Campfires bring warmth on cold nights and are a great way to get food cooking. After having the perfect smores at night, your clothes absorb the smoke. Getting rid of the odor can be challenging if you don’t know which methods to use. Most campers like to stay fresh at all times without getting worried about odor. A smoke smelling clothes can ruin a good camping experience leaving you to go back home to have them cleaned. In this article, you will know the various ways on how to get the campfire smell out of clothes.
1. Wash With Hot Water
Hot water will remove the smell faster than you can imagine. If you are from camping and have a machine, give the clothing a hot temperature wash to remove the odor. Not all clothes can be able to handle hot temperatures. Always check the washing labels before throwing any cloth in the machine. This method is pretty fast, and you do not need to repeat it several times to make the smell go away. Hot water opens the fibers of the clothes for the scents to escape.
2. Baking Soda
You will need half a cup of baking soda and your regular laundry detergent. Use this method on clothes that are not woolen or silk and add it to your regular wash cycle.
3. Baking Soda And Dryer Sheets For Non-Washables
Baking powder helps get rid of unpleasant odor on surfaces as well as clothes. This method is ideal for most clothes that can not get washed. Place the cloth in a big zip lock bag if it fits. Put two dryer sheets and baking soda into the bag and then seal the bag. Ensure it gets evenly distributed on the bag with the clothing and allow it to sit for at least 12 hours or more. When you have all the time, you can let sit overnight.
After the long wait is over, remove the clothing and shake off the baking powder off it. If shaking doesn’t remove all the baking powder, you can brush it off or use lint to remove any baking powder. You will be left with scent-free clothing.
4. White Vinegar
If you have white vinegar standby, then this kitchen ingredient will work for you. It helps eliminate mild campfire smells on clothes. To be more effective, you will need to combine a laundry detergent. Take one cup of white vinegar or, depending on the clothing’s size, and mix with the laundry detergent. When machine washing, add the mixture to the machine and wash the clothing piece the usual way.
Method two would be to add the mixture to hot water. Fill a bathtub with hot water and then add one cup of white vinegar to it. Immerse the clothes into the hot water and let them soak in the solution. Wash as usual after soaking onto the solution. All these two vinegar methods should be able to remove the campfire smell.
5. Alcohol
Vodka based alcoholic drinks work well in removing campfire odor from the clothes. If you do not have vodka, you can use a strong liquor to get rid of the smell. To do this, mix the vodka with hot water. Soak your clothes on the mixture for a few minutes, and then rinse.
If you own a spray bottle, mix the liquor with hot water in the bottle and shake to mix. Spray on all the clothes with the campfire smell. When done, allow them sundry. When the sun hits the clothes, the smell will evaporate, and your clothes will be left smelling fresh.
6. Natural Heat
Make the sun your best friend to help get rid of the odor. Sometimes you may want to get rid of the smell, but you are still at the campsite with no access to a washing machine. Wash the clothes in warm water first before air-drying them. Hang them on the airlines in the sun. When the clothes get exposed to sunshine, the rays will loosen the cloth’s molecules with the smell.
7. Enzymatic Cleaners
These cleaners are locally available for purchase. They have multipurpose uses and removing smells from clothes being one of them. Mix the enzymatic cleaner with water in a ratio of 1:10 and add it to the bathtub. Soak the clothes in the bathtub for a while. You will then have to transfer them to the washing machine and clean them as you usually would.
8. Lemon Juice
Lemons are used for various cleaning methods. One thing you probably didn’t know that it also removes the campfire smell from your clothing. Cut little pieces of fresh lemon. Add them to a spray bottle and fill the bottle with hot water. Spray it on top of the clothing to let the acidity of the lemon neutralize the smell. Another alternative would be to squeeze the freshly cut lemons and rub the juice on the clothes. Add the lemon juice to an airtight bag with some water. Place your clothes inside to soak in the solution.
9. Avoid The Campfire
The cheapest and the most effective way to get rid of the smoke smell is to avoid getting close to the campfire. Camping is excellent with a campfire, but if you avoid getting near it, no smoke will settle on your clothes. This way you will not have to deal with smelly clothes anymore.
Smelling clothes shouldn’t be the reason your adventure gets ruined. You may want to clean the clothes immediately or stock them until you reach home to have them washed. Most of these methods are everyday ingredients that are locally available in the store or your pantry. Warm water will work more effectively instead of using cold water, and the sun is the best natural sanitizer to get rid of the odor. You may not have all these ingredients at your campsite, but the sun can never miss it. Campfire smell is something that most campers deal with, and with the right cleaning method, your clothes could still smell fresh.
