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

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.

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.

is it too fragile to wash?
i would wash it in the washer- with detergent and white vinegar-
if you want to dry it laying flat---fresh air would not hurt! one of the recommended ways it to lay out a sheet on the lawn- place the quilt on the sheet-then place another sheet over the top of it- to protect it from birds ect
after a while go out & check it- turn it over-
i actually use my hammock= which is a large double one- that way the air flows under & over it- but laying on the lawn- or deck= what ever is doable too- the fresh air certainly makes them nice:)
vinegar is good for removing odors & softening- mild detergent to help remove the (oily nicotine residue) in the fibers. it is generally not recommended to dry clean them- and often if you take them to a cleaners they do not dry clean them-since they are cotton- they toss them into a large industrial washer- then a dryer- and charge you for cleaning.

You can cover up the odor but it will never leave the fabric. It will get less noticeable if aired for a long time hanging outside so the wind can go through it.

This is interesting. I read just about an hour ago in our local newspaper a tip for removing smoke/nicotine smell from clothing. Perhaps it may be of help for you. It said to hang the garments in the bathroom, fill the tub with hot water, add a cup of white vinigar, close the door and leave over night. I have no idea if this works, but may be worth a try. I have always heard it is best to not send quilts to dry cleaners. Good luck with what ever you do.

Try using vanilla in the wash water, we had a house fire and I used some of the Mexican vanilla and it removed the order from our clothes, bedding and etc. It didn't hurt anything either.

Vanilla may work. I know if you add vanilla to paint the paint smell isn't very strong while you are painting.

Soaking in OxyClean works too.

I would not send it to the cleaners. You will problably be more gentle with it then they are. I would soak in the washer , hopefully you have a regular not high efficency machine. Use the soak cycle with baking soda( a whole box ), and about 1 cup white vinegar and about 1/4 cup of gentle laundry soap. Use alot of water , filling the machine as high as you can. Let it soak over night, then start the gentle cycle. You may want to do this twice . If you can still detect odor after the first try.

I use to sell Longaberger baskets. We (consultants) were advised when we ran across this problem to hang the item in a garage or outside enclosed area such as a shed for a couple of weeks where the air can circulate to remove the odor. I would start there first, and then use one of the above suggestions or a combination of them. You may need to be persistant and do several gentle treatments before it all comes out. Good luck.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

I would wash it with my regular detergent and 20 mule team borax. I use borax all the time for smells in the laundry.

Sometimes you have to run it through the washer 3 times to get the smell out. Use downy and bounce.

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.

Ammonia removes all odors from washable fabrics without damaging colors or textiles. It's especially good for oily stains - cigarette smoke has a lot of oily stuff in it, and that's what makes it so difficult to remove.

Ammonia stinks to high heaven when you first start the washer, but after the rinse cycle, your clothes smell nothing but clean and fresh.

When the house was full of teenagers, about once a month I'd add a half-cup or a cup to every load I did - strips out soap residue, smells, stains and brightens colors.

It also removes pet odors, and I used to use nothing but ammonia and water in the steam cleaner when I cleaned the carpets.

off topic but a professional carpet cleaning company came to clean the church banquet hall and they used rubbing alcohol instead of water in their carpet cleaning machine. The man said it evaporated fast and left the carpet dry in no time.

Good advice from Irishrose. That's what I have done.

Odoban works! I have a quilt in baby girls bed that was made in the late 1800's. When she wets through her diaper I add Odoban to the wash. I get it at Sam's.

I've used Nok-Out to get rid of odors. It works great and is non toxic.

Would you consider Fabreeze? Can't hurt.

also, I would never store anything I valued in plastic because it can hasten fabric rot and destruction. It does not breathe!

Maybe wait until it is a little warmer out and you can hang it to dry on a line in the shade. We get shade part of the afternoon and I hang my quilts out then and let them flop in the breeze - they smell so good too. Edie

use vinegar with your detergent

I have the front loader washer/dryer. It has a hand wash feature and they work wonderful and are very gentle. I have washed many "old/antique/vintage quilts with o damage. Oxy-Clean and mild detergent. Dry on delicate until just damp, lay sheet over balcony, hand to full dry, several days!!

A friend of mine lost her house to a fire (neighbor's fire works) and they lost almost everything. The few items, including a piece or two of furniture wreaked of smoke. They rented an ozone machine and placed it and the smelly items in a sealed room. Worked like a charm. If you still have that smell after washing, perhaps you can find a company that does this on small items. I doubt it would be very costly.

if it has been stored in plastic, and smells of cigarette smoke, it is NOT perfect...there is damage you can not see with the naked eye, but it is there!

Check out this site! http://www.quilthistory.com/
But fresh air and sunlight are the best and easiest way to remove the odors. Just lie outside with a sheet over the top to keep the sun off of it!

Removing Cigarette Smoke
 

I have successfully removed cigarette odor from fabric with Febreeze and ammonia. My father in law was a heavy smoker and every time we visited our hair and clothing just reeked, ick! He also had a log home and Febreeze removed 20 years of cigarette odor from the very porous walls.

With Febreeze, I hung my quilt from the clothesline and sprayed both sides then let it air for several hours. A second application may be necessary. I haven't had any troubel with Febreeze staining or discoloring anything, but you might wish to test it on a small section before doign the entire quilt.

The other method that's been successful is to throw a half cup of ammonia into the washing machine with the fabric. I'd be terrified to try this on an antique quilt, but for fabric I get at yard sales (and have not yet formed a personal attachment) this works. This also works if your husband and sons went fishing and wiped their stinky hands on their jeans.

Best of luck!

I've had some luck with curtains in this condition. I washed them with white vinegar, rinsed them with vinegar and then hung them up with air circulating. I repeated this several times until I was satisfied - PS after I got rid of the nicotine I washed them with soap and water like normal to get rid of the vinegar smell.

If you put it in the dryer without washing first I would suggest using an air/fluff setting only not heat.

if it is in very good condition then there is nothing wrong with putting quilt in washing machine with a little oxyclean...let it soak for about thirty minutes, spin and drain. then run normal wash cycle with no detergent and then when finished put it in the clothes dryer unless you are afraid of it shrinking badly. i make and sell quilts and most of what i make have alot of handwork etc... before the quilt is sold, i do a good wash and dry of the quilt-it is like a final test to see if what i produce will hold up. i do use a color catcher in the wash load just in case of colors running. this should take out cigarette/cigar smoke smell as well as discoloration from the smoke...also, do not ever store a quilt in plastic...use a cotton pillowcase or two and refold quilt every now and then.

My mother had a Bates George Washington bedspread that had never been used. It was in the original box wrapped in tissue paper for over 40 years. She gave it to me (still in the box) a couple years ago and when I opened it, the tobacco stench was horrible. Into the front loading washer it went with detergent. I put it thru one complete cycle then started the washer again and added a hefty dose of white vinegar. Twice. Then I washed it again with detergent and dried it. Finally got the smell out. I did not put it in the dryer until I couldn't detect any odor at all when it was wet. I had the thought that if I dried it before I was sure, the odor would be locked in. I had asked her for this bedspread back in the early 70s but she was one of those people who had to 'own' even tho they don't take care of things. It's lovely now and takes it's turn on our bed.

Here is another tip. I tried this with a suitcase that my athlete daughter used when she was gone to a week long vollebyall camp. Needless to say all sweaty gym clothes were thrown in the suitcase and then she did not immediately unpack an wash when she came home. So the suitcase had a funky gym oder. I took a clean wash cloth and soaked it in Febreze and place in the suit case and closed it. When I opened the suitcase to use a few weeks later, it smell fresh.

You could try something like this by placing the quilt and a wash cloth soaked in febreze into a basket or box and see what happens. I probably wouldn't put it in a container that is air tight (rubbermaid or zip lock bag) because the dampness on from the Febreze might develop into mildew.

Sending a quilt to the dry cleaners is saying goodby. They always have and excuse why it disappeared.

Don't ever dry clean a quilt! The chemicals that are used in dry cleaning may not be totally removed, and they can damage the fabrics over time. Also once something has been dry cleaned, it should not be home washed. Just wash it with your regular detergent and white vinegar. I have a quilt that is over 100 years old and washed it that way years ago. It survived.