The odor of smoke often lingers, even when you're away from the source. When your clothes smell like smoke from a fire, cigarette just from cooking, try home remedies to eliminate the odor. Some common household products can remove the odor and leave your clothes smelling fresh again.
Colored Clothing/Non-Bleachable Items
Fill up a tub, washing machine or sink with warm water. Add dishwasher detergent -- the kind used in dishwashers -- to the water. Use 1 cup of powdered detergent per gallon of warm water.
Place the affected clothing in the water so it’s completely submerged. Allow the clothing to soak for at least eight hours.
Remove the clothes from the water and wash them as usual with liquid laundry detergent.
Air-dry the clothing completely, then check for any lingering smoke odor. If the odor remains, repeat the process. It may take several attempts to completely remove the odor.
Whites/Bleachable Items
Fill a tub, washing machine or sink with warm water. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons of trisodium phosphate -- a cleaning agent -- for every gallon of water used. Also add 1 cup of chlorine bleach for each gallon of water.
Submerge the clothes in the water. Let them sit for a few minutes, then rinse them with clean water. Let the clothing air-dry.
Wash the clothing as usual with liquid laundry detergent. Let the clothing air-dry completely, then check for any lingering odor. Repeat the process as many times as necessary to remove all of the smoke odor.