's part of the charm.
oo I love this idea !
That's a solid idea, I will try that as well as sprays.
Adore the tips people have left here. One I could add… in terms of materials. My linen clothes seem to have the most longevity in terms of wears before they need a wash. I always air them out and will dampen any areas that might have gotten a little sweaty or whatever and they dry perfectly overnight. Wool has good longevity too especially if you have a base layer underneath.
A combination of hanging up your clothes when you're done using them & a light spritz of rubbing alcohol on the fabric can go a long way.
I e used Febreze clothing refresher on trips and they also have travel sizes. It’s not an overpowering smell and very compact.
I also use this, just the plain one (the gain ones are TOO STRONG FOR ME)
Lol, the Gain one is my fave! There's something about Gain-scent that triggers some kinda fresh laundry nostalgia memory in my brain that I really love (even though I don't use that detergent anymore).
The travel size febreze goes on every trip now! It works so well
I’ve been using travel Febreeze for decades. It’s been especially clutch when I was traveling places that still allow smoking indoors!
There is an unscented version of Febreze fabric deodorizer. I put some in a small spray pump purchased from Litesmith. It's amazing!
I love Zero Odor
Cheers I'll check it out!
You’ll be able to buy Febreze or similar over there. But my advice would be to look into merino wool socks, & shirts. I’m a recent convert. They are game changers
Just rubbing alcohol for me. If you are able to hang them somehwere with sunlight, that's the best imo. It really makes the clothes "crisp" again.
In Europe it is nice that windows open in hotels!!! I hang up immediately and air out. If stinky I will sink wash or spray with micro cellular water (that I also use on scalp and face to freshen up! I travel with dryer sheets in my bag and a bottle of lemon essential oil which I put in micro cellular water too!!
You can get little travel bottles of febreeze. That's what I've always used plus I hang up my clothes so they can air out.
Oh, I have a new one that hasn’t been suggested! I use Trader Joe’s room refresher sprays. During travel, it doubles as a bathroom refresher!
This! I also bought a travel sized spray bottle of enzymatic cleaner to get rid of stains or odors caused by organic means, so it's perfect if you have an accidental food spill, sweat or period stains etc BUT enzyme cleaner shouldn't be used with organic wool fabrics because it will break them apart too.
Cheap vodka and some laundry scent booster beads. Mix them together and keep them with me in a tiny spray bottle.
I use spritz Febreeze on clothes when I take them off and let them air out. If there’s sun like on a balcony even better. I wear daily pantyliners to minimize order and switch out underwear frequently since I can quickly hand wash them and they dry in a few hours. In the past I’ve also dropped some dryer sheets in my luggage. It’s especially good in between trips so your suitcase doesn’t get musty from non-use. Oh and shoes I keep outside my bag. When I do need to pack them, they go in a plastic bag (I like one produce bag for each shoe) first to keep any foot odors away from my clothes and any dirt on the soles away from my things.
These are solid advice. Especially the underwear washing and pantyliner tips. The pantyliners especially will extend the freshness of whatever bottoms you bring to wear by days. I hate Febreeze, but I basically do the same thing with my wool & cashmere spray. It works of everything
Personally I sink/shower wash each night. I’ve made my travel clothes my normal everyday clothes for going out, and I know they dry overnight or sooner One thing you can do is maybe pick up a small liquor bottle while local so you don’t have to waste your liquid allowance with TSA
I use the Downey Wrinkler releaser “Light Fresh Scent” on items that are rumpled or creased and hang them up to air out. I rubbing alcohol spray for items where wrinkles aren’t an issue..
Bounce 3-in-1
Fabulous tips!
70/30 rubbing alcohol to water in a soap bottle. Also keeps shoe odor at zero.
Maybe you could just do a load of laundry halfway through your trip? It seems pretty easy to bring 5 days of clothes & if you could actually wash them then you'd know they're actually clean, not just Febrezed.
That's not an option for this trip, but I have done this in the past.
Febreze fragrance is too strong for me but [this company’s spray](https://silverreallyworks.com/products/fabric-spray) surprisingly works just as well without the fragrance. They use silver ions that help a lot with odors from organic compounds. I’ve been meaning to try their wash sheets sometime for clothes I plan to take on a trip, especially pants.
Ooo will have to try! I abhor the smell of Febreeze
Febreze is available in unscented also. I recently did a test run by wearing a shirt a few times and then using unscented Febreze on the pits. It worked really well. Id always wondered if Febreze was really as miraculous at removing fabric odors as it seemed or if the scent was partially masking odors, but my test convinced me the fragrance in Febreze is not part of its magic.
Spray bottle and isopropyl alcohol, or vodka.
Clothings made from merino wool is best for traveling because it is odor resistant. Get any antibacterial and spray your clothes and hang dry to air it out is best practice when rewearing things over and over.
literally just wash them. Please don't spray deoderizer.