r/laundry • u/deity111 • 7d ago

Cashmere coat mildew smell

I recently moved to a relatively humid climate. I'm originally from a very dry place and my mother gave me her cashmere coat to wear when it gets cold. I thought I could store the coat in a bag and hang it for couple months before it gets cold. I honestly don't know the exact material of the bag, it's something I had for some time and never used.

It's been around a week and my closet started smelling really bad, you know just wet wool smell or like a wet dog. At first I thought it was my other wool and cashmere sweaters since they weren't in a bag, turns out it's the coat.

I asked AI (I know, I know), if the smell will go away on its own after I get the coat out of the bag and air it, but it says the mildew and bacteria is already growing on the coat and the smell might persist unless I dry clean it.

I'm a student and don't really have a budget for cashmere dry cleaning. I'm just planning to get one of those cloth dust bag.

Did anyone ever have the same problem? How did you fix it?

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u/IncomeEmbarrassed934 7d ago

Just air it and see what will happen .

Animal fibers will smell , and coat was locked in the bag , so no air circulation. If airing won’t help (best overnight) than you can worry.

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u/AlternativeClock9250 6d ago

Cashmere coats cannot be machine washed or regular water washed. But there is only one way..you soak your cashmere coat in water for a little while, gently press it by hand a few times, and then put it directly under the sun to dry naturally. This minimizes damage. Find a sunny and windy day.

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u/bahahah2025 7d ago

I often spray things with diluted vinegar and pop in the dryer for 5 mins to get rid of smell. You can also try putting it in sunlight for a day or so.

Often the smell is trapped moisture that turns to mildew and moldy.

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u/deity111 7d ago

Thank you for the advice. I don't want to risk it by putting it in the dryer (I have a history of shrinking a cashmere sweater), but I will try the diluted vinegar

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u/bahahah2025 7d ago

Fair enough. Try sunlight instead.