Thanks fellas!
Thanks fellas!
I have a pretty large collection of old flags and a few of them have odors ranging from mold/mildew to oily/industrial to smokey (hung in a VFW or other social club for years. There have been some really good suggestions listed above. Unless the flag is made of nylon I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND WETTING IT OR WASHING IT. Wool and rayon will probably shrink and stain if washed. Dry cleaning is also not a good option since the chemicals will probably fade the colors. In some of the old American military flags I have that were dry cleaned the leather hanging tabs have dried out and cracked. I have washed a few of the nylon flags that really smelled and then air dried them with good success.
In my opinion the best way to get the smell out is to air them out by hanging them on a bar or rack or from some hangers. I have a very large wool US ensign #6 8' x 16' that just came to me smelling really bad. I have had it outside airing over my porch railing for the past two days in the sunshine. I don't think a little sunshine will hurt that flag at all. Silk or rayon is a different story. Some flags seem to freshen up much quicker than others. A couple of my smokey ones I gave up on and just store them separately from all the others. I also have one container I use for all the smelly ones. I may try that baking soda idea with them.
Good luck!
I love the smell of old german flags in the morning.
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