Febreze Fabric Refresher Review – Good For Suit Care?
I look for ways to maintain my wardrobe of carefully curated second-hand tailored suits, sports coats, and slacks without using dry cleaners unless absolutely necessary. If I can find low-cost products that allow for in-home maintenance, all the better. That is why I decided to give Febreze Fabric Refresher a try. This product is designed to remove odors from most fabrics with just a light spritz, leaving behind a pleasant scent. Does it work? Let’s find out!
Suit Care & Maintenance
Suits, sport coats and slacks benefit from a periodic once-over with a clothes steamer as a way of refreshing the fabric and removing odors. This maintenance can minimize trips to the dry cleaners. The steam removes all odors caused by bacteria and will also kill any moth larva that may lurk in wool garments. If you use an attachment brush on the clothes steamer, it will raise the nap of the fabric to minimize shine and remove embedded dirt.
In fact, there are some rather pricey gadgets that provide a similar function (if you have money to burn). The LG Styler Steam Clothing Care System is one example. For only $1,999.00 the LG Styler uses steam to de-wrinkle, deodorize and refresh your suits and other garments. The more modestly priced Whirlpool Swash, at only $399.00 will do the same thing while adding a gentle scent to your garments. Hmmmm, using steam and a fresh clean scent to refresh suits …
Febreze Fabric & Handheld Clothes Steamer – the Dynamic Duo!
There is a much cheaper and better way to do even more than the LG Styler and Whirlpool Swash combined to care for your suits. Pair an inexpensive handheld clothes steamer with a bottle of Febreze Fabric Refresher. For a total investment of under $30.00, you will have the perfect tools for deodorizing your suits and leaving behind a pleasant “smells like it was just dry-cleaned” scent.
I used Febreze Fabric Refresher on a second-hand suit I have that needed a bit of refreshing. First, I brushed the suit thoroughly with a clothes brush. Next, I mist the suit with Febreze Fabric Refresher. It drys quickly, leaving behind only the slight scent of fresh laundry. I then follow it up with a steaming with my handheld clothes steamer. The combination leaves the suit looking and smelling clean. Finally, I may do a light pressing with a steam iron (check my ironing tips) to bring back the suit’s crisp look. You can see the end result at the top of this page.
The two main ingredients in Febreze Fabric Refresher are water and alcohol. Alcohol is a powerful odor remover in its own right and speeds up the drying process. Additional ingredients enhance odor removal and leave behind a pleasant scent. It is best to have your suit hanging on proper hangers before misting it with Febreze. The wool will not wrinkle as long as you allow it to dry thoroughly on the hanger.
When Eliminating Clothing Odors, Quality Matters…
When buying suits and other clothing keep in mind that garments made from natural fabrics more easily release odors. Polyester is very difficult to remove odors from. For that reason (especially when thrift shopping) you should stick to garments made from 100% natural fibers such as wool, cotton, and linen. Avoid suits that have a polyester lining (the lining will hold on to underarm odors). Natural fiber garments will look better, smell better, and last longer with proper care. Check out my article on How to Buy Used Suits for more tips.
In closing, if you have a wardrobe of wool suits that are worn often, the combination of a clothes steamer and Febreze Fabric Refresher is a great way to maintain them and lower your dry cleaning bill. It will help to extend the life of your garments. Recommended!