Originally Posted by
toverly
I'd let it go. Especially if you are allergic, you will always smell it. It's in the weave of the fabric. We had a Guild member pass who had lots of fabric the family wanted to give up. I think they gave up.
We were given a couch that was used by a heavy smoker. None of us are smokers so we could smell it, of course. I scrubbed and scrubbed, soaking it pretty well with carpet/upholstery cleaner. I got it so it was manageable. I covered it with a quilt and eventually took it to our church where we used it for years. Lately, I ended up giving it away. By the time I gave it away, it didn't smell like cigarettes anymore--you couldn't even tell.
I'd try many things if I were going to be given fabric--even it smelled like smoke. First wash and then let it air out.