Vintage Clothing reeking of cigarettes, what do I do with them?

June 2, 2015 8:20 AM

Is there a relatively cheap (i.e. non-dry clean) way to get years of cigarette smoke out of somewhat sensitive vintage clothing (i.e. silk, wool, fur)? I see a lot of weird suggestions online but has anyone here had to go through this and what's the best solution? Also, what is the most ethical way to either sell or donate fur? Some context below in the break.

My friend's mother recently passed away and I have been helping her sort out her mother's clothes for donation and maybe for resale. Her mother had a pension for fashion and I have a bag full of blouses, skirts, shoes, gloves, hats, and even fur that we deemed as vintage, in good shape, and good to sell. The only problem is that her mother chain smoked inside for years. I offered to store these for her and attempt to resell and she warned me that many consignment stores do not take in smoke-saturated clothes.

Thank you for any advice or suggestions!

posted by hillabeans to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

Some people swear by hanging clothes outside all day and let the breezes work on the problem. I've never been convinced that it works all that well, though.

Years of smoking (especially if the clothes were worn while smoking, and not merely hanging in a closet in the house) is a tough odor to get out, especially if you are trying to avoid dry-cleaning.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:25 AM on June 2, 2015

Spritz it all thoroughly with cheap vodka diluted in water. Depending on the garment, either hang it in sunlight or lay it a sweater-drying-rack in sunlight. If it's very dark fabric, or you're otherwise concerned with fading, hang it/lay it outside to dry but out of direct sunlight or not during the brightest part of the day.

Spritzing and airing very likely won't get truly smoke-saturated clothing fresh smelling. If the clothes are only from the 60's/70's, however, they can almost certainly be safely hand laundered. These are some pretty good tips on hand washing vintage clothing. I've done this with some vintage clothes from the 40's and 50's with good results.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:29 AM on June 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Silk scarves and some other silk items may be washable in water. I like this tutorial. You are risking ruining the item, but if they already stink like smoke I'd probably take the risk.

Do not wash/soak more than one item at a time, as vintage (and even new) silk loves to bleed. Keep an eye on the water and get the item out promptly if it starts bleeding.

Do not wash blends containing vinal/visal or it will stink like iodine.
posted by pie ninja at 8:30 AM on June 2, 2015

I should add: polyester clothing from heavy smokers (point of reference, my grandmother's clothing) will yield truly disgusting brown water and will require you to change the water frequently until you can dunk it without yielding more disgusting brown water. It's a lot of work.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:31 AM on June 2, 2015

I don't know that this will work, but I use it for very stinky sports clothes; it is especially good on synthetics....you might give it a try if the clothing is washable:

http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Suds-Detergent-Zipper-Pouch/dp/B008D2AW14/ref=pd_sim_193_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=10QMW4022ZCVBKQAT3CV
posted by soulbarn at 8:38 AM on June 2, 2015

You can hand-wash silk and wool. (Use shampoo or something like Eucalan.) That's cheap in terms of not paying someone to do it, but could get expensive in terms of your time investment. Actually, the silk may be very easy. Wool...is a little trickier and labor-intensive to hand wash and can harbor secrets of its past odors. Fur really needs a professional clean, but I think it does take better to airing out than fabric. Call the old-school luxury furrier in the closest big city and ask them for advice, I'm sure they hear this all the time!

Consignment stores won't take smoky clothes, but depending on what you've got you may be aiming too low with regular consignment stores. How vintage, and how fashionable, are we talking here?
posted by desuetude at 8:49 AM on June 2, 2015

Response by poster: Consignment stores won't take smoky clothes, but depending on what you've got you may be aiming too low with regular consignment stores. How vintage, and how fashionable, are we talking here?

I am doing research on the the tags, but most are made in USA/France, very slim fitted, styled from 1940s-1970s. There are some AAAA "quad" shoes that look 60s. Likely I want to take them to a vintage consignment shop but need a minimum of 10 items. I think I could get my friend more money if they were not smokey however!

Thank you guys. I may try a variety of these suggestions. It's sunny and beautiful out where I'm at, may be a good time to hang some clothes outside over the weekend then try some washing methods as well.
posted by hillabeans at 11:28 AM on June 2, 2015

I smoked a lot, for many years, before I moved in with my current husband.

A few years ago I found a plastic storage container with some of my old smokey clothes. I washed the jeans and tshirts and easy care items in detergent and OxyClean about 3 times and they were good enough for me but not sure it would be good enough for resale.

There were a few items i just gave up on. A heavy wool sweater and a lace detail top that just could not be washed.
posted by littlewater at 3:38 PM on June 2, 2015

Re: fur

A lot of people would be okay with buying and wearing second-hand fur because they are not supporting the fur trade with their money, especially if they're buying from a charity thrift store.
posted by stellathon at 5:35 PM on June 2, 2015

If you have a Buffalo Exchange store in your area, you can take the furs to them for donation to Coats for Cubs.
posted by cirocco at 11:05 AM on June 4, 2015