How to Eliminate Smoke Smells From Fabric
Whether you have just bought an online auction product in the smoker or had a fire in your home, you are going to want to wash clothes and other fabrics such as curtains and blankets. While washing goes a long way toward stripping smoke smells from cloth, you might need laundry additives or other tricks to truly remove the odor.
First Things First: Storage
Eliminate all fabrics from closets and dresser drawers which have been exposed to smoke. Wipe all wood surfaces with distilled white vinegar to a soft sponge or cloth and allow the wood to dry. Place a bag of triggered charcoal or an open box of baking soda in each drawer and on every single cupboard shelf. Place a bowl of white vinegar within the cupboard. Catch all drawers and doors open in a well-ventilated room overnight. Place a fan within the cupboard in the event the air is stagnant and also the cupboard is far from a window.
Vinegar to the Rescue
Fill a bathtub with the hottest tap water and add 1 cup distilled white vinegar. Hang the clothing on the hangers on the bar of the shower. Instead, place a plastic-covered garment-drying rack at the warm water and lay the dry clothing on top of it. Close to the bathroom door and allow the cloth to steam before the water cools. Repeat the procedure if needed, turning the clothing inside out, until the majority of the smoke odor is eliminated.
Washing Cotton and Synthetic Fabrics
Launder washable fabrics in warm water with liquid laundry detergent. Add 1 cup of white vinegar into the water. Wash the cloth you to five times, adding more detergent and vinegar each moment, until the odor is gone. Don’t dry the clothing between washings. After the smoke odor is gone, hang the cloth to dry in the sun and breeze to help freshen and whiten it.
Dry-Clean-Only Fabrics
Lay dry-clean-only fabrics, clothing and drapes outdoors, preferably in a sunny spot, and sprinkle them with baking soda. Permit the baking soda to deodorize the cloth all day. Shake off the baking soda and vacuum the cloth with an upholstery brush attachment. Pick out the fabric into the dry cleaner and explain that it had been exposed to smoke. While dry cleaning may not remove the odor completely, your cleanser may add exceptional chemicals that can help deodorize the cloth.