Get Cigarette Smell out of Clothes

Are you stuck carpooling twice a week with a co-worker you secretly call “Smokey?” Did you just inherit a trunk of clothes from your Aunt Sylvia, who smoked like a chimney? Are you desensitized to the scent of your own smoking, but your new girlfriend isn’t? Getting the smell of cigarettes out of clothes can seem like an impossible task, but there are a variety of methods worth trying before pitching those smoky items in the trash.

Steps

Washing Cigarette Odor Out of Clothes

  1. Fill your washing machine with water. Use the hottest water temperature that is recommended in the washing instructions for your garment(s).
  2. Add one cup of white vinegar to the water. The acidity of vinegar helps break down the smoke and tar molecules that cause the stink.[1]
    • You can also add one cup of baking soda to the soaking mix for an extra boost.
  3. Add the clothes to the soaking mix. Let them soak for at least one hour.
    • If you can’t fill your washer with water and pre-soak -- if you have a front loader, for example -- use a large wash basin, sink, tub, etc., then transfer the items for wash. Or, just add the vinegar and baking soda to the wash cycle with the clothes (use a pre-soak setting if your washer has one).
  4. Add detergent and wash as normal. Smell the clothes after the wash cycle is done. If they still stink, repeat the process.
  5. Air dry the clothes if possible. Spray them with an odor eliminator spray first, if you wish. If using the dryer, add one or more dryer sheets.
  6. Check your washer for smoke stink. You may have to clean your washer out, especially if you have a newer, high-efficiency washer. Follow the instructions for your machine, or repeat the steps above without adding any clothes.

Bagging Up Cigarette Smells

  1. Place smoky clothes in an extra-large zip-close plastic bag. Or, just use a large plastic bag that you can tie or tape shut.
  2. Add dryer sheets to the bag.[2] Use one sheet per 1-2 clothes items.
    • Some dryer sheets, especially scented ones, may possibly stain clothes if left in contact for a long period. Consider using a large enough bag that you can place the sheet(s) inside without touching the clothes.
  3. Seal the bag, wait, and refresh as needed. Check for smoke odor daily, and replace the dryer sheet(s) at least every couple of days. The longer you wait, the more odor neutralization will occur.
  4. Try adding baking soda to the bag instead of dryer sheets. Or, use both in combination.[1] Baking soda is known to absorb odors, which is why people put open boxes of it in the freezer.
    • Use one tablespoon per 1-2 clothing items.
    • Add it to the clothes inside the bag, then shake the bag to distribute evenly.
    • Shake the excess baking soda out of the bag (outdoors, ideally) at least every couple of days, and replace.
  5. Wash the clothes as normal (or consult the steps on washing elsewhere in this article). Shake off excess baking soda if desired, but it won’t hurt to leave it on the clothes in the wash.

Airing Out Smoky Clothes

  1. Hang clothes outside. This may seem too simple to even mention, but sometimes the simplest method is all you need. Let fresh air and time do the work for you.
    • Use a clothesline if you have one, or just hang the items over a deck railing or the back of a chair.
    • Any dry weather will do, but a sunny, slightly breezy day is usually best.
  2. Hang clothes inside. If the weather isn’t cooperating, find an isolated indoor space -- the basement or attic, a garage, even a covered porch -- to hang the clothes.
    • The longer you leave clothes to air out, outdoors or indoors, the better the results.
  3. Spray the clothes down. Consider adding a generous spritz of an odor eliminator spray for fabrics before airing out the stinky clothes.
    • Test a small, inconspicuous area of the fabric first to make sure the spray doesn’t stain.
    • You might also wanted to try sprays marketed specifically for smoke smells. There are numerous options available in stores and online.
    • Some odor eliminators can do double duty, both as a spray and as a washing machine additive. Check product descriptions.

Trying Other Fixes for Smoky Clothing

  1. Consider bagging options. Some people prefer using wads of newspaper, coffee grounds in a fabric baggie, activated charcoal, or cedar chips, among others, in the bag-and-seal method. Try different combinations until you find what works best for you.
  2. Look into other washing solutions. You can also try using ammonia and/or Borax in the wash cycle. Follow product instructions, and be careful, especially if you have children around. These contain dangerous chemicals.
    • If you’re a little more creative, there are claims that adding a capful of mouthwash or a can of your preferred cola beverage to the wash can help remove cigarette smells.
  3. Try horse-blanket detergent. Yes, there are laundry detergents made specifically for cleaning horse blankets and yes, they are safe for human clothes as well. If they can get out horse and stable smells, they should work for cigarette smells, right?
  4. Rely on a professional cleaner. If you have dry-clean only clothes and airing them out or bagging them up isn’t cutting it, you’ll have little choice.
    • A good professional cleaner should have several dry and wet cleaning options for smoky clothes. Shop around to find the best one in your area.
  5. Think carefully about using an ozone generator. If you have a lot of smoky clothes -- for instance, if you’ve just acquired a smoker’s wardrobe -- some people will recommend hanging them all in a room with an ozone generator machine, then closing the door for a couple days. (Always follow the instructions for the ozone generator.)
    • If you choose this method, please be very careful. Ozone is detrimental to your health, and there is scant scientific evidence for most of the cleaning/disinfecting claims made by ozone generator manufacturers. That said, there is some evidence that ozone generators may help eliminate secondhand smoke odors.[3]

Warnings

  • There is growing concern that "thirdhand smoke" -- that is, the cigarette smoke residue left on clothing and elsewhere -- presents health hazards as well, so there may be more reasons than just foul odors to utilize these removal methods.[4]
  • The best way to keep your clothes from smelling like cigarettes is to avoid cigarettes. The primary way to avoid cigarettes is not to smoke. The easiest way not to smoke is to never start smoking.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-remove-smoke-smell-from-fabrics/
  2. ↑ http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-get-the-smoke-smell-out-of-things-1633743079
  3. ↑ http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
  4. ↑ http://www.no-smoke.org/learnmore.php?id=671
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