jetayre

I have an opportunity to get bolts and yardage of fabric from a house of a heavy smoker. We are allergic to smoke and would not want to get any if I can't get the smoke out. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

citruscountyquilter

I got some donation fabric recently and tried several things (sprayed fabreeze, dryer, washed it)before I found one that worked. What finally worked was I draped the fabric outside and the fresh air cleansed it. It was so smelly that I couldn't stand to be around it. You might try that. It's free and relatively low fuss to do it. Try it with a sample and see if that works. I'm sure my neighbors thought I was a bit crazy with all this fabric draped over things!

jetayre

How long did you have to hang it? Day or days?

KalamaQuilts

even if you get the scent out there will still be nicotine on and in the fabric. Ever see the inside window of a car owned by a heavy smoker.?

I'd leave it where it was unless it is just a couple of bolts, and wash it.

Lori S

Wash the fabric using a cup of vinegar and warm water to remove the oils that contain the odor. If the odor is extreme consider loading the washer with the water and vinegar and detergent let it run thru the cycle but with the lid open so it does not continue the cycles... then the next day restart the cycle without draining and close the lid so it goes the full cycle. ( this assumes you have a conventional top loading machine) . Keeping the vinegar detergent water to soak after the first agitation assures the fibers have been saturated fully while soaking overnight

dunster

I would definitely take the fabric and experiment with different ways to get rid of the odor if the methods suggested don't work. On the bolts, it's possible that the inside fabric is less smelly than what's outside.

athomenow

Wash it in borax and put some white vinegar in the wash and rinse. This usually takes care of most everything that smells. Drying it outside is a bonus and will only help it more. I would go for it if it's cheap or free! Most everything can be salvaged.

Neesie

I would try washing it with a bit of (blue) Dawn dish washing detergent and regular laundry detergent. Don't add too much of the Dawn, as it creates a LOT of suds.

pojo

Put it on the clothes line and let the sunshine do the work.

Prism99

Unfortunately, sunshine would fade the colors pretty fast.