Cigarette Smell

I had to deal with this a short time ago. I helped someone clear out some old clothes that we were going to donate and when I got home and opened the bags it almost knocked me on my butt. It was horrible! It literally smelled like someone was smoking in those bags for 20 years, it was stale and sickening. I thought they were a lost cause, but I gave it a go anyway. I soaked them in baking soda for a while and then washed them. The whole house reeked of it and they all smelled when they were taken out of the wash, but I hung them to dry and that seemed to do the trick. I think air drying is the key.. heat will just set in the smell. I don't have any other tricks to add, sorry.. that's what worked for me; I was shocked it would be so simple when I always hear of people trashing everything because nothing worked. Oh.. another thing is enzyme cleaners. They take care of odours really really well.

 

I would agree with JosieP - that as baking soda is an excellent deodorizer - using that is your best bet - especially as I too have found it works exceptionally well.

In fact having also had this problem on more than one occasion - I've found the quicker you can get your clothes into the machine with a mixture of baking soda and ordinary detergent - the better it is all round - particularly as it avoids the stench lingering - not just on your clothes but in your home too.

It also works amazingly well on surfaces or articles that can't go in the machine like bags or suitcases - as just wiping down with a damp cloth soaked in a solution of baking soda and water - eliminates the odor almost instantly.

I would however suggest - to avoid the temptation to use deodorizing sprays such as febreze - particularly as - because deodorizing sprays only mask an odor with a scent - the end result when the odor and the scent combine - is a million times worse than that of stale cigarette smoke.

 

@JosieP @gata montes
Yup baking soda is the go-to home remedy for getting out that nasty smoke smell that lingers.
Vinegar is a good one as well.
If those don't work go to a hardware store and get a application specific product, every region has a different brand but they are all the same.
They are products that are designed just for getting that stale smoke smell out of things.

 

Yuk, there's nothing worse than that combination of sickly Febreze and the odor you were trying to get rid of in the first place. Good old baking soda is what you need. You seriously cannot beat it. There's no real need to waste money on specific treatments at all, just raid the pantry!

 

There are already laundry detergents on the market with baking soda in them - in fact I am pretty sure Arm & Hammer makes a line of laundry detergents. You could also consider adding some white distilled vinegar to your wash. Not only will it help get rid of any odors, but it also has the added benefits of softening your clothes as well as brightening them. I believe you just need to use the regular distilled vinegar, not the super concentrated stuff for cleaning and mopping floors.

Something else you might want to consider is taking the clothes to a laundromat instead of cleaning them at your house, if it's something like a large bag of clothes you need to clean before donating them. I had to use the laundromat from time to time when our washer or dryer wasn't working, and I've seen people bring clothing that had been sprayed with a skunk, to clean there just so they don't stink up their home appliances.

 

How about soaking them in fabric softener? The smell of those things really cling to the fabric, so I won't be surprised if it was able to eradicate the cigarette smell.

 

I would wash your clothes in vinegar. You can add one cup of white vinegar to your washing machine and your regular laundry detergent. Place your smoke ridden clothes and wash normally. Your clothes will come out smelling a bit like vinegar but that will dissipate quickly. My husband's parent's smoked and we inherited many of the items from their home. Not quite sure how to get the smell and tar out of a beautiful dining room set. I think I may have to get it refinished.

 

My husband used to be a smoker so there is always that can of aerosol air freshener. But when we moved to our present house, we had planted a lot of herbs. One particular plant is pandan. The pandan leaves exude a scent of freshness. Cutting some fresh leaves and placing on a tray would give the living room a fresh scented atmosphere. Try it.

 

I am an ex-smoker and I have found that Arm and Hammer detergent is a Godsend when it comes to removing lingering cigarette odor. I have also used a combination of essential oils through out my home to cover the scent. By placing the oils on my light bulbs I get the scent of a heat activated air freshener without the cost. As you are not a smoker you will only need they detergent that can be used to wash your clothing or applied to a damp cloth to clean your backpack but the oils add a nice scent to any room.

 

Does Arm & Hammer laundry detergent have baking soda in it? If so, I'd try that. You might also add some vinegar to the rinse cycle when laundering your clothing. Another option is to add a bit of Pine Sol or similar cleaner to your washing machine. It disinfects and deodorizers. It's available in other scents besides the pine as well. Some of them smell fresh and nice.

 

Baking Soda has been my go to to get rid of bad odors in clothes. I wash the clothes in water that has either baking soda or vinegar in the wash water. Crumbed news paper in the bag of stinking clothes also help to get rid of the bad odors.

 

I've heard that leaving a bar of laundry soap helps a lot, although I haven't tried it out myself. I imagine it works well though since I've tried this trick for rooms and sometimes even cars and it has always successfully helped in removing the smell. I'm only guessing here but if you want to try this then maybe just place a small bar of soap on top of your folded clothes or at the bottom of the cabinet if your clothes are hanged.

 

I too am a cigarette smoker too. I smoke outside my apt. home now days to keep the odor and discoloration out of my home. I usually use Freebreeze, but I found a cheaper alternative when I recently went shopping. It cost .80 cheaper and it works just as fine Glade sprays. Check out the isle for Freebreeze and see all the different kinds of sprays and scents to find one that you like for it works just fine for not only cigarette odors, but for keeping your home smelling fresh and clean too.

 

I'm with @purple, white vinegar can also get the job done. Adding some vinegar to detergent you normally use, wash your clothes as you normally do and it will neutralize the cigarette smell. Some people use white vinegar to wash their homes in order to get rid of cigarette and it works. I'm sure that it would also work on clothes too.

 

My stepdad is a smoker and my mom's front door smells terrible! I found that baking soda and vinegar work the best! I make a mixture of that to get the smell out of the carpet. It will get the smell off of our front porch too. Yuck!

 

I just remembered about the pandan leaves. This plant is very prolific when you cut the leaves, it brings more in a week. We used pandan leaves as car freshener and it also works in the living room to counter the odor of cigarette smoke. We just had forgotten using pandan leaves when we bought a new car in 2013. Yesterday we started using it again in the car. It is cheap and natural too, no chemicals.