Jan in VA

You might try calling a company like Serv-Pro that specializes in after fire/disaster clean ups and ask their advice.

I'd rather wash twice on gentle without any prep than have to sew, trim or serge all of MY fabric!!

Jan in VA

CarolynMT

I have used straight white vinegar, about 1 cup per load, for my son's camping gear. They smelled like little boy and campfires (shudder) I used to have to wash them 2-3 times to get the smell out with the fancy smelly stuff. Then I found white vinegar. One cup, one wash, and viola everything smells great and you can also clean with the vinegar. It is a natural antibacterial as well as being safe for pets and kids. You only smell the vinegar for a little bit, it does dissipate very fast. When I lived in NM, I would cut some fresh lavendar sprigs and put them in the bottle with the vinegar. The vinegar dissipated but the lavendar smell stayed was great! (ie natural fabreeze ) not to mention it is dirt cheap!

irishrose

Surf detergent is good at removing odors though I'd still add the white vinegar. Fill the washer, put in the detergent, vinegar and fabric. Agitate briefly to mix, then stop the washer for 30 minutes. Finish on short wash (gentle to cut down on rubbing those ends). Lingerie bag for small stuff. I would not handle the smoky fabric to serge or pink it. Yeesh!

Peckish

I received some fabric from an exchange last month. The sender was obviously a smoker, because the fabric stunk horribly. I didn't wash it. I set it outside, sprinkled baking soda generously on top of it, and left it for several hours. No more smell. Hope this helps.

DOTTYMO

A friend who had a chip pan fire had the whole house collected by insurance company and sent to be fumigated. It was a long processes and very stressful . I should try white vinegar which is very good .would lemon juice do the same I wonder as it will do cleaning the same and smells better.

dunster

I don't think you should have to deal with this. Make the insurance companies pay you for your stash and buy all new. However, if you really want/need to wash it, don't worry about losing too much in the laundry. I just throw everything in (really small scraps in a mesh bag) and deal with the strings when it comes out of the washer and again when it comes out of the dryer. I wash all my fabric as soon as I get it (unless it's destined for a OBW) and I don't stress about the loose threads.

KarenR

Contact your insurance company, and landlord. Your stash ans machine is worth $$$$$.

katesnanna

I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you. I've helped clean a place that had had fire go through. I couldn't believe where that smoke settled - (in the ice in the freezer).
I only ever use white vinegar as an air freshener and swear by it. It truly does remove odors. If you could spray the back of your fabric with a fine spray of vinegar then lay it out in the sun it would smell a lot better but you would need to get the smell out of your house before you bought your stash back in side. It sounds like a monumental job whichever way you go.

If it was me I think I'd be looking to the insurance company. I just hope your neighbours have insurance. You have enough pain to deal with as is.
Once again I'm so sorry this happened to you and hope you are able to find a fast solution.

Battle Axe

I inherited a smoke damaged (not too bad) Navaho wool tapistry woven rug. They were too near a forest fire and the whole house was smoked up. I laid it in the bathtub with a good dose of Woolite, patted it up and down in the water until the water ran clear. Then put in washer on spin only. Looks great, doesn't smell.

nhweaver

I clip each of the raw edges off about a 1" triangle of the larger pieces, and I only wash in mesh zippered laundry bags. You can get them at the dollar store. I use the sweater bags for large pieces, and the lingerie bags for the smaller pieces.

For your smokey fabric, I would first put it through a wash cycle with dawn dish detergent (your smoke may be greasy) with about 8 ounces of vinegar to a full load. You only need a dab of Dawn. You don't need a gentle cycle unless you do not use the laundry bags..
When that is finished washing, leave it in the washing machine and wash again using arm and hammer, with a good detergent like liquid Tide original scent, and 1/2 cup vinegar. The first step is to degrease which is important. Dawn is a degreaser.