# Cleaning out a smelly suitcase **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949 "2004-08-02T11:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949/1 "2004-08-02T11:36:23Z")
Ok, a dorky question, but I’m out of ideas. I have a problem with a suitcase: its insides smell and every time I use it my clothes come out horribly stinky. It was not like this when i bought it, so something else must have happened. I ddin’t put any bottle inside that might have spilled, and there are no stains on it that suggest something else was spilled on it, for example during flights. I tried keeping it open outside to the fresh air for a few days, and the only result was having the guys upstairs (they share our back yard) complain. I also tried with liberal applications of those sprays that are supposed to freshen up fabrics, but after a few hours the usual stench comes back. So, is there something else I can try before giving up and buying another one? I’d prefer to avoid that as I’m not exactly rich and that suitcase is quite new - only a couple of years. This info could be useful: it is not a hard-shelled, Samsonite-like suitcase: it is made of some soft material covered with fabrics. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949/2 "2004-08-02T11:48:43Z")
Vinegar is really good at removing smells. I’ve never tried it on a suitcase before, but if I were trying to get rid of the smell I would soak a towel in vinegar, and seal it up in the suitcase for a few hours. Remove the towel, wipe out and let the suitcase air out and, by all accounts it should be fine. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949/3 "2004-08-02T12:02:59Z")
Charcoal is good for absorbing stinks. Try filling it with charcoal, closing it, and leaving it for a few days. If you can’t get charcoal, burnt toast might work: it’s a good trick for freshening up nasty sneakers, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949/4 "2004-08-02T13:23:02Z")
Obviously, your suitcase is cursed with an evil, unhappy spirit. I recommend calling an exorcist. Actually, I recommend trying vinegar. But I’m not sure that you should put the whatever-soaked-in-vinegar in direct contact with the surface of the suitcase. It could end up, I think making your suitcase smell very strongly like vinegar instead. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949/5 "2004-08-02T13:42:25Z")
Baking soda also absorbs odors. Fill a small cloth bag and leave it inside, even when you use the suitcase. Change it out every so often to keep it fresh. Hey, it works in the refrigerator! ---
**Author:** ![eveanyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@eveanyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eveanyn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-out-a-smelly-suitcase/257949/6 "2004-08-02T13:46:46Z")
I had the same problem and I was told to put a bunch of balled up newspaper inside the suitcase. It worked quite well. Now, I also store it that way in the closet.