How to Get a Moldy Smell Out of a Sleeping Bag

A warm, clean sleeping bag can tip the scales between restfully sleeping the night away or lying wide awake at camp. Mold smell in your sleeping bag is the result of mold and mildew spores present on the fabric. If your sleeping bag has gotten wet and not dried thoroughly, the tiny fungus grows quickly, leaving an unpleasant smell. The size and weight of sleeping bags make it difficult for them to be machine-washed. But camping with a moldy-smelling sleeping bag isn't healthy, either. You can get rid of mold odor and spores on your sleeping bag without a washing machine.

Sleeping bags are a vital piece of camping gear.

Video of the Day

Things You'll Need

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
Vanilla Extract
Cleaning Cloths
2 Cotton Balls
Spoon
Old Toothbrush
1/4 Cup Table Salt
Laundry Detergent
Bowl

Step 1

Unzip your sleeping bag to allow air to circulate inside and deodorize the fabric. Lay your sleeping bag in a sunny location for three to five hours to kill mildew spores still living on the fibers.

Video of the Day

Step 2

A lemon and salt mixture helps remove mold stains.

Mix 1/4 cup each of table salt and lemon juice to create a paste. Spread the lemon and salt paste on mildew stains and allow the paste to dry in the sun.

Step 3

Brush the lemon paste off with a dry cloth. Wet an old toothbrush and place two or three drops of laundry detergent on the brush. Scrub remaining mold stains to remove them.

Step 4

Rinse the sleeping bag fabric by blotting it with a damp cloth. Let the sleeping bag dry completely.

Step 5

Vanilla absorbs unpleasant odors naturally.

Moisten two cotton balls with one to two drops of vanilla extract each. Place one cotton ball inside the foot of the sleeping bag and the other one inside the center area. Leave the cotton balls inside the sleeping bag for a minimum of three hours to deodorize any remaining mold smell.

Tip

Spritz mold stains with full-strength white vinegar to kill the mold spores and deodorize the fabric. Substitute sponging the sleeping bag with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide for spot-cleaning it with laundry detergent. Sprinkle baking soda over the sleeping bag and leave it on the surface for eight hours to absorb mold odor.