Naphthalene ( C10H8)Recently I posted about my new red sweater and its faint scent of mothballs.
When I took the sweater off that day, I found my shirt, tie and undershirt, as well as the inside of my jacket, all reeked faintly of mothballs. Then I put the shirt in the laundry, and all the laundry smelled of it. Then I washed the sweater alone in cold water on the gentle cycle and laid it out to dry. Wetting the sweater only intensified the stench, and the next day the whole house reeked of Naphthalene (apparently that's the chemical that stinks so much). Fortunately it was unseasonably warm and we were able to open a few windows and air the place out. I put the sweater in a plastic bag and left it on the back porch until I could take it to the dry cleaners.
I live in the apartment where my grandparents lived when I was growing up. I can remember the closet smelling like this all the time. I'm all for bringing back certain elements of a bygone era, but this I can do without. How did the old folks stand the smell? Must have been masked by all that cigarette smoke, I guess.
