https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:43:42 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor/page/2#post-2233323 Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:55:54 +0000 Anonymous 2233323@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>If you walk into any dry cleaners and can smell the solvent, leave with your things. &nbsp;Once I had a cheap cleaners clean the comforter on the bed. &nbsp;That was horrible because one could not get away from the solvent smell at night especially.&nbsp;<div>I hope the smell was removed from all your clothing.</div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor/page/2#post-2233187 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 16:33:18 +0000 Anonymous 2233187@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yay, glad it worked out! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2233166 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 13:18:51 +0000 Katerina 2233166@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a relief that the odor is finally gone!</p> <p>I had a similar experience years ago with a cream silk blouse I got back from a dry cleaner. It had a strong chemical odor and I didn´t want to wear it directly on my body, due to the chemicals. I decided to hand-wash the blouse in cold water and soap (risking that it would get ruined). It worked well though, and the smell was gone. Since then, I hand-wash all my silk tops in mild soap and cool water, even the ones that are dry clean only. So far with minimum damage. I only dry clean patterned silk tops, because the colours can bleed into each other. Jackets and coats are another story, though. How good you found a cleaner which does a good job now!&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2233162 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 12:47:38 +0000 Ginger 2233162@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm so glad the new cleaner worked! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2233160 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 12:20:28 +0000 Tanya 2233160@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Glad to hear you found a better cleaner! Good luck with the travel. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2233152 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 10:21:42 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2233152@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Smart of you to do a little test batch first.<br /> Exciting that you get to travel for work again—hope it all goes well!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2233136 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 05:04:42 +0000 Carla 2233136@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good news! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2233111 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 02:16:59 +0000 Greyscale 2233111@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, after many days of airing them outside, I finally gave up and found a different cleaner with excellent reviews. The jackets all came back fresh as a daisy. I wish I'd just done that right away. I'm out $100 but I have all my clothes back!</p> <p>Actually not all back yet - I brought in a few as a test run with the new cleaner last week and got them back today. Took the clean ones to my car for a sniff test -- they passed -- and went back into the cleaner with the rest of the stinky ones. But, soon! And my first work travel since the pandemic is tomorrow, so I'm glad to have some of it back in time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223519 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 22:42:29 +0000 Aquamarine 2223519@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, how annoying and inconvenient. I’ve heard of the charcoal solution but have never tried it myself. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223507 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 21:50:33 +0000 JAileen 2223507@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ginger, I used aquarium charcoal to get a nasty perfume smell out of a thrifted Coach bag. &nbsp;It took several weeks, but did work. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223439 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 13:37:00 +0000 Ginger 2223439@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>A solution I've heard from textile collectors and museums is to seal up the item(s) with activated charcoal. This is ideal for older/fragile items or those that cannot be gotten wet.</p> <p>I'm about to try it with a silver storage chest I just got at an estate sale. It's really pretty clean but the "old house" smell is strong! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223431 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 12:49:54 +0000 cat2 2223431@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great, hope it works out! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223411 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 09:20:20 +0000 Jessikams 2223411@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh gross! What a frustrating problem. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223403 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 03:53:37 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2223403@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sunshine and alcohol (after testing the ethanol on each piece) for sure. When they come in for the night, maybe hang them in a closed closet with a box of baking soda dumped out on a tray beneath them. I hope the new cleaner is better, but for that money, I'd be asking the cleaner who just did them to rerun the load with fresh solvent.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223378 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 02:07:15 +0000 Jaime 2223378@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Good luck with the new place! The sun has been my best bet in these cases. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223373 Mon, 13 Sep 2021 01:37:15 +0000 Greyscale 2223373@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooh, I found great reviews of a place has their own plant, uses less-harsh chemicals, and also offers wet cleaning. And has free pickup and dropoff! I'll call them tomorrow to find out about fragrance and such. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223345 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 23:18:56 +0000 cat2 2223345@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree using a place with their own plant is best. It doesn’t need to ne on premises, but they need to have control of it. Unfortunately it’s slow trial and error to find a vendor. We found one and have been using them for decades, but it took several unfortunate experiments. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223340 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 23:02:33 +0000 slim cat 2223340@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Had similar issues with jacket - kept airing it for 2 weeks. Switched to another cleaner - definitely less smell. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223324 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 22:04:44 +0000 Greyscale 2223324@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ok, they're back outside in the bright sun for a third day! Hopefully they won't fade, but the UV in sunlight can actually break down odor molecules, so it's worth having them in real sunlight.</p> <p>I'll think about going back to the same place to ask them to fix it. I'm leaning against it. It's too bad, because they're conveniently just around the corner. This was my first visit, because my usual cleaner was closed that day, though I've had less extreme versions of the same problem from my usual cleaner. I wonder if I can find a place with their own plant on premises? They'd have more control over things.</p> <p>April, yeah, I almost always have to hang dry cleaning outside for a bit, even when it's not this bad. Ironically "organic" can also refer to nasty solvents. Think "organic chemistry" - acetone, benzene, etc are all organic solvents but not in the eco-friendly sense. Even the usual perchloroethylene used in dry cleaning. But the eco-friendly place do use solvents that are less icky, and they describe them as organic, so it's not bogus, just confusing. The ones near me seem to mostly do wet cleaning and I need to research more about what that's good for.</p> <p>Phoebe, great point. I'll cross that off the list. I stopped buying used clothing from Poshmark after one top had such strong baked-in fabric softener scent that it transferred to everything else in the load of wash, and clung to the washing machine itself. After many washes I gave up. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223318 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 21:13:24 +0000 April 2223318@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I used to hang my dry-cleaning outside for a few days until I moved and started using an organic dry-cleaner.&nbsp; Honestly, I don't know what "organic dry-cleaning" means, but I do know that my dry-cleaned clothes no longer give me an instant headache. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223316 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 20:58:46 +0000 Carla 2223316@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Could the original dry cleaning establishment be approached with a complaint and a request to re-process the garments? &nbsp;Otherwise, &nbsp;continue with airing out of doors. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223309 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 20:14:03 +0000 Minaminu 2223309@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>airing will help remove the bad smell, what a bad experience! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223308 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 20:12:42 +0000 Anonymous 2223308@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I'd continue to air them out, not inside, and then take a single item to a different cleaner, tell them what's bothering you, get confirmation that they feel confident they can fix it, and then wait to get the item back.</p> <p>I wouldn't put anything in the dryer as that will only bake the smell into the clothes and chemical odors can permeate laundry machines. I washed clothing that had previously been washed in scented detergent and the perfume lingered in my washer afterwards. If it's really making you feel ill, this would be a correction mandatory, no halfway situation.</p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223305 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 19:44:37 +0000 Bonnie 2223305@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have not tried it but have heard that there is a professional wet cleaning process that works really well.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223296 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:35:54 +0000 Greyscale 2223296@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Aha, that makes sense, cat2. What a bummer because I paid a lot to clean this batch ($110 in all). I have no idea how to find a better cleaner. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223295 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:34:15 +0000 Greyscale 2223295@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Turns out vodka is just ethanol! It’s 40% ethanol, 60% water. My lab ethanol spray bottle is 70% ethanol, 30% water. So, same effect as vodka but less water (good for this purpose). You do have to be careful with colorfastness though. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223292 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:05:53 +0000 cat2 2223292@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ugh, that smell is the worst. I was told it happens if your dry cleaner isn’t changing the dry cleaning fluid often enough. I would take a test garment to a new dry cleaner, and once you find someone good, have the rest reprocessed. I don’t think the smell will come out, as it has permeated the garments. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223285 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 17:35:26 +0000 Star (Lise) 2223285@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Vodka definitely removes odours but I have no idea how you could spray the entire item with it.&nbsp; I recommend airing until the smells disappear - they will.&nbsp; Oh and change your dry cleaner </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223284 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 17:24:47 +0000 Preppy Pear 2223284@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh no! So sorry you are having this problem. I’d definitely continue airing them and if you have a steamer, couldn’t hurt to try - I know they can remove odors but I don’t know about dry cleaning odors. I don’t know about using ethanol - that’s new to me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/removing-dry-cleaning-odor#post-2223282 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 17:18:55 +0000 Anonymous 2223282@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would keep putting the clothes outside too. &nbsp;Someone on another thread mentioned vodka sprayed on can remove scents. &nbsp;Maybe that would work. &nbsp;I will be watching this thread as I have a bed comforter that will need to be sent out for cleaning soon. &nbsp;The last thing I want to to smell dry cleaning fumes all night! &nbsp;In the past I have aired it out on the deck but the last time it was covered by 13 inches of snow. &nbsp;Then it needed to dry out too. </p>