Mouthball smell

[D.J. Carr]

I picked up some army surplus wool pants, perfect in every way, EXCEPT: they smell like mouthballs.  I thought I would wash them in some baking soda... and they would be fine, NOPE, so I washed them in laundry soap specifically for hunting clothes..... NOPE still smell.  I had some carbon synergy powder left so I made up a gallon and soaked them in that and have them drying now, but my fear is they will still have this strong odor.

Any suggestions?  I did read about using white vinegar, but then my fear is they will smell like vinegar....

[ChuckC]

Try them out and see if they are affecting the deer.  Some thought about hunting down wind abound and what you smell like shouldn't matter in that case.

I don't know a way to get rid of the odor except maybe hanging them in the breeze and airing them out for a fair time.

I use surplus wool pants too, but I guess I got lucky and didn't have the same issues.

ChuckC

[Bladepeek]

"mouthballs"? We used to call them "jawbreakers"  

[McDave]

You must have a great sense of smell, DJ, like my wife.  We went backpacking during the summer and I took along some merino wool long johns that I had packed in a footlocker with some other things and a couple of moth balls.  I aired them out before we left, and they smelled fine to me.  After the first night sleeping in them, I couldn't smell any moth balls at all.  But my wife complained every night of the two week trip about the smell of moth balls.  As rugged of an outdoor woman as she is, I tease her about being like the princess and the pea, which she doesn't appreciate.

[Canadian Idle]

Originally posted by Bladepeek:
"mouthballs"? We used to call them "jawbreakers"      

[Mr. fingers]

My grandparents had an obsession with mothballs  they smelled of it there house smelled of It there clothes it even got so bad when they would make someone in the family a cake or bars or a hot dish all you could smell was mothballs. finally someone said something. They had no idea I think if your around it all the time you either get used to it  or it burns out your sense of smell . I hate the smell of mothballs  I would never use them.
I have no  idea how to get rid of the smell.    :confused:      :confused:    
Try google

[Duncan]

I have a pair of wool surplus pants that smelled like that. I would air them out and think it was gone until they got wet and then boom the smell came back very strong. I've had them for a long time and I've washed them and aired them out but it was not until I finally had them dry cleaned that the mothball smell went away. They are my go to pants this time of year.

[Red Beastmaster]

My mother in law had one stuck up her nose when she was little.

Sure explains a lot!  

[old_goat2]

I've never smelled mothballs, how do you get there little legs apart to smell them?

[ChuckC]

Oh, don't allow any cameras around if you do that !

Not good

ChuckC

[Sam McMichael]

Take consolation in the notion that mothballs repel snakes. So, maybe all is not lost. More seriously, have you stored them in a plastic bag containing cedar shavings or pine needles? That may help.

[BDann]

Old goat beat me to it!  

[Izzy]

Try hanging them in cool smoke, too close to the fire though might shrink them.