How do I get this musty smell out of my LV bag ?

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

Is it just the inside of the bag that smells or the outside too. I recently bought a Chanel boy that had a slight odor inside. I bought Zero Odor spray from Bed bath and beyond and that helped.
Thanks for the tip! I have an LV that had a musty odor and a MK that was traded to me for my Chanel glasses. The MK smelled like smoke. The bag candies seem to do great for the inside of the MK but the leather still smells like smoke so it is going for professional cleaning and the LV still seems to have a strange smell. I now have a head cold so I can't tell if it's better over time. I am going to try that spray with the LV since it's only on the inside. Thanks for the reply!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shoppinmel
I am going to visit a relative and will bring my box of bag cleaning items and usually try to do clean up her designer bags. Mainly Chanel and LV. She told me one of her bags has a musty odor and I would like to know what might work best because I would need to bring the stuff with me. I have baking powder. Spray cleansers and Lysol spray. Coffee grounds at her house.

She also has all these air purifier things that suck up and blow air. I thought maybe sitting the purse open in front of it will help. It sure what the purse smells of or even how bad it is. Don’t think it has stains from anything. Perhaps just not being used and stored packed away?
 
I don’t have any problems with LV at all.

I sold/consigned and now own one LV bag my speedy 35 which is from 2016 and like new. Perfect in every way. I have uncluttered my life from having too much stuff but can still help friends who love to buy and collect more stuff.

I wanted to get a Neverfull Pochette but wondered if it could develop glazing issues after reading about the glazing issues and recalls for other bags. I now feel comfortable in buying one because nobody seems to have had any glazing issues with the bag. Just need to decide what print to buy.

I have 2 best friends that are pretty new to LV and they are now addicted. I have been trying to help them on their journey because they have no one else to ask. I have posted questions for them because I personally was not familiar with certain models or features of bags. My one friend is on her 6th bag in less than 6-7 months.

My relative is a person close to me who has a nice collection of designer bags but is basically pretty careless with them. When I visit I give her bags a spa treatment. She does so much for me that this is a little something I feel I can do for her that will make a difference.

I have bought LV since college and only returned one Neverfull GM years ago because of a huge crooked strap on one side was about 1 inch difference in placement. LV gave me a new one. I had owned bags 25 plus years that are still being used and looking good that I gave to friends or relatives. I take very good care of my bags.

Since I never had any odor problems or even stains in any preloved bags I bought in the past I never had a need to do this. People have different opinions of what works. Just trying to find a possible easy way to fix a bag I have not seen in person since I have two days to do it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: LVintage_LVoe
I don’t have any problems with LV at all.

I sold/consigned and now own one LV bag my speedy 35 which is from 2016 and like new. Perfect in every way. I have uncluttered my life from having too much stuff but can still help friends who love to buy and collect more stuff.

I wanted to get a Neverfull Pochette but wondered if it could develop glazing issues after reading about the glazing issues and recalls for other bags. I now feel comfortable in buying one because nobody seems to have had any glazing issues with the bag. Just need to decide what print to buy.

I have 2 best friends that are pretty new to LV and they are now addicted. I have been trying to help them on their journey because they have no one else to ask. I have posted questions for them because I personally was not familiar with certain models or features of bags. My one friend is on her 6th bag in less than 6-7 months.

My relative is a person close to me who has a nice collection of designer bags but is basically pretty careless with them. When I visit I give her bags a spa treatment. She does so much for me that this is a little something I feel I can do for her that will make a difference.

I have bought LV since college and only returned one Neverfull GM years ago because of a huge crooked strap on one side was about 1 inch difference in placement. LV gave me a new one. I had owned bags 25 plus years that are still being used and looking good that I gave to friends or relatives. I take very good care of my bags.

Since I never had any odor problems or even stains in any preloved bags I bought in the past I never had a need to do this. People have different opinions of what works. Just trying to find a possible easy way to fix a bag I have not seen in person since I have two days to do it.
Good luck!
 
You’re so nice for helping your relative maintain her bags :smile:

I would tell her to air out the musty bag starting now, maybe let it get a bit of indirect sunshine and see if the odor improves, once you get there use your cleansers to remove more smell, then put in a sealed container with some baking soda to absorb more odor and leave overnight, or longer.
I don’t know about the Lysol, I used on my kid’s backpack and it smelled pretty strongly for a long time, I would not use on my bags, jmo, I would use instead some diluted vinegar and water, depending on the bag’s material.

There’s a lot of threads on this subject, run a quick search and see what other ideas you find.

Have fun with your relative, good luck!
 
I think I will air it out and try the vinegar and water. It is something I did. It even think about. I use vinegar water and dawn dust detergent as a cleanser around the house because it is non toxic. Also the airing in cold weather has to help. My one friend in Florida many years ago was gifted a bag with cigarette smoke and it was next to 8mpossible to get the smell out. I think the heat and humidity made it worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sayakayumi
IMO nothing works better than air and sunlight. California sun is magical. Sometimes I'd put some tea leaves in a cloth bag and put that in the bag while it's being aired for the afternoon.

But I think that's all you can do. I wouldn't try anything drastic.
 
I haven't tried it before, but my uncle has an older car that has sweat and other smell in it. My husband put bags of charcoal that he got on Amazon and the smell is slowing fading. So I guess charcoal might help with your friend's bag. It might take time and is suggested to place under some sunlight to activate the charcoal.
 
So this musty odor thing - is that particular to the LV canvas? I see on some preloved bags that a musty odor is mentioned. I never understood how that happened, now I'm wondering if it can happen on its own?
 
I see on some preloved bags that a musty odor is mentioned. I never understood how that happened, now I'm wondering if it can happen on its own?
No, but vintage LV canvas items do have a distinctive scent that's more "sweet" than musty. A lot of musty LV on the market is because of storage in humid environments (Asia, frequently), which also is why a lot of vintage LV has mothball scent.

I'm not a believer in the notion that you can fully get rid of musty scent, at least for some noses. I'm very sensitive, and once my brain detects mildew/musty, I stay persuaded that it remains. That said, air and sunshine are definitely the best.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Gatsby
hmm musty odor makes me think of basements and items being stored in them that are susceptible to getting mold! Has she stored them in the basement or stored them in damp/humid corners? If the handbag is leather I would obviously refrain from using abrasive cleaning agents directly on it but seeing how it's canvas, I think Lysol wipes would be safe or febreeze onto a paper towel to do a wipe down inside.

BUT what does get rid of odor that I discovered months ago at Bed Bath & beyond that i LOVE are these little small deodorizing balls from Arm & Hammer. I place them in my shoe closets, gym bag, or floor of my car. You can easily place a ball in the bag (over a small paper towel) and see if it helps! Let me see if I can find a link. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...r-busterz-3-pack-deodorizing-balls/1060200488
 
I think it depends how smelly/musty the bag is. I tried almost everything for my first Noe but nothing worked. I couldn’t even figure out what the smell was- it was just horrible. I tried dryer sheets, Febreze spray, wipes, Damp Rid - note to self: NEVER use that again, coffee grounds, newspaper, fresh air, sunlight, deodorizer spray, deodorizer balls, perfume, Lysol, lemon water scrub, scrubbing with water and dish liquid....that smell always came back!
Btw, the Damp Rid expanded into a huge chemical mess on the bottom of the bag. It really soaked up moisture. [emoji51]
I ended up selling the bag with full disclosure.
 
Today she said the musty odor was gone. She left it outside overnight on her screened in covered porch in the cold weather. Maybe it just needed to be opened and aired out versus keeping The zipper closed when stored?

Odors in a bag would really bother me. I did buy one that was supposed to have perfume odor from Fashionphile and it really was undetectable. My hubby who is super sensitive to smells and hates perfume and scented soap said he could not smell anything when I received my bag. I have seen some nice bags on eBay through the years but the doors of smoke, storage and other things have kept me from buying.
 
Top