tessagin

The best way I have gotten rid of any textiles that have a smoke smell/residue is to let them soak in a bucket or type of plastic container with white vinegar and water overnite. Rinse and do it again and kind of swishing. I do put them into laundry bags. I have 1/2 doz of them and use them all the time. You can get them for as little as a dollar. Then I wash in regular laundry detergent and add a little Arm and Hammer laundry booster. All the while these pieces are in the bags. Fabreeze only masks the odor. Fabreeze washes out and you still have the smoke smell.

QUILTNMO

if you arent sure if the yarn is wool or not i would put them outside for a few days maybe a porch or garage to air them outor use the dial soap like suggested

selm

If you have a washer with an agitator, put detergent and white vinegar in washer as it is filling with cool/cold water(no granny squares yet).
Let the washer agitator just to mix detergent/vinegar well, add granny squares. Agitate just enough to get all squares wet.
Stop washer and let everything soak 15-30 min. Let spin only long enough to empty of water-stop, let go to rinse(same as wash-don't agitate) spin water out; rinse second time same way; on last spin let it spin a little longer then before.

Put in a cool temp setting on dryer or air only. Either way it will take a long time to dry. You could take out of dryer after brief time and dry on a rack.

The main thing is to not to use hot water and to not let the spin cycle of washer wring the items too much and not to have dryer temp too hot.

If you have new type washer that won't let you stop it mid-cycle, maybe you have a "hand wash" cycle? I do and love it as it is much like a hand washing, with periods of soaking and light spinning.
Things come out much wetter than a regular cycle but that's ok as too much spin is what causes shrinkage.

sassey

I have found this tip very helpful Put all squares in a big box but first open a can of coffee and put in container leave for a few days then smell should be gone

Retiredandquilting

I have had very good luck with Glade's Fabric and Air. I recently had a dress from the 40's that had that awful "old, stored" smell. I sprayed it with the Fabric and Air and the smell was completely eliminated. I went on to make Memory Teddy Bears from the dress. The Fabric and Air also left to spots on the fabric (it was a satin), and the odor was completely gone, and stayed gone.

lclang

I would try everything else before washing. Are they made of yarn or crochet thread? The thread would probably wash well, but if there is any wool at all you don't want to agitate in the machine. If you have a clothesline you could Febreeze them and hang them out for a while when the sun is out and see what that does.

Daisy Dew

Well I have asthma too so I feel your pain!! I would not use any of the soaps, I am one who does not visit the soap aisle at the store, sets me off.

I recommend white vinegar or baking soda perhaps 2 or 3 times. (If you have a piece of yarn you can spare from these blocks - take a small piece and set a match to it, if it blisters & turns hard its synthetic, if it just burns it may be wool.)

Hope it works for you.

oleganny

soak in vinegar overnite, rinse then wash with arm & hammer washing soda, then another cycle with your regular laundry detergent. make sure first that they are not wool. If there are yarn ends that need to be worked in you can snip off a small piece & do the burn test.Wool or cotton leaves a soft usually grey ash - wool smells sort of like wet chicken feathers - to me at least. Man made fibers will leave a hard, usually black ash - it appears more as if it melted rather than burned.

Shirley in Indiana

svenskaflicka1

another thing that might work is unscented cat litter. put some litter in a shallow pan. put the squares in a pillowcase, or muslin bag, spreading them out in flat stacks. fold it closed, put that in the pan, and then "bury" in in more litter. leave it for a couple of days, and then toss the litter. repeat the process until all of the squares have had a chance to "air" near the largest concentration of clean litter. (i've used this trick with papers, books, and magazines, as well. they are porous, and soak up any smell they're near, just like fabric.)

createquilt

my husband was a smoker until he had his 5 way bypass surgery. I too love to crochet and my yarn always smelled like smoke. One day I took a plastic container and put an afghan in it and 2 snuggles fabric softener sheets and left it for a week sealed up. Best thing I ever did now even though he doesn't smoke any more I still put a fabric softener sheet in with my yarn until I am ready to use. It really does work and you won't have to wash until you want to.