The Best Ways to Remove Smoke Smells From Delicate and Hard-to-Wash Fabrics

An illustration of a bird print on fabric, surrounded by smoke ribbons.

So you found a vintage silk scarf at the thrift store, but it reeks of cigarettes. Or maybe you lingered too long by the campfire in a beloved sweater, accidentally infusing it with eau de hickory. Fret not.

Smoke — whether from cigarettes, campfires, or charcoal grills — tends to cling to fabric, but it isn’t impossible to remove.

If your smoke-laden item can be machine-washed, it’s best to clean the piece in a regular, cold cycle with a high-quality detergent, such as Tide Ultra Oxi.

But some fabrics, such as silks, require gentler methods. If your item is meant to be dry-cleaned or hand-washed, or it it can’t be washed at all, you still have a few ways to reduce and even remove smoky odors. Here are the best, tested methods for removing smoke smells from fabrics that you can’t wash in the machine.

 
Four photos depicting the writer using a cocktail smoker to infuse cigarette smoke into a set of ziploc bags stuffed with white fabric.
To test the best non-machine methods for removing smoke smells, we infused silk and polyester fabric with cigarette and mesquite smoke using a cocktail smoker. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter


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