Inherited someone's stash tonight, but...
 

So, my sister-in-law text me tonight, wanting to know if I wanted her mother-in-law's mom's stash of fabrics, lace, threads and various other sewing/craft items. I said I would love it, so they dropped off the first dozen boxes tonight, mostly filled with fabric. And I hear there is STILL a bedroom completely full of stuff headed my way. I'm in heaven....except that Grandma Verna smokes like a chimney, and has for her entire life. Which means, this stash STINKS of smoke. Any secret to getting the stink out? I'm going to wash everything, but I know sometimes, that's not enough.

DD's apt. building had a fire that burnt them out of their apartment. We did rescue a few things from the nursery they were setting up. Fire chief told us to add regular cleaning ammonia to the washing machine, and it did remove the odor. Not sure about tobacco smoke, but it dealt with the house fire smoke.

Add a cup of vinegar to the wash.

Borax is also a natural deodorizer. It's in the laundry aisle called 20 Mule Team Borax. It's only about $3.50 a box and it works really well. I used it for years on cloth diapers. I used it in the diaper pail as well and 18 years later my cloth diapers are still white!

I would add 1 cup of vinegar to the wash cycle and 1 cup to the rinse cycle.

what great ideas. I'll keep that for another resouces.

I use vinegar to make my own household cleaner, and have some on hand, so I will start with that! Thanks ladies!

Keep the fabric out of the house until you have a chance to wash it. The stink will stay in the house for a long time. A lady gave me several bags of nice cotton fabric and I put the bags in my car trunk thinking the cigarette smell would be contained until I could wash it all. It was contained all in my car. It was many weeks before the cigarette smell left my car. I won't take fabric that has cigarette smoke in it. It's not worth it to me.

[QUOTE=DeniseP;5455355]Borax is also a natural deodorizer. It's in the laundry aisle called 20 Mule Team Borax. It's only about $3.50 a box and it works really well. I used it for years on cloth diapers. I used it in the diaper pail as well and 18 years later my cloth diapers are still white![/

LOL.... gosh Denise, I hope you aren't still having to use those same diapers for 18 years!

Odoban, available at Home Depot, is an odor eater and does not take the color out of your fabric. It especially likes to eat cigarette smoke odor.