Chemical smell begone!

June 1, 2012 7:40 PM

How can I remove this chemical smell from a wool coat?

My Uncle spends a lot of time overseas in Asia, and bought me the very heavy fleece lined wool coat that was hand made in Nepal on a whim on his way out of the country. It will definitely be awesomesauce for the Minneapolis winter, but it has a very heavy chemical smell.

He didn't notice it in the store, as the whole store smelled, and it was bagged it in plastic before he left, and only noticed after he got home and opened his bag. It is a heavy, petroleum smell. It will fill a room. It's bad.

How can I wear this thing? I see some places online saying use baking soda in the delicate cycle. Some say vinegar. Some say both. Some say salt.

I have washed it twice on delicate with Woolite, and it did nothing. I have hung it in the sun for a day and it still smells strongly. Is there anything else I can do?

posted by sanka to clothing, beauty, & fashion (5 answers total)

Buy a bottle of cheap vodka. Do a spot test to make sure the dye isn't going to run (assuming its dyed). Dump it into a spray bottle, spray the hell out of the coat, and hang it out in the sun.

Repeat until the smell is gone. This has always worked like a charm for me when I've acquired clothes that smell strongly of chemicals.
posted by MissySedai at 7:50 PM on June 1, 2012

The coat is dyed mostly black with a small grey pattern. I assume the dye is the problem.
posted by sanka at 8:10 PM on June 1, 2012

The dyes are almost always the culprit! You can do the spot test inside a cuff or under the collar to make sure that things won't run, though if you've already washed it twice in Woolite, any running should already be done.
posted by MissySedai at 8:28 PM on June 1, 2012

Probably needs more than one day of fresh air; we've hung things in a bathroom we agreed was off limits and opened the window wide and closed the door, and let it hang there enjoying fresh air for a few days and not bothering anyone in the house. Sunshine is good too, but while the odor is still filling the room I think you just gotta let it dissipate some first.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:53 PM on June 1, 2012

+1 Eyebrows. Lots of airing, good amount of sun, and it should be fine. (I buy a lot of vintage clothing; this process takes time -- check weekly, not daily -- but always works)
posted by kmennie at 4:46 AM on June 2, 2012