How to Get Fragrance Out of Your Clothes

I mentioned in an earlier post, Cleaning Scent-Free Savvy Style, that baking soda, vinegar, and a natural lemon are my go to cleaning products.  These products not only clean burnt skillets but they are good for hard water stains and detoxing perfume and fragrance odors from clothing.

Often when you get "previously-used" clothing (hand-made downs) from friends or thrift shops they can retain perfume, fragrance, laundry detergent and cigarette smoke odors.  To get rid of these unwanted odors, I have soaked items in a combination of scent-free laundry detergent, baking soda and vinegar.  The more entrenched the smell, the longer you have to soak. After you have soaked for a day or so, then, run the wash as usual with unscented detergent, of course, and the smell should be gone.  If the odor is still in the fabric... soak some more.

If the material is white I add hydrogen peroxide.  It is best to soak items of similar colors together and not to use hydrogen peroxide on items that are not color fast.

I use a combination of baking soda, liquid dish soap, lemon and hydrogen peroxide to cut the grease on the collar stains of my husband's shirts.  Remember I am not a chemist so if you have concerns about the chemical combinations, it best not to proceed or do some "Googling" on the subject. Whatever you decide to do, be savvy and scent free.