If you’ve ever looked for ways to freshen your clothes that don’t involve washing, you might have come across the claim that freezing them can help.
One such claim comes from denim company Levi’s, which states you should never wash your jeans, but freeze them instead to deal with the root cause (bacteria).
So, does freezing clothes kill bacteria? And why would this be helpful? Let’s find out.
Why Freeze Your Clothes?
Before looking at whether this’ll work, we should first discuss why you might want to freeze your clothes.
Put simply, it’s because bacteria present on clothes will cause them to smell, even if they otherwise look clean.
This is more common on clothes that touch your skin, as bacteria can feed on components in your sweat – a by-product of this process is odour molecules released by the bacteria.
However, it can also happen with items you rarely wash, such as denim and knitwear. For example, it’s believed that you should wash raw denim as infrequently as possible, and a lot of knitted stuff is handwash or dry clean only.
As such, you might be faced with a few items of clothing that could benefit from being freshened up that you can’t really put in the washing machine. Dealing with the bacteria is the easiest way to remove smell and prevent it from happening again for a while.
Does Freezing Clothes Kill Bacteria?
Freezing clothes unfortunately doesn’t kill bacteria. Although there isn’t loads of science investigating freezing clothes, we can luckily turn to fairly basic food science instead, as it’s the same logic.
When you freeze food, the cold temperature puts microbes into a dormant state. This applies to bacteria, yeast, viruses, etc. However, the temperature of a domestic freezer (around -18 degrees Celsius) isn’t low enough to actually kill bacteria.
To do this, you’d have to reach a temperature of around -60 degrees slowly, so ice crystals can form inside the cells and kill them. Rapid freezing is used to preserve microbes, so you’d want to do it as slowly as possible.
The bottom line is that freezing clothes won’t kill bacteria, but it will prevent them from multiplying and feeding.
Once you remove the clothes from the freezer, though, nothing prevents the bacteria from getting back to their normal processes.
Does Freezing Clothes Remove Smells?
So, freezing clothes doesn’t kill bacteria, but does it help remove smells? Considering this is the reason why most of us would want to freeze our clothes, it’s perhaps the more important question.
The short answer is yes, freezing your clothes will help deal with any unpleasant odours. This is because it breaks the cycle of bacteria feeding and multiplying, which is the cause of smells on clothing.
However, this is only the case for as long as the bacteria remains dormant. Once they start up again, you’ll be back to square one if they have a food source.
If you only need to wear your clothes once, chucking them in the freezer for a few hours can help. That said, there are far easier options if you just want to freshen them up.
How to Freshen Clothes Without Washing Them
The only sure-fire way to kill bacteria on clothes is to wash them at 60 degrees Celsius or above, or to use an anti-bacterial laundry detergent.
Of course, these options aren’t always practical. Below are some quick solutions for getting minor odours out of clothes without washing them.
1. Spray with vodka
Vodka has a high enough alcohol content that it can kill bacteria, making it an ideal option for spritzing on small areas of clothing. It’ll never do as thorough a job as washing but it can help in a pinch.
We use vodka because it’s colourless and odourless. Pour some into a spray bottle and do a patch test somewhere hidden.
Turn the item inside out and spray the affected areas. Leave it to dry for 10 minutes or so and you should have an odour-free item.
2. Hang your clothes out to air
Provided it’s not raining and there’s a light breeze, hanging your clothes outside for an hour or so can really help shift smells.
This works best for musty smells, such as when clothes have been stored for too long, but won’t be as effective on strong odours.
Sunlight can help kill bacteria, but it probably won’t make a noticeable impact if your clothes are only hung out for an hour or so. That said, every little helps!
3. Take it in the shower
Don’t take your clothes into the actual shower itself, but hang them up in the bathroom while you’re showering. The steam can help shift minor odours and might even help to press out any creases.
This isn’t a foolproof method, as it takes quite a lot of steam to make a difference. However, if you like hot showers, it’s worth a go.
4. Spray with witch hazel
As you might already know, witch hazel is quite a strong antibacterial product. Another benefit is that it smells quite nice, which is ideal when you’re trying to cover up smells!
As with the vodka, just spray some onto the affected areas and leave to dry for a little while. It’s more important to do a patch test with witch hazel, as most products are coloured.
5. Use a steamer
Finally, you can use a garment steamer to help push out some of the smell. Steam can kill bacteria because it’s hot enough, but it would take prolonged contact of at least 2-5 minutes in each area to effectively kill bacteria.
Considering this much steam could be damaging for certain fabrics, such as knitwear, it’s best not to try it.
Steaming has the obvious benefit of pressing out creases, too. If you don’t own a steamer, you can always try using an iron instead by ejecting steam onto the clothing. Again, just try to avoid prolonged contact for more delicate items.
How to Effectively Kill Bacteria on Clothes
The options above will work for a quick fix if you just need an item to be fresher for a single wear. However, nothing truly replaces washing clothes at 60 degrees or above when it comes to killing bacteria and dealing with odours.
If you’re concerned about washing your item in a washing machine, take it to a dry cleaner. They have plenty of chemicals that can kill bacteria without damaging clothing. While it’s a pricey option, it’s worth it if your prized clothing won’t take well to a washing machine.
Final Thoughts
So, next time you’ve got a smelly bit of clothing, don’t bother putting it in the freezer to kill bacteria. This myth has been well and truly debunked since Levi’s claimed it a few years ago.
Instead, focus on eliminating the odour with alcohol or steam, as these options can kill enough bacteria to give you at least one wear. After that, the next best thing is to have the item cleaned properly.
Jacob is a writer based in Wales, where he lives with his partner and two dogs. All his work is fuelled by extensive research and buckets of coffee.
