bearisgray

Bad idea to use with stored fabrics.

The smell - with some fabrics - is impossible to get out.

Tartan

It can be hard to remove. My MIL used to sprinkle them all over her house until we could no longer visit because it hurt my chest. It took a good five years for the worst of it to dissipate. It was still a faint smell 10 years later when she sold the house.

HouseDragon

OMG!!!!! Google "moth balls"! They are highly toxic.

mom-6

Baking soda sprinkled liberally in the storage container with the problem and left to sit for an extended period can help greatly.

I had a cell phone in a plastic case that took a nose dive into a portacan and was retrieved by the pump out guy the following week.

Just as an experiment I placed the case in a zip sandwich bag with a bunch of baking soda. Initially I didn't think it was doing any good, but came across the bag with the case and baking soda a few months later and there was no odor remaining.

So not a quick fix, but worth a try.

Quilting Grandma

I would be concerned about the E. coli ( bacteria) even tho the smell was gone.

mom-6

Thanks Quilting Grandma! I didn't go ahead and reuse it, but was amazed that it actually did get rid of the odor, which I assure you was quite pungent!

sandy l

Yeah, that's why when SO stores his boat for the winter, before putting the tarp on, he sprinkles moth balls around.