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Yes, my friends, a fabric questions I can't answer:
My sister is starting the ginormous task of washing my mom's clothes and linens to get the cig stink out. So far she's tried 2 washes with baking soda-based laundry detergent and drying with a scented dryer sheet. Neither of us had any reason to doubt that this would work, but the smell is still there. Even her stuff that got mixed in with Mom's now smells :(
I've found a few online references (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/msg0715272815935.html?4, http://ask.yahoo.com/20021212.html, http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/odor-removal/how-to-get-rid-of-cigarette-smoke-smell) and while I'm still researching, I have a few questions:
1) most of the recommendations I've read for removing tobacco smoke from fabrics involve phospate based detergents, vinegar, and/or ammonia. This is great for whites, but will this affect dyed fabrics?
2) my mom is very wash and wear so most of her clothing (as well as linens) are cottons and cotton-poly blends. What about the odd wool or silk items?
3) Is it hopeless to expect that the oversized items we took to the dry cleaners will be in similar shape, and if so, how do you remove the smell from something too large to wash in a home washer/dryer set?
4) Any further recommendations?
This really is one venue where I'm stumped, folks.
My sister is starting the ginormous task of washing my mom's clothes and linens to get the cig stink out. So far she's tried 2 washes with baking soda-based laundry detergent and drying with a scented dryer sheet. Neither of us had any reason to doubt that this would work, but the smell is still there. Even her stuff that got mixed in with Mom's now smells :(
I've found a few online references (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/msg0715272815935.html?4, http://ask.yahoo.com/20021212.html, http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/odor-removal/how-to-get-rid-of-cigarette-smoke-smell) and while I'm still researching, I have a few questions:
1) most of the recommendations I've read for removing tobacco smoke from fabrics involve phospate based detergents, vinegar, and/or ammonia. This is great for whites, but will this affect dyed fabrics?
2) my mom is very wash and wear so most of her clothing (as well as linens) are cottons and cotton-poly blends. What about the odd wool or silk items?
3) Is it hopeless to expect that the oversized items we took to the dry cleaners will be in similar shape, and if so, how do you remove the smell from something too large to wash in a home washer/dryer set?
4) Any further recommendations?
This really is one venue where I'm stumped, folks.
