Want to keep your suit smelling fresh? Sure you do! No one wants to wear a musky-smelling suit. Aside from being nauseated, it reflects poorly upon your style. This is particularly true when attending business meetings, weddings and other events in which you're around other people in a close setting. Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to keep your suit smelling fresh.
Beware of Moisture and Humidity
The first step to keeping your suit smelling fresh is to understand the cause of bad odors. While a suit can smell bad for any number of reasons, one of the most common reasons is exposure to moisture. Unless it's made of a 100% synthetic material like polyester, suits will develop mildew when exposed to significant amounts of moisture over a prolonged length of time. This phenomenon isn't limited strictly to suits; all garments and accessories made of organic material like cotton or wool are susceptible to mildew. It occurs as a result of moisture soaking into the fibers, at which point mildew begins to thrive.
To protect your skin from odor-causing mildew, you need to keep it dry. Granted, you can still wear your suit outdoors when it's raining, but you should dry it promptly after you are finished wearing it. Allowing your suit to become soaked in water and not drying it could cause it to mildew. The same happens when storing your suit in a humid environment. If there's too much moisture vapor in the air, it will saturate your suit's fibers, causing it to mildew. So, keep your suit dry and store it in a climate-controlled environment with a relative humidity of less than 50%.
Dry Clean
Of course, you can always take your suit to a local dry-cleaning business to deodorize it. As the name suggests, dry cleaning involves cleaning garments without the use of water. Depending on the specific method, dry cleaning may involve spraying the garment with chemical solvent, at which point it's exposed to steam or heat. The term "dry cleaning" is somewhat confusing, however. Granted, dry cleaning doesn't involve the use of water, but it may still involve liquid chemicals. Nonetheless, it's usually the safest and most effective cleaning solution for suits and other delicate garments.
Not only is dry cleaning a great way to clean suits, but it also leaves them smelling nice and fresh afterward. It's highly effective at removing bad odors. So, the next time your suit smells funky, consider taking to the local dry cleaners.
Dryer Sheet
If you're in a bind and don't have time to take your suit to the dry cleaners, you may be able to deodorize it with dryer sheets. Available for about $2 bucks a box, dryer sheets are inexpensive and easy to find. Normally, they are used to soften fabrics in the dryer (hence the name). However, dryer sheets have other purposes as well, including deodorizing fabrics.
Dryer sheets contain a plethora of chemicals that perform two fundamental tasks: make fabrics softer and reduce static electricity. But if you've ever used them, you probably know how pleasant they leave your clothes smelling. Placing a few dryer sheets in the dryer will leave your clothes smelling nice and fresh. Some dryer sheets are even scented for this very reason. However, you don't have to necessarily use them in the dryer. Simply rubbing a few dryer sheets across the surface of your suit will make it smell nice as well. Just remember to check the scent before applying it to ensure it's not too strong.
Spray with Essential Oils
Of course, another idea to keep your suit smelling nice and fresh is to spray it with one or more essential oils. Lavender oil, for instance, offers a pleasing, fragrant aroma that's perfect for suits. You can find lavender oil available at many home goods stores as well as online stores. Simply place a few drops of lavender oil into a spray bottle and fill it with water. Next, spray the diluted oil onto your suit. You don't need to use a lot; just a small amount should suffice.
Lavender is just one of many essential oils from which to choose. Other fragrant essential oils to consider include eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree and rose. Additionally, you can create your own fragrance by mixing and matching multiple essential oils. Feel free to experiment with a variety of oils to create your own custom scent. You can then spray it on your suit, coats and other garments.
Choose a Quality Suit
Perhaps the single most important tip for making your suit smell nice is to choose a high-quality suit. Some of the cheaper, lower quality suits are made with sub-par materials and poor craftsmanship, resulting in musky odors. A high-quality suit, on the other hand, is constructed with a focus on quality and craftsmanship.
If you're looking for a high-quality suit, check out our selection here at StudioSuits. We offer one of the largest selections of high-quality suits available at unbeatable prices. And as a side benefit, we offer custom sizing on all suits at no additional charge. You tell us your size, and we'll create a custom-fitted suit based on your measurements.
Check the Care Label
When was the last time that you looked at the care label on your suit? You can find it inside the waistband of your trousers and the interior lining (usually the neck) of your jacket. The care label reveals the manufacturer's recommendations on how to clean and care for the suit; therefore, it's a good idea to heed the advice listed here. If it says dry clean only, you should have it dry cleaned. Regardless of what type of suit you own, always check the care label for specific instructions on how to clean and maintain it.
These are just a few tips to keep your suit smelling nice and fresh.
