Suggestions for removing old perfume odor from clothing?
by
Karen
+2
I bought a nice pair of second-hand capri pants from eBay, and they came in reeking of old perfume. I washed with plenty of baking soda, then vinegar. At first, my effort seemed successful. But the odor quickly returned. I've tried essential oils, I've hung in sunshine for hours, I've left in my HOT Florida summertime garage for a few weeks now, and they still STINK. I've never before not been able to remove this kind of smell from clothing ... these are all cotton, a lightweight denim. I missed my opp to have the seller refund my money, so ... any thoughts? Thanks!
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Try soaking them in vinegar water for a while, then put them outside to dry. Vinegar can get rid of cat urine smell in carpet and upholstery so it should take care of perfume I would think. If you want, try putting straight vinegar on a spot to make sure it won't hurt the color and put it outside to dry, just not in direct sun, that may bleach the color out. I use straight vinegar for cat urine, so maybe straight vinegar may work better.
Ask a dry cleaner if they can remove the smell with their solvents.
You can soak clothes in powdered milk to remove odors: cigarette smoke, perfume, and etc.......doc told me to do this.....and it worked. You may have to soak it several times. This is what environmental docs tell their patients who have MCS or CS (multiple chemical sensitivity or chemical sensitivity)
I know you said that you washed with plenty of baking soda, but have you allowed it to soak overnight or longer? That might give it time to work. If that still doesn't work, I'd still write the seller and let them know the problem plus what you did to try to fix it rather then send it back. They might offer to exchange them, but it might be something the manufacturer used that has the smell.
try the spray that removes animal stains and smells.