How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell in Clothes, Closets, and Rooms

Why mothballs smell so strong

Mothballs are a pesticide. In the US they’re made almost entirely of one of two chemicals, naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Both are solids that slowly turn into vapor at room temperature, and the vapor is what kills moths. The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) says that when you smell mothballs, you are breathing in the insecticide.

Your nose picks it up at tiny amounts, a few parts per billion according to Oregon State University Extension. That’s why one forgotten box in a closet can make a whole room smell.

The vapor also sinks into fabric, wood, and drywall, so the smell keeps coming back after the mothballs are gone. Paradichlorobenzene breaks down slowly in indoor air: NPIC gives a half-life of about 31 days. Fresh air and sunlight speed things up.

Is the smell harmful?

At high enough levels, yes. NPIC lists nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tiredness, and headaches from paradichlorobenzene, plus irritated eyes and nose. ATSDR, the CDC’s toxic substances agency, says naphthalene exposure has been linked to damage to red blood cells, and that health effects can happen at levels you can’t smell.

• If anyone feels sick from the fumes, get them into fresh air.
• If a child or pet ate a mothball, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or your vet. NPIC warns that a single mothball can seriously harm a small child.

Mothballs are meant to go in a tightly closed container, not an open closet, attic, or garden. Most strong mothball smells in a house come from them being used out in the open.

1. Find and remove every mothball

Check closets, drawers, storage boxes, garment bags, under sinks, the attic, the crawl space, and around the foundation outside. Previous owners often scattered them to keep squirrels, mice, or snakes away, which the label doesn’t allow and which rarely works.

Also check for deodorizer blocks and toilet or urinal cakes. Some contain paradichlorobenzene and smell just like mothballs.

Wear gloves. Seal everything in a plastic bag, then a second bag, and follow the label or take them to your local household hazardous waste drop-off. Don’t toss loose mothballs in the trash where kids or animals can reach them.

2. Air out the room

Open windows on opposite sides of the house and set a box fan in one window blowing out. Run it for several days, longer in a room where mothballs sat in the open for a long time. An air purifier with a carbon filter helps in a room you can’t air out well. The HEPA part alone won’t catch vapor; the carbon layer does.

3. Clean the closet, drawers, and shelves

Empty the space completely.

• Vacuum the floor, corners, and shelves, then wipe every hard surface with warm water and a few drops of dish soap.
• Leave the doors and drawers open to dry and air for a few days.
• Put activated charcoal bags inside for a week or two. Charcoal soaks up vapor; baking soda helps less. See what absorbs odors for a comparison.
• Unfinished wood drawers and cedar chests hold the smell longest. Give them sun and air outside if you can, then charcoal.

If the closet also smells damp, deal with that too; see how to get rid of a musty closet smell.

4. Get mothball smell out of clothes

Sun and air first. Hang clothes, blankets, and stuffed toys outside on a dry, breezy day, inside out, for a day or two. ATSDR notes that sunlight and moisture break naphthalene down quickly outdoors.

Then wash. Wash machine-washable items in the warmest water the label allows with your normal detergent. A scoop of oxygen bleach helps on whites and colorfast fabrics. Line-dry outside if you can, and smell them before putting them away. A second wash is normal for things stored for years.

Dry-clean-only items, such as wool coats and suits: air them outside first, then take them to the dry cleaner and tell them about the mothball smell.

For other laundry smells, see how to get odor out of clothes.

5. If mothballs were in the attic or crawl space

Oregon State University Extension says mothballs in an attic almost always cause a persistent, nasty smell through the whole house, because the vapor gets into insulation and drifts down into the rooms.

• Remove every one, including any that rolled into the insulation.
• Ventilate the attic: open vents or a window and run a fan blowing out.
• If the smell stays strong after a few weeks, the insulation may have soaked it up. Removing and replacing the worst sections may be the only fix.
• Keep animals out with sealed openings and wire mesh instead of chemicals.

How to keep moths away without mothballs

Clothes moth larvae eat wool, fur, feathers, and silk, especially when it’s dirty or sweaty. Oregon State University Extension recommends:

• Clean clothes before storing them. Moths go for sweat and food stains.
• Store wool in airtight containers or zipped garment bags.
• Air or tumble dry stored clothes once or twice a month if they aren’t sealed, to kill larvae.
• Skip cedar as your only protection. OSU says cedar smells nice but does nothing to repel clothes moths.

If you still use mothballs, put them only in a sealed container with the clothes, as the label says, and air and wash the clothes before you wear them.