Quiltingboard Forums

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)
-   Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)
-   -   Smoke smell in quilts- help please! (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/smoke-smell-quilts-help-please-t73818.html)

cosyquilter 11-02-2010 11:55 AM

Do you have lawn you can lay it out on? leave it on the grass ovrnight, don't pick it up until the dew dries off. Amazing how quickly the smells leave. Even if its cold out. Ditto for baking soda in the washer.

Janie Q 11-02-2010 12:25 PM

I used a powdered laundry detergent- Purex with fabreeze. Found it at Walmart. It comes in a box like detergents all used to. It worked on my DIL's clothes when she smoked.

Snorky Lvs2Quilt 11-02-2010 01:04 PM

Had a friend who made my son a surfing themed quilt when he was going off to college. When she sent it to me, I could smell the smoke even before I opened the box....onced opened WHEW!! I hung the quilt outside for several days in a row and all the smoke smell went away. I did not spray it with anything, but that sounds like a good idea to do also. Good luck.

GrannieAnnie 11-02-2010 01:08 PM


Originally Posted by Cyn
I know the best way to keep smoke smell out of your quilts is to Not Smoke but if it's in there already- How do you get it out for good? Do you have to wash them? hang them outside? Is there a better way besides avoiding the smoke altogehter? Does the stuff called febreeze work? Some should not be washed and it's getting pretty chilly to hang outside right now so any help would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks!

A good soak in Oxy-clean (or the cheaper generic) will remove any smoke its grabbed on to and will remove the smell. Make a bath plenty big enough to hold the quilts. Use plenty of Oxy-clean. Squish up and down and let soak for a good while. Follow up with a light wash in your favorite detergent. If the water turns yellow, you're getting rid of smoke residue too.

I got a lot of fabric from a smoker-------I've used this for fabric cuts, too.

featherweight 11-02-2010 02:20 PM

I used Fabreeze. I love the results and the smell. I sure didn't want to wash it before it was ever on the bd.

jrhboxers 11-02-2010 02:27 PM

If you are worried that the action of the washing machine is too much, I will 'wash' them in the bathtub. My mom and I used to do this alot with the quilts/fabrics/linens that she picked up at auctions. We used Orvus and tepid water. We would submerse them in the water, swoosh them around gently by hand, drain the tub, gently squeeze, fill tub to rinse (sometimes they needed to be rinsed several times) and then lay in the yard on top of a clean sheet and a clean sheet on top of it. If it was especially old or delicate, we would suspend a tarp about afoot over the quilt to completely block out the sun. We have only had one not survive - that was a velvet and satin crazy quilt that the dealer had 'thrown in' to the batch that we had bought.

carhop 11-02-2010 03:17 PM


Originally Posted by GrannieAnnie

Originally Posted by Cyn
I know the best way to keep smoke smell out of your quilts is to Not Smoke but if it's in there already- How do you get it out for good? Do you have to wash them? hang them outside? Is there a better way besides avoiding the smoke altogehter? Does the stuff called febreeze work? Some should not be washed and it's getting pretty chilly to hang outside right now so any help would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks!

A good soak in Oxy-clean (or the cheaper generic) will remove any smoke its grabbed on to and will remove the smell. Make a bath plenty big enough to hold the quilts. Use plenty of Oxy-clean. Squish up and down and let soak for a good while. Follow up with a light wash in your favorite detergent. If the water turns yellow, you're getting rid of smoke residue too.

I got a lot of fabric from a smoker-------I've used this for fabric cuts, too.

dito

Jingle 11-02-2010 03:43 PM

I have no idea. I smoke but not in my house. I stopped that years ago.

Mkotch 11-03-2010 02:39 AM

Here's what I do: take a large garbage bag and put a bag of kitty litter (the cheap, clay kind with nothing added) inside. Open up the kitty litter bag and then lay a piece of sheeting or something else you don't care about on top. Then lay your quilt, folded over the fabric. Be careful not to get any kitty litter dust on it. Close the bag tightly and let sit for a couple of weeks. You should find the clay absorbs the smell.

grann of 6 11-03-2010 03:11 AM


Originally Posted by Jingleberry
I have no idea. I smoke but not in my house. I stopped that years ago.

But the smoke is on your clothes, unless you change everything before you walk into the house. Ask anyone who is a nonsmoker, they will still smell smoke in your house. My husband smoked (sneakily for a while) only at work and in his car. One time he put his jacket in the hall closet; I opened the door and could smell the smoke. He stopped smoking completely after that; still died of lung cancer 14 years after he stopped smoking.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:35 PM.