# removing cigarette smell??



## GrayDay (Apr 6, 2010)

I just inherited 4 lbs of wool yarn, but it has a cigarette odor. I thought someone here might know if there's any way to remove it that really works. I don't want to just cover the odor up, and I am allergic to products such as Odoban, etc.
Thanks in advance!


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Put it all in a rubbermaid bin, loosely spread out (i.e. if it's all in balls, wind it into skeins first), with crumpled up newspaper and activated charcoal. You might find it easiest to lay a skein down, cover with a layer of newspaper, then another skein, etc. and make a sandwich. Then put in little bags of activated charcoal and let it sit for a good long while. Like, a few weeks, at least. 

You can also skein it up, wash it in a good wool wash like Soak (or even just some mild dish soap, just rinse it well) and then hang it to dry outside (if it's not freezing where you are) or inside if it is freezing.  If it still smells after washing, then try the newspaper and charcoal thing. That's probably what I'd do, as washing inherited wool is generally a good idea anyway just in case it's got critters in it.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Only thing I might add to that is if you wash it (I would wash it first) then do a vinegar rinse and then the newspaper and charcoal treatment.

Nothing nastier than cigaret smoke. I purchased a quilt at Salvation Army for my dog and it smells badly of cigaret smoke. Ive washed it at least a half dozen times and hung it outside to dry. It still smells. 

Are these wool yarns or synthetic? Wool might be easier to the smell out of.

Let us know how it works please


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Would sticking it in a bin with lots of baking soda poured all over it for a few weeks help? I would use a couple of boxes of baking soda at least.


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## blue gecko (Jun 14, 2006)

I good soak in Biz and detergent would be my first attempt.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

A good soak in hot water and vinegar.
It is the oils that you need to get off of the wool surface.
Or a wash in hot water and lanolin soap.
Lanolin soap is great for removing oils (and replacing them with wonderful lanolin softness.
Rinse in same temp water and don't scrub or it will full on you, just agitate enough to get water flow around the strands.
Place it out in the sun and breeze to dry.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Ozone generator.


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## GrayDay (Apr 6, 2010)

Thank you all so much for your help!

I have it skeined. I'm going to wash it, rinse in vinegar, then put it in the newspaper and activated charcoal if it still smells.

I've never washed a skein before. I know not to move it around so it doesn't full, but should I put it through a spin cycle or just hang it and let the water drip out of it to dry it?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

So this is wool? 

It may take a day or so after it dries for the smell to return if it is going to.


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

GrayDay said:


> Thank you all so much for your help!
> 
> I have it skeined. I'm going to wash it, rinse in vinegar, then put it in the newspaper and activated charcoal if it still smells.
> 
> I've never washed a skein before. I know not to move it around so it doesn't full, but should I put it through a spin cycle or just hang it and let the water drip out of it to dry it?


Make sure your skeins are well secured with ties. I also twist my skeins to wind onto themselves tightly before wetting them. This reduces strand movement.

Depending on your machine, you can spin skeins, even wool ones, to get the water out. I find mesh bags helpful to reduce movement of yarn in skeins in the spin cycle.

Usually after squeezing as much water out as possible I roll skeins in big terry towels and walk on them to get out even more water.

Then I hang them to dry. (Without the towels.) At this point the skeins are not twist wrapped.


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## MoTightwad (Sep 6, 2011)

We have used coffee grounds to take out the smell with jackets etc that have been at the factory or at a garage etc. I usually put the grounds in a loose knit piece of fabric that I have sewn into a bag and put them in a container with a tight lid. I leave them about a week unless they are needed immediately.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Gah, the thought of a skein in the washer gives me hives. I *hate* untangling yarn! I also have a front loader that doesn't just "spin" nicely. 

I just wash it in the sink, give it a good soak, let it sink down and sit in the water for awhile, then wring it out by hand and hang it to dry over the tub (I happen to have a rack over the tub for drying things, so it can just hang there and drip all it wants). I've also put the skeins over clothes hangers and hung the hangers off the shower head, so they can drip in the shower.

Unless you live where it's super muggy and things take days to dry, I wouldn't risk spinning ... just rinse it in the sink/tub/bucket/whatever, squeeze the water out (I twist the skein in a figure 8 then squish it end to end with my hands, like I do with my long hair!) and hang it to dry. If it's not freezing outside you can go outdoors and whirl the skein around your head a few times to whiz a bunch of the water off, but I never bother ... our climate is really dry and a skein will usually be dry by the next day. You can aim a fan at the drying skeins if you want them to dry faster, too.


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

I'd use vinegar and hang it outside to dry to a few days.

I bought a length of fleece and it had a chemical odor...awful. I washed it in 50/50 water and vinegar and hung it outside for about 4 days.

No smell.


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## Barn Yarns (Oct 7, 2012)

i have a monthly meeting where everyone but us smokes. its horrid.... (and i used to smoke) we pretty much strip down before coming in the house and leave our clothing outside. we go right to the shower..... 

if you can do that... it would be an easy way to do it. maybe put them into a mesh bag and hang from your clothes line for a while?


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Well, been haunting this thread for a magic answer, but the sad truth is that the smell is from tobacco tar actually sticking to the fibers. I've only been able to rid my woollens of tobacco smell by taking them to the dry cleaners. Explain the problem and they can make it happen.


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