When airing isn't enough
If a stale note lingers after a day's airing, go gently rather than reaching for strong fabric sprays, which tend to layer scent over smell rather than removing it. A light mist of plain water with a small splash of white vinegar, applied from a distance so the fabric is barely damp, will neutralise a lot of staleness as it evaporates. Test on an inside seam first, keep it far away from leather trims, and let the coat dry fully in moving air. The vinegar smell disappears as it dries; the musty one generally goes with it.
Bicarbonate of soda is the other quiet hero. Lay the coat flat on a clean sheet, dust it very lightly, leave it for several hours or overnight, then brush and shake it out thoroughly outdoors. For a lined coat with a stubborn interior smell, put an open bowl of bicarbonate inside a large bag with the coat — not touching it — and seal it loosely for a day.
Collars and cuffs deserve separate attention, because that is where body oils collect and where odour genuinely does embed. A damp cloth with a drop of wool-safe detergent, blotted rather than rubbed, usually lifts the greyness and the smell together. Anything beyond that — real stains, structured tailoring, anything you're nervous about — is a job for a specialist cleaner rather than an experiment.
