There are many variables, mainly it depends on what the clothing is made of (assuming these are new modern clothes). Clothing in collections is generally not cleaned, but a strong man's shirt could be sent to a trusted cleaner if the smell is that offensive. Otherwise you can hang it on a padded hanger and over time the smell will dissipate. However, sweat does weaken fabric over time, so if it is a strong cotton, poly, wool, etc, I would likely dry clean it or maybe spot clean the arm pits with Orvus (http://www.amazon.com/Orvus-8-Oz-Quilt-Soap/dp/B000BQLJIU). The only way to know which piece is smelling is to sniff the likely culprits in the likely areas. From my experience it very likely will be the shirt that is with a suit. You will want to isolate it while you decide so that the outerwear doesn't get the smell from the inner wear.

Also, I am guessing your boxes have lids that go all the way down to the bottom of the box, these are notoriously hard to open and have been a nightmare every time I have dealt with them in collections. When you make any future orders for boxes,  get them with shallow lids. Having no lid on lets in light, dust and bugs and sort of cancels out much of the benefit of having the boxes in the first place. Plus it is a big waste of space if you cannot stack them safely. Custom lids can also be made from flat cardboard or it may be possible to "fix" the existing lids with a box cutter and glue gun. 

Elizabeth Walton
Waltonmuseumservices.com



On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 10:11 AM, Mandy Reese <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Good Morning to All:

Forgive me if this has already been covered in an earlier posting:  

In the last year, we received some clothing that was worn by celebrities who have appeared in our commercials. Recently, I have been noticing an odor of sweat coming from them.  I can't pinpoint exactly which garment it is ( I have each piece of clothing or suit set in its own acid-free garment box with unbuffered acid-free tissue and no lid.  Our storage area is climate controlled)  Other than placing a lid on the box (the lids that came with the boxes are very hard to take on and off- so I left them off.  We get into these boxes frequently to show tour groups) Does anyone have any suggestions on a low tech way of getting rid of the scent that doesn't damage the garments?  Has anyone else ever had this problem with clothing?

Thanks so much

Mandy Reese
Nationwide Insurance Assistant Archivist
[log in to unmask]


-----
 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).


========================================================= Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).