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Quilt Cleaning Cigarette Smoke Odor -- NEED ADVICE!!!

Quilt Cleaning Cigarette Smoke Odor -- NEED ADVICE!!!

Old 04-29-2012, 06:48 PM
  #11  
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I would try airing it for a while first. In the garage if you have a nice one. If not you could put it out on the clothesline on a nice day and if you are worried about the sun, put a clean white sheet over it.
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Old 04-29-2012, 07:41 PM
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I wonder if Simple Green would work. I know it works on getting skunk smell off dogs and coats,and it can't be any more harsh than oxyclean or vinegar. It usually takes two washings to get the smell out. Good luck and let us know what does work for you. There is nothing worse than cigerette smoke, except maybe skunk smell. LOL
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Old 04-29-2012, 08:14 PM
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If nothing suggested here on the Board helps, have you thought about contacting Servicemaster? A phone call may put you in touch with a product and/or procedure that is delicate enough for your quilt. Servicemaster has disaster restoration services for fires, etc. Maybe they could suggest something. Good luck. For me, there isn't much worse than cigarette smoke in fabrics. I can't be anywhere near anything that has cigarette smoke on it. Need an inhaler pronto.
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Old 04-29-2012, 10:18 PM
  #14  
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I've found that a trip through the washing machine with your regular detergent usually does the trick very nicely. Alos, Febreze has a laundy additive - I've not used it on a quilt - but it gets the stink out of men's work and boy's gym socks very well. LOL. You don't add much so I wouldn't be too worried about it hurting the quilt - maybe an extra rinse if you are.
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Old 04-30-2012, 01:42 AM
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I had a brilliant tip from a fellow quilter. I smoked until recently, and all my quilts stank!!! Add Bi-Carb Soda to the wash, it really does get rid of the odour. Otherwise follow the tip below that I replied on Good Luck


Originally Posted by irishrose View Post
Use your regular detergent and wash it on delicate. Turn the washer off and let it soak for a while before it agitates. You may want drain off that water and wash it in fresh water if the smell is really bad. I'd be careful of too many additives, though some white vinegar might be okay. I would spin it on normal to remove as much water as possible, then dry it in the dryer until damp, then lay it out. I wash a 50 year old quilt totally handmade that way.
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Old 04-30-2012, 06:02 AM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by greatscott View Post
My mother gave me a hand-made quilt 15 years ago. It has been stored in plastic and is in excellent condition except that it has a heavy nicotine/cigarette smell.

I need to decide between airing it out, machine washing cold on delicate cycle, hand washing in cold water with mild detergent and then laying it out on towels or blankets, or taking it to a dry cleaner.

I'm afraid to lay it out in the sun in case that might damage it. And I do not know if dry cleaners would care for it properly or be able to get the smell out.

Thanks in advance for any advice or help you can offer.
The absolutely simplest solution is go buy a couple of bars of deodorant soap, either Dial or Safeguard work. Unwrap and stick in the bag with the quilt. Leave it for a month or so and the odor will be gone.
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Old 04-30-2012, 06:12 AM
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Hotels use dryer sheets in a/c to remove smell. Use 6 or 7 dryer sheets I would try putting the quilt in dryer on low setting and tumble for a 1/2 hour and see what happens.
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Old 04-30-2012, 06:23 AM
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I would wash it with my regular detergent and 20 mule team borax. I use borax all the time for smells in the laundry.
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Old 04-30-2012, 06:41 AM
  #19  
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Sometimes you have to run it through the washer 3 times to get the smell out. Use downy and bounce.
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Old 04-30-2012, 06:52 AM
  #20  
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It definitely needs to be washed. I don't think airing is enough. Anytime I have washed fabrics that smelled of smoke, the water turned brown. That stuff needs to removed from the fibers.
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