Removing smoke odor from clothes

It has happened to everyone at one time or another. You are either out with friends or at a party and the next thing you know, you and all of your clothes smell like an old ashtray. You probably won't notice it when it happens. You will, however, the next time your try to wear any of these clothes. Nothing smells quite as bad as stale cigarette smoke. Getting that smell out of your clothes is going to take a little work but it can be done.

Air

The very first thing to do when you realize that your clothes smell like cigarette smoke is to determine what the fabric is. Nice sturdy fabrics are better able to take harsher cleaning methods. You may not have to resort to these, however, the first thing you need to do is air the clothing out. If you have a clothesline,  the best thing to do is use hangers to hang your clothes out on the line. If you don't have a line just get the clothes outside, you can hang them over your deck railing or on a chair but you must get them outside to air.

Wash

If the airing out doesn't quite do it, then if the fabrics are washable, throwing them into the washing machine with a good deodorizing detergent and a cup of white vinegar should take away any residual smells. Just in case, use a dryer sheet in the dryer to add a scent other than smoke.

Steam

If you can't place the clothes in the washing machine then steam is a great way to help remove the odor. Fill the bathtub with hot steamy water and add a couple cups of white vinegar. You will need to arrange a way to hang or lay the clothes above the steam. Close the bathroom door and let the steam and vinegar do its work.

Quick fix

If you don't have time to wash, steam or air out your stinky cigarette smoke smelling clothes, there are a couple of things that you can do. You can take a dryer sheet and rub it over the clothes. This should make them smell better. You can also spray the clothes with Febreze. This is really great to take away almost any smell and cigarette smoke is no exception.

Getting the smell of cigarette smoke out of your clothes is time-consuming. This is a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, in other words, avoid the smoke to begin with and you won't have to deal with the consequences.