getting rid of cigarette smoke smell in clothes

[bibiche]

I got some jeans off of ebay and they stink! I washed them and hung them to dry but they still smell.  I looked online and saw recommendations for soaking/washing with borax, baking soda, vinegar etc.  Anyone have any tried and true remedies for getting rid of the smell?  TIA

[Tohru]

Febreeze

 

ETA: some one here recommended some Pine-sol in the wash for ground-in smells and that works very well, however you do need an extra rinse.

[Cinder]

Eew--I can't believe washing didn't get the smell out. I would try the borax next. Good luck!

[Sherri in MI]

When I visit my sister, who smokes, all my clothes that I wore on the trip reek of smoke.  I just pop them in the washer with Tide and Borax (1/2 C.) and that gets rid of the smell.  Maybe it's the addition of Borax that helps.  I would wash them a second time and add Borax.

[justasque]

You need to remove all of the smoke-dirt, which can take some work.  Soak the jeans, using a lot of water and some detergent (Tide), overnight.  If the water is very brown in the morning, rinse and soak them again, leaving it to soak overnight as you did before.  Repeat until the soaking water is clear in the morning.  Then wash on hot in your washer; it may still take several washings.

[Tammyla]

I would wash in the warmest water possible and add vinegar to the soap and rinse.  Are you sure it is just c-smoke?  That usually washes out of clothing with regular laundering.  I'm just asking, because other smells might do better with different laundry methods.

[Shelly in IL]

A friend gave me some clothes. Chain smoker. Couldn't get the smoke smell out even after about 10 warnings, soakings with various things, etc. had to throw them away.

[bibiche]

 Are you sure it is just c-smoke?  That usually washes out of clothing with regular laundering.  I'm just asking, because other smells might do better with different laundry methods.

 

I think so. I suppose I could ask the person who sold them to me. I was wondering myself if just cigarette smoke could be that tenacious.

 

 

 

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will try a borax soak first and see if that works.  Definitely can't do Febreze because it provokes asthma attacks.

[displace]

I would wash in the warmest water possible and add vinegar to the soap and rinse. Are you sure it is just c-smoke? That usually washes out of clothing with regular laundering. I'm just asking, because other smells might do better with different laundry methods.

I also bought some clothes off eBay that were so smokey even after 5+ washings I finally had to get rid of them. I never tried borax though, but no more clothes from eBay unless it's smoke free! Yuck!

[plansrme]

Have you tried hanging them in the sun? I saw that recommended a lot when I was researching ways to remove the rotten meat smell from my basement after the Great Freezer Failure of '14. I couldn't very well hang my basement in the sun, so I don't know if it would have worked.

[bibiche]

Hmm.. the mystery deepens.  The seller tells me that he doesn't smoke.  I assumed it was cigarette smoke because it is a distinctly smoky smell, but maybe not.  The borax soak and subsequent wash knocked it back to not *as* bad, but still smoky with a side of vegetal rot.  Baking soda and vinegar up next. 

 

As for sun, we might have to wait a few weeks for that!

[ErinE]

In my experience, the sun was the most helpful in getting rid of smells.

[melmichigan]

I use Borax, and soak with borax and detergent if needed.