My favorite fabric refresher (get rid of sweat odour)

So, I’ve mentioned this before but I’m on a lifelong quest to smell fresh ;-) I’ve already optimised my deodorant (DIY of course), the fabrics I wear (no synthetics) and found the right way to do my laundry. All of these things I’ll write about soon.

But even still, at the end of the day I need to throw my sweaters in the laundry basket to wash them.

So I started looking for a way that I could wear that sweater for 2 days instead of just one. I tried Febreze but that just felt like a very chemical solution.

As usual, I found my match in a DIY recipe ;-)

Vinegar recipe

Most of the recipes I found online contained vinegar and since I’m a big fan I tried it out in a few different recipes, but I always just ended up smelling like vinegar (even with essential oils added). Sure, my sweater didn’t smell like sweat anymore, but my colleagues didn’t appreciate the vinegar smell at the office!

Baking soda

Then I tried a baking soda recipe, but that just didn’t work at all. At least the vinegar masked the sweat odour. Baking soda did nothing.

Vodka to the rescue!

Until a colleague told me about her vodka recipe. I’d heard about it before but it just sounded a bit absurd. Of course, those are the recipes that tend to work. And so it did :-)

Why does it work?

Vodka of around 40% alcohol does a really great job in neutralising the bacteria that cause the odour. And it leaves no scent afterwards since it vaporises.

Fabric refresher

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vodka
  • 1 cup water
  • 5 drops tea tree essential oil

Optional

  • 3 drops lavendar essential oil
  • 3 drops peppermint essential oil

Instructions

  • Pour vodka in spray bottle
  • Add water
  • Add essential oil(s)
  • Shake :-)

Minie's insider tips

  • You can use the cheapest brand of vodka available. As long as the alchohol percentage is around 40%
  • Use a spray bottle so you can spray the refresher on your clothes.
  • If you use a funnel to pour your liquids then pour the vodka first and water afterwards. Then you don't need to rinse out the funnel anymore.
  • I always carry an atomizer (pocket size spray bottle) of this recipe in my purse as well.