jojo47

I'm not the original poster of this thread, but I've certainly enjoyed reading all the helpful hints...Filed away for futrue reference! Thanks to all!

IowaStitcher

A quilt restoration lecture suggested putting smelly quilts on the grass on a dewy morning. Lay down a plain sheet, then spread the fabrics out on them. Cover with another sheet and leave in the sunny area for a while. The idea is the chlorphyll in the grass will act as a deoderizer.

Grandma Peg

Good luck getting the smoke smell out and congrats on your inheritance.

Monroe

My parents were both heavy smokers. I washed Mom's fabrics 3 times with oxyclean but couldn't get all the odor out. It was Really bad when I tried to iron some that seemed to smell OK. Old poly lace and cotton/poly blend fabrics were the worst and I had to just toss them finally. Didn't think about vinegar! No amount of sunshine or perfumed detergents helped. Thanks for all the tips- will remember them for next time. Used car shopping today- NO smokey cars for me!

Sewhappygal

I too inherited fabric from a smoker earlier this year. I used vinegar in the wash and it worked great. Took time but it worked. I also recommend you don't bring it into the house until you're ready to wash it.

IAmCatOwned

I just use Orvus and put it through the gentle cycle. Then dry. Unless you have an allergy, that is more than enough. If you have serious smoke allergies, then you want to use a regular washing cycle with extra water (no tight packing in the washing machine).

That said, when I received a huge lot of fabric once and decided to donate it to a bunch of elderly ladies to cut up into rugs, I went to the laundromat. Went during the day during a dead time. Those industrial machines take a LOT of fabric and you can dry pretty quickly in the large dryers. Use the shortest cycle on the washer.

Ioftheneedle

I really appreciate reading all the posts that are so helpful. I had posted a somewhat unrelated question about some furniture I had bought that has cigarette odors. I had tried rubbing these chairs down...using Murphys wood soap and different oils too. I was afraid of softening the finish too.
Glad to say after reading these posts I tried spraying vinegar/water lightly and rubbing them down and I couldn't believe the residue on the cloth I used.
The underside of these chairs had the most gunk though it wasn't visible. They sat out on the driveway most of the day.
I then sprinkled baking soda on them to let them set for a while as was suggested some where.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge with us.

leighway

We use Odoban in our rug shampooer and to wash the cat box...it's GREAT stuff!

WilliP

And 37 years later a few of my son's diapers having survived several children are now still white and being used. Can't beat borax.

Retired Fire Chief

Ammonia works wonders and it is a cheap solution. I always used ammonia to wash my uniforms after a fire and would even leave an open pan of it in my car to help remove the tail-tail odors left from my gear. I routinely washed my white uniform shirts adding a splash of ammonia, it kept my white shirts white without fading my shoulder patches.