Damp smelling handbags

[PopperUppleton]

Hi I've just retrieved a leather handbag from the back of my wardrobe and it's slightly mouldy and stinks of damp. Any tips on how I can get rid of the smell?

It's a Mulberry handbag so I REALLY don't want to chuck it.

I also have a plastic Cath Kidson one in the same state, but I guess I can wash that.

Thanks

Anyone?

Cat litter. Put some in a Tupperware and stand that in your bag for a few days.

Great idea! Thanks, never thought of that but can see it could work. Cheers

Condensation and damp in or behind wardrobes is commonly caused by lack of air circulation when they are against a cold external wall and the room is humid.

Rarely the wall itself is damp, usually from spilling gutters or a leak from plumbing or roof.

They're free standing wardrobes and we thought we'd left enough gap for air circulation, but obviously not. It's also a north-facing outside wall, which doesn't help.

see if there is any source of excess humidity that you can correct. The most common one in UK homes is wet washing draped indoors; it can also be a bathroom without effective extractor fan, or excessive breathing linked to insufficient ventilation.

Heated fishtanks and bottled gas or paraffin heaters are rare.

Leaking pipes, gutters and roofs, blocked airbricks and bridged dampcourses are less common. Water vapour is lighter than air so will rise up through a house, but you will probably see wet or misted windows in the room where the source of water is, especially if you close doors overnight.