I need HELP Cigarette Stench is Killing Me!!!

[Worf]

Long-time lurker, glad that I may have some useful advice...

See if you can rent an ozone generator, or, if need be, buy one. They are used by hotels to get cigarette smell out of rooms, and car detainers also use them on old cars. Run the unit in a closed room (or closet) with the jacket hanging clear of the walls, and give it 24 hours. Repeat if needed (unlikely).

Don't know if I understand the "science" behind this. How does this machine eliminate odors? I'm not being skeptical just curious.

Thanks though...

Worf

 

[Sloan1874]

I have heard that this works. A guy told me that he'd been called away to a family emergency, leaving a car full of groceries on a hot summer's day. Four days later, he returned to find that the air inside the car was thick-enough to cut. He got an ioniser, plugged it in and ran it for a day or so: smell gone.

 

[NoHorse]

I gather that it works on a molecular level, which is to say that it's beyond me. Have a look at the Wikipedia article on ozone generation. Far down the page under Applications/Industry it mentions "This process is used extensively in fabric restoration"

Please note that elsewhere in the article it states that ozone at levels that are safe for humans is not effective - which explains why I'd heard these machines where put in closed rooms/closets/cars that were then aired out after the treatment.

Read up on the topic and make your own evaluation. I have not heard that Ozone CAN'T be used on organic materials, nevertheless that may be a point to verify before proceeding.

Just found this under "Fabric restoration": "The smells associated with fire and water related disasters are often dealt with by subjecting the item(s) to ozone treatments that break down the foreign particles that cause the odor." Again, no mention of organic material being an issue one way or another...

 

[IXL]

Ya, know, Worf, when we have to go into a rural residence because no one has heard from great aunt Ola Mae for a couple or three months, and it's July or August, we ALWAYS put some Vicks mentholatum rub under our noses: keeps us from throwing up, as all we can smell is the Vicks.
You could always just buy a case of the stuff and enjoy your new jacket just as it is....

 

[Enough]

I have thrown smokey Schott and Langlitz jackets in the washing machine (front loader) on gentile cold with regular detergent large load so there is plenty of room to move. When I remove it I put the jacket over a chair with some pipe insultating foam over the top edge of the chair to prevent creases, I also prop open the sleeves and pockets with some small pieces of foam. I place a fan in front of it and let it blow into the unzipped front of the coat and through the sleeves. I takes about 12 hours to gently dry this way. I then condition it. 100% odor elimination in both jackets I did this with.
I think it is important to get the entire jacket including the lining into the washing solution of detergent and water to float out the contamination.

 

[pauleway]

If you hate that ash-tray cigarette stink as much as I do, and have a sensative schnaz, you will NEVER get rid of that smell. Save the time and grief - Dump It!! You heard that song: "Ooh-ooh that smell"!

 

[Worf]

Okay... here's what I tried. I saw on YouTube how a guy used new tennis balls and fabric softener sheets to de-stench some leathers that he had. I tried it this evening and it HELPED a great deal but not completely. I'll air it out a few more days and then try washing it.

Worf

 

[simonc]

Wash it now.

 

[Phantomfixer]

Put the jacket in a plastic bag then sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda. Seal it up and leave for a couple of days,then vacuum .

I have done this with two jackets (ELC PH A-2 and an Avirex ANJ-4, smoke) and an M1936 mussett bag ( cat urine). It works...after the vac, I threw them in the dryer on no heat with fabric sheets no more stench

 

[armscye]

I must admit to a little frustration as I watch this saga unfold week after week. I am at a 30 for 30 survival rate on jackets I've washed, including everything from pigskin mall jobs to Vansons. Zero fatalities, 100% success rate. Dusty, greasy, gritty, and in one case an epically moldy green fur candidate, all came out clean and odor free. As far as I can tell, if you use a front load washer and follow the instrux you'll find here and on the web, there is no drama.

Take a look at this Youtube video of a modern tannery. The hides are basically soaking wet through the entire process, and are squished, pulled, stretched, squeezed, tumbled, and pounded to a far greater extent than a residential washer ever would. How likely is it that they'll dissolve during washing at home?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbj1QicTdpI

Puleeze! Wash that puppy and report the glowing results back to us!

 

[andyfalzon]

Try to vacuum clean it.

I heard of another solution. You spray it with vinegar. This kills all the smells.
Then if you air it, the vinegar smell will be gone and all previous smells with it.

 

[IXL]

Okay... here's what I tried. I saw on YouTube how a guy used new tennis balls and fabric softener sheets to de-stench some leathers that he had. I tried it this evening and it HELPED a great deal but not completely. I'll air it out a few more days and then try washing it.

Worf

So....this means you're not going with the Vick's? Seriously, I hope you get rid of the smell so you can enjoy this otherwise great find!

 

[Stand By]

It seems he isn't, IXL.
And if Worf had taken my original suggestion that he start smoking - and drinking too, now I think on it - say, half a bottle of neat scotch a day, he'd probably not only notice any more, but have forgotten all about it too and all would be well by now ....

 

[pak]

Smoke is a very invasive compound. It is very likely you will never be able to deodorize your jacket. Removing the smoke/tar particles from the leather may be the only way. I would, as previously suggested, wash or dry clean the jacket. Good luck with it.

 

[shadowrider]

I have the same problem with one of my cafe racers. Bought on ebay... perfect jacket but bad cigarette smell.
I've taken leather to the cleaners before when trying to clean out one old suede jacket that belonged to my father which had black marks around the cuffs. I wasn't satisfied with the results, as the marks were not completely gone and the jacket had acquired a rather unpleasant "new car smell", so that I had to air it out outside for a while. It wasn't cheap either.
I heard about the ozone method being effective also, and was hoping to try it. I know it works wonders on carpets, but is samehow aggressive on the materials. Has anyone had experience with it?

 

[Worf]

Nope... no Vicks, no cigs, no clothespins on nose. I'll probably take the plunge and wursh it this weekend. The only thing stopping me is that it's a Langlitz!

Worf

 

[Stand By]

As washing it is what Armscye and Simonc have advocated here quite fervently (amidst all of the many helpful and very informative options that have been aired <forgive the pun> in this interesting thread of yours, Worf), I think I'd be inclined to give that a whirl as the last, best hope of a remedy, if it was mine ... as the SAS motto goes: Who dares wins!

Good luck !!!

 

[AndrewC]

Last year I bought a 60's Brooks cafe racer on ebay, it was in very nice shape (the zip out liner even came with it), but it smelled of stale cigs and vintage clothing store smell. It was also very wrinkled like it had been thrown in the back of a closet in a pile and stored for years. I tried everything to get rid of the smell. Cleaned it with lexol cleaner, conditioned it with lexol, sprayed it with febreeze, ironed it (under paper), hung it in a bag with baking soda, put it in a box with crumpled newspapers, hung it outside everyday (inside out every other time). This went on for a month and a half, and while the smell had reduced, it still wasn't good enought to wear in public. So one night after a few beer, I threw it in the washer with a little woolite, cold water, gentle cycle. Then hung it to dry on a hanger padded with a towel. Once dried, the smell was almost gone, and the jacket looked better to boot. Some of the wrinkling was gone also. So I conditioned it again, stuffed a drier sheet in each pocket and continued to hang it outside whenever I could, as well as wore it a lot. Six months later, the smell is totally gone. I think persistence is the key. I am not suggesting you wash your jacket as I assume the outcome depends a lot on the type of leather and the condition of the jacket. But it worked well for me. That was the one step that had the biggest impact.

 

[Stand By]

But it worked well for me. That was the one step that had the biggest impact.

Fantastic tale, Andrew. But I'd say that the one step that had the biggest impact was having those beers to kick all that off!
You see what a little Dutch courage can do, Worf? "Who dares wins" I said - and sometimes, you just need that little extra somethin' to oil the will to commit ... Just make the catalyzing beers tasty ones (life's too short to drink crap beer, as I always say) and then load it in the washer - and then follow Andrew's instructions when you're committed to the task and sober again...!

 

[IXL]

Well, speaking only for myself, I'm ready to take the dare: I'm willing to risk Worf's personal property, the jacket he bought with his own hard-earned (presumably) money, and encourage him to toss it in the washer.
If it works, I'll certainly be in the line to take a bow. If it doesn't, well, it is Worf's jacket, you know.
I'm there for you, buddy!!