# getting rid of cigarette smell in curtains



## BrownEyedMama (May 4, 2004)

I have three boxes of lace curtains that I'd like to use, but they stink!

How can I get rid of the cigarette smell without resorting to Febreeze? Vinegar in the wash? Hang them outside to dry in the breeze? I thought I read something about it a few months ago, but I can't find it.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be great. TIA!


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

yuck! I think I'd prefer the smoke smell to febreeze







I can't stand that stuff.

I would wash them with vinegar, then again with baking soda, hang in the sun - and repeat if necessary until they no longer reek.


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## HeatherAtHome (Apr 4, 2009)

You need to use something that will cut the grease/tar buildup. Baking soda and vinegar might help. Come to think of it, dish soap might work pretty good.









Once they're clean, hang them outside to dry.


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## Blue_Moon (May 20, 2009)

An old fashioned tip is to lightly wrap your smelly product, in this case curtains, and then bury it in a shallow hole outside for a day or two, then wash normally and the smell will be gone. Worked for a smelly carpet we had.


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## SuzyLee (Jan 18, 2008)

I would start with washing with ~ 1/2 T. Dawn, then add some vinegar to the rinse (you probably will need to rinse a few times) then hang in the sun.


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## babynatasha (Sep 25, 2008)

For getting out stubborn smells, I have soaked the area in Vodka and then let the object hang dry outside. The alcohol evaporates and takes the smell with it and the vodka doesn't stain. I don't know how it would work on this though?


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## Pinoikoi (Oct 30, 2003)

perhaps an oxyclean soak?


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## artemis33 (Jan 5, 2006)

So many interesting things to try! I'm intrigued by the burying idea









If it were me, I'd wash with Dawn first, then do a long soak with baking soda and wash/rinse again, then hang in the sun. Oxyclean added to the wash and soak may help a lot with any staining!

Good luck and let us know what works!


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## freestyler (Jan 28, 2005)

Don't you think just washing them in the machine with Tide would do the trick? I've never had anything NOT get clean with that stuff! They should be able to handle machine wash---most lace curtains can---on delicate. Or even on regular. Use super hot water. Wash twice. I guarantee they will get clean. If you're into bleach, throw some of that in too. I'd toss them in the dryer, too, without a second thought.


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## BrownEyedMama (May 4, 2004)

Okay, so technically, I recieved these boxes 15 years ago.

They stunk really badly when I opened them. I was really disappointed because I had hoped to hang them up in our apartment.

I hung onto them because I hoped to have an old Victorian house someday to hang them in, and well, I only just learned about decluttering recently. I can't believe I schlepped them cross country twice, thinking they were mostly junk, but never bothered to check! Whew, how dumb was that?

So flash forward, and surprise! They smell old, but not smoky! Maybe there is something about that "bury it" idea. Bury it in a cardboard box for 15 years, move cross country several times with varying humidity levels, and voila!

Thanks for the ideas, ladies!









I plan to wash them on gentle, but I'm not plagued with how to remove the stink anymore! Yippeee!


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## Pinoikoi (Oct 30, 2003)

Just another reassurance on the washing thing.. I have velvet and gauze panels in my living room (velvet at the top in kind of faux valance thing with gauzy parts the rest of the way down). I wash them on gentle cycle and rehang when they are damp, EVEN THOUGH the tags say to dry clean only.


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