Best way to remove mothball and insecticide pong from silk?

[AnnaO]

I've recently bought a second hand sari from India via ebay which I hope to sew into some nice new clothes for yours truly.
The sari itself is pure silk and is breathtakingly beautiful - but ooer, does it pong....

It smells really strongly of mothballs, the old-fashioned naphthalene kind, and insect spray. So right now it's folded up tightly and in a sealed plastic bag!
I did an internet search and the possible solutions out there are soaking in a weak vinegar solution, washing, and then hanging it out in fresh air and warm sunlight for a day or so to dissipate the chemicals which are causing the smell. So that's what I'm planning on doing, when the weather here picks up a bit...

In the meantime though I'd be grateful for any advice from the collective wisdom of this wonderful forum. Has anyone here successfully dealt with lingering mothball pong?
Thanks in advance, Anna x.

 

[lsg]

The only thing I can think of is to either send it to the cleaners or hang it out in the fresh air for a couple of hours for several days. We have something called Febreze odor eliminator for fabrics, here. I would check on a tiny piece of the material first to see that it won't damage the silk

 

[Saponista]

I'm not sure even febreeze will handle that horrible mothball smell. I would give it a go on a little patch though. I vote fresh air in a nice breeze left out for a few consecutive days to try and dissipate the smell.

 

[AnnaO]

Thanks
The sun has just come out here, so I've hung it over the washing line, dry, so it can get an airing.

I did an online search about buying second hand Indian saris before I ordered it, and one issue I came across was the mothball smell... I just thought people were over-reacting, but no.... :Kitten Love:

Naphthalene and fly spray. I bet there are no flies in our yard now, I suspect every insect will have fled in terror!
Once it's aired I'll soak it and then bung it in the washing machine, and take it from there. I'd rather not take it to be dry cleaned, because I am cheap like that, but I'll see how we get on. Febreeze I suspect is not strong enough to mask it. And from what I read, ordinary washing alone is not enough.

In the meantime I'll try and give my sewing machines some tlc, as I've not sewn for years. My 40-plus year-old Bernina had a hissy fit when I got it out last week, the motor electrics made some odd popping noises so something's up with it, but spares are practically non-existent for that model, unfortunately, so that may be out of action for a while. I was given a 1929 hand crank Singer though a few years back, I never got it going at the time as I didn't need it, but after fitting a new bobbin winder rubber and giving it a thorough cleaning and some oil, it seems to want to play! I'll get it out this evening, and find out what it can do

 

[Saponista]

I would give it a cold wash only in the machine. I washed a pure silk cami at 40C once and it shrunk to a ridiculous extent!

 

[AnnaO]

I would give it a cold wash only in the machine. I washed a pure silk cami at 40C once and it shrunk to a ridiculous extent!

Thanks Saponista, I'll bear that in mind!

 

[DeeAnna]

I've purchased several old kimonos some years back with much the same issues. Fresh air, gentle cleaning in cool to lukewarm water (or a professional cleaner experienced in such things), and time. If you leave the sari outside to air, limit the amount of sun exposure. UV can fade colors and weaken natural fibers much quicker than you'd think.

 

[AnnaO]

Thanks, DeeAnna, I'll keep it out of bright sunlight. A few years back I had made a roman blind for a small window out of some leftover slubbed silk, I took it down after a year to wash it, and parts of it just crumbled in my hands... I'd forgotten about that, thank you for reminding me!