How to remove naphthalene stains from clothes

Naphthalene is normally used for various kinds of purposes and to make different products such as dyes, fuels, resins, plastics, etc. Apart from these large-scale uses of naphthalene, it is widely used by people from almost all around the world to deal with the factor of removing or preventing moths and other related insects from getting inside the clothes and damaging them.

As it is clear that naphthalene is used in clothes that are going to be stored for a long time in a closet, there are possibilities that naphthalene may leave some stains when you open your clothes after that time period.

With that being said the question here is, how to get naphthalene out of clothes or how to remove naphthalene stains from clothes?

What are the ingredients in naphthalene spray

Basically, naphthalene is produced or extracted from coal tar or crude oil and can be found in cigarettes, car silencers, forest fires, etc. From a scientific point of view, naphthalene is just a condensed or fused form of hydrocarbon compounds.

These hydrocarbon compounds are consist of two benzene rings and then these rings share two adjacent carbon atoms as well.

Does naphthalene stain clothes

Naphthalene can stain clothes but there is little probability of this occurrence. Its smell is usually the biggest issue a person can face while using naphthalene in their clothes.

As there are still some chances of naphthalene causing stains, you can put these balls in a separate small cloth and tie that up with a robe.

Put that pocket-like cloth inside your clothes where they are being stored. This step will not only protect your clothes from the attacks and damages of moths but may prevent the staining issue as well.

Does naphthalene stain come out of clothes

Naphathelen satin can definitely come out of the clothes but you should use the right procedure while applying the most appropriate product. Choosing the right procedure means that you may need to tweak the method a little bit according to the type of your clothes’ fabrics.

For example, putting your stained cloth directly in the isopropyl alcohol will only ruin its delicate look and fabrics instead of removing the stain. The same goes with the procedure such as soaking your cloth in vinegar for hours will bring no good results. 

What removes naphthalene stains from clothes

Various commercial products, as well as home remedies, can help you in removing naphthalene stains from clothes. In the long list of such products, vinegar combined with water is considered the best and most efficient because of its ease and availability in the kitchen of almost all households.

Other things that can effectively remove naphthalene stains from clothes include rubbing alcohol such as isopropyl.  You may also have to wash your clothes with laundry detergent or dry cleaner solvents after pre-treating the stain with other powerful products. Baking soda can also assist you in some places while removing naphthalene stains.

How to get rid of naphthalene stains smell from clothes

Although naphthalene can help you out in its intended purpose, we all know that the smell from these products can cause a huge disturbance and discomfort.

We cannot wait for the smell to go away by itself as it may take days or weeks. You need to do the proper procedure to get rid of the smell of naphthalene stains from clothes in almost no time.

1. Make a mixture of white vinegar with a good amount of water so that it becomes safe for your cloth fabrics.
2. Soak your clothes in the mixture for a few minutes, probably 5 to 10 would be enough.
3. Take out your clothes and run a good amount of water through them. Rinse the water and see if there’s still some naphthalene stain smell coming from the garment.
4. If so, put your clothes inside the mixture of a laundry detergent and softener (the ones that have scents in their ingredients should be preferred).
5. After a few minutes of soaking, wash your clothes as you normally do and let them dry. Most probably, there will be no smell of naphthalene stains coming from your clothes after this procedure.

Make sure you use the ratio of water and white vinegar depending on the type and conditions of your clothes’ fabrics. If your cloth is extremely soft and delicate, you should sprinkle the solution using a spray bottle instead of soaking your clothes directly into the white vinegar and water solvent.

How to remove naphthalene stains with baking soda

1. Baking soda has great absorbent powers both in terms of pulling stain residues and smell. Simply fill a bucket of warm water and pour a cup or two of baking soda in it.
2. Make a good mixture and put your stained clothes in the water bucket and let it soak for a few minutes.
3. You can also put baking soda directly into the washing machine while washing clothes but this method is not adopted by many people.
4. Once the cloth has been soaked for a good time, wash it completely with a strong detergent. This will not only remove the stain but will mitigate the naphthalene smell to almost zero.

How to remove naphthalene stains with vinegar

1. Make a mixture of ⅓ white vinegar and ⅔ warm water and fill it in a big bucket or a water container.
2. Put your cloth in it and let it soak for about 5 to 10 minutes. You can also spray the solution directly on the stain if you don’t want to wash the whole cloth or its fabrics are too delicate.
3. Rub the stained area gently with your fingers until you see all the naphthalene residues have come out of the cloth.
4. Now let the cloth stay there for about 15 minutes without removing the vinegar-water solution from it.
5. In the end, rinse the cloth by running a good amount of water and wash the cloth properly with a good laundry detergent.

How to remove naphthalene stains with hydrogen peroxide

1. Make a good paste of hydrogen peroxide with flour or baking soda.
2. Apply the paste thoroughly on the stain and cover the area with a plastic sheet or any other material.
3. Let it sit there for a few hours or maybe for a whole night.
4. In the morning, remove the paste with an expired card or a plastic scraper.
5. Wash your clothes with a good detergent.
6. Repeat the steps if necessary.

Naphthalene stains FAQs

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