How to rid clothing of horrid cologne scent?

January 22, 2020 2:34 PM

Ugh. A coat I'd ordered from an online retailer arrived today. I love it but it has a strong aftereffect from someone's cologne. (Maybe a customer who had tried it on, or whatever, while shopping). I contacted the retailer to have them replace the item, but they are sold out.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get the scent out of the fabric? As it's a wool coat I can't really wash it. And I don't use dry cleaning due to chemical allergies. I was thinking of running it through my dryer's 'air' cycle but not sure that would do anything. This experience ads another level of loathing for all things cologne and perfume related; I can't stand them.

posted by zenpop to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

Do you have the ability to hang it outside for a few days? Especially in a spot where it gets as much sun as possible on it -- that usually helps quite a lot.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:45 PM on January 22, 2020 [7 favorites]

Your best bet will be to hang it in bright sunlight for awhile. Of course, if you are in wool coat wearing country this is probably not a bright sunlight time of year. But hanging it out in a solid wind can also help air it out.


There are also "wet cleaners" - dry cleaner like establishments that use more water and fewer chemicals but can still clean things like wool coats without damaging them. I don't know if that would still be too much for your sensitivities but if there is one near you perhaps you could ask to touch/smell a few of their cleaned garments to find out? They'll usually have a few long unclaimed garments hanging around that have been in plastic the whole time so that should preserve the things you might be sensitive to.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:47 PM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

Is it lined? You can certainly hand-wash a wool coat (though it's a bit awkward). Lukewarm water + Eucalan. Let soak for an extended period, swish very gently. (The goal is to avoid either extremes of temperature or friction.) Spin cycle (no rinse) to get out most of the water, or roll it up in towels and then squish them gently, and lay flat to dry.

I'd be more cautious with a lined coat, though.
posted by praemunire at 3:05 PM on January 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Try the old standby of spritzing with vodka from a spray bottle.
It'll remove the scent as it dries, and won't harm the wool.
(And shouldn't be an irritant to you.)
posted by mdrew at 3:17 PM on January 22, 2020 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks much folk.

Yes, praemunire, the coat is lined, and it has zippers in several spots. Would be very awkward to try and wash.

Has anyone ever used this stuff...? Someone recommended this to me on another forum but I wonder about spraying it ON clothing. The science of it sounds interesting.
posted by zenpop at 3:17 PM on January 22, 2020

The zero odor stuff you linked works like a charm.
posted by slateyness at 3:19 PM on January 22, 2020

I’ve had luck with a 50/50 solution of vodka and water; sprayed onto the garment until damp, and then let air dry. (Upon preview, so have others!)
posted by girlalex at 3:51 PM on January 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

There used to be a "home dry cleaning" kit that treated clothing in the dryer. I'm not sure it still exists, but it would probably help. I'd also try spraying it with nonscented Febreze, maybe before resorting to home dry cleaning.
posted by summerstorm at 4:02 PM on January 22, 2020

Vodka and fresh air is afaik the standard for cleaning fragile, unwashable, uncleanable items among costumers I know.
posted by toodleydoodley at 5:06 PM on January 22, 2020 [2 favorites]

Dryell is the home dry cleaning thing - I'd go with vodka first though.
posted by leslies at 5:57 PM on January 22, 2020

I use the Zero odor spray on bedding, my couch, clothing, and in my laundry at times. I also use Nok-Out and have very good results with both.
posted by XtineHutch at 6:39 PM on January 22, 2020

Have no idea of cost, but you could check with your insurance company to find out who they recommend with an ozone machine. With luck treatment won't cost more than the coat. I'd def try the vodka first though.
posted by kate4914 at 7:53 PM on January 22, 2020

I think your best bet is your dryer.

You could try it on air dry, but I'd guess you'll need to put it on low heat to have a decent chance of getting rid of the smell. Then clean out your lint trap and run the dryer on high heat with a damp towel you don't care about before using it again.

I think you should also ask for a 50% discount because they clearly sent you a coat that had been returned; if they deny this, point out that the very fact they are now out of stock makes this the most likely scenario.
posted by jamjam at 8:38 PM on January 22, 2020

Online clothing sales see a huge rate of return, because of people trying things on, buying different sizes, etc. Realistically a big proportion of the stuff you buy is likely to be returns. The retailer won't discount them unless it's the end of season and a sale, any more than they discount the stuff they find on the "no thanks" rack in the changing room in a store.

What they should do, though, is refurbish their returns to a high standard, and it's this failure that might prompt them to discount it, since most retailers won't WANT their customers to think about how the clothes were worn by someone else already.
posted by quacks like a duck at 11:39 PM on January 22, 2020

Response by poster: Right quacks like a duck -- I wrote them today and gave them some constructive feedback; I could tell they thought I was having a 'first world problem' moment. Whatever.

I'll never understand our culture's love affair with cloying synthetic scents, perfumes and colognes. The irony is too much (they are supposed to make someone more appealing or attractive, whereas I want to gag around anyone that's steeped in the shit).

So, here's to vodka and water! Tried that yesterday, sprayed the coat lightly but all over, hung it in a warm mudroom in my house to dry, and wow -- the scent was about 80% gone this AM. Will repeat this again today.

Thanks everyone.
posted by zenpop at 9:57 AM on January 23, 2020 [2 favorites]