I used to smoke and my stash smelled bad. Last year I washed the whole thing. Took me about a week. Got the smell out, but my electric bill was about $10.00 more than usual (electric dryer). It sounds like a good idea to only wash the fabric as you use it. That way it's not such a burden. The plastic totes will contain the odor. It's a lot of work to wash such a large amoount of fabric all at once. The laundromat would be a good idea as you could do so many loads all at once.
Sue