Do your clothes always get a funky, musty or stale smell whenever you travel? There are several possible reasons for this including moisture in the suitcase and storing dirty clothes with clean ones. 

Here are some tips on how to keep your clothes and luggage smelling fresh when on a trip, whether it’s a vacation, a work trip or a camping adventure.

What Causes Clothes To Smell in Luggage 

One word, moisture. Most of the time, moisture or dampness is the source of the stale or musty smell in your luggage. 

The moisture can build up if you are in a high humidity area. Lack of air circulation inside the luggage causes an increase in humidity, resulting in a musty smell. 

Putting damp clothes, even if it is a single item, in your luggage can also cause everything to smell. Also watch out for spills from liquid bottles in the luggage. In addition to staining your clothes, spills can cause smells. 

Another common cause of smelly clothes is mixing clean and dirty laundry. Dirty laundry will spread a stink to the clean clothes. Even putting the dirty clothes in a separate compartment is not enough, especially for a long trip. The smell will eventually make its way to the clean stuff.

How to Keep Your Clothes Fresh When Traveling 

1. Pack Fresh Smelling Clothes

One reason your clothes might be smelling funky is because they were already smelling that way in the closet. The smell becomes more apparent in the smaller enclosed space of a suitcase. 

So before you pull out clothes from the back of your closet and pack them into the suitcase, give them a sniff test. If they smell musty or moldy, either air them out. But if the smell is too strong, run them through the washing machine with some baking soda to help get rid of the odors. 

2. Add Moisture Absorber Bags to Luggage 

Even if you are careful to store liquids securely and keep damp clothes out of your luggage, moisture can still build up in the suitcase especially when you are in a humid place such as a tropical vacation. 

Adding a few bags of moisture absorber in your suitcase can help deal with the moisture and odors. You can get the ones with silica gel or activated charcoal. I personally prefer activated charcoal bags because they absorb all kinds of unpleasant odors as well as moisture. 

3. Use Dryer Sheets in Luggage 

Dryer sheets also absorb some moisture, but they work best for adding a nice scent to clothes. Just one is enough.  

4. Pack a Travel-size Fabric Refresher

An alternative to dryer sheets is a fabric refresher spray like Febreeze. Make sure you get an odor-eliminating spray, not one that just masks bad smells. Spray clothes before you pack them in the suitcase. You can also spray dirty clothes to keep them from getting everything else smelly. 

If you are flying, be sure to get a travel-size spray that’s 100ml or less. 

5. Figure Out How to Deal With Dirty Clothes

Dirty clothes can easily stink up your entire luggage, so figure out how to deal with dirty laundry while you are traveling. We have an article explaining three ways to handle dirty laundry when on a trip. 

You can put them in a separate bag (a plastic bag, garbage bag, packing cube or dry bag), plan to do laundry during your trip, or pack clothes that don't get smelly quickly (more on that below). 

6. Pack Anti-Odor Clothes 

One of the best ways to keep clothes fresh when traveling is to pack clothes that don't get smelly in the first place. There are special clothes that are made with treated fabrics that actively kill odor-causing bacteria. 

So even when you sweat, it doesn’t smell. That means it also won’t funk up your luggage. Hercleon has several of these no-smell clothing like the HercShirt t-shirt, the Apollo sport shirt, and the Kribi underwear.

You can wear these items multiple times without washing and they will remain fresh. 

Additional Tips

• Don't keep clothes in your suitcase the entire trip. If there’s a closet, hang them out to air. This will also reduce wrinkling. 
• Another way to deal with wrinkly clothes is packing a travel steamer. It can smoothen clothes in a jiffy. 
• Be especially careful with shoes, socks and damp items like a towel. They can easily stink up your clothes. Keep them out of your luggage while you are at the hotel. When packing to go back home, put them in a plastic bag to keep the odors contained.