Getting rid of cigarette smell in tweed?

**Paco500** · 13th July 21, 07:00 AM

Apologies if this is the incorrect forum, but I'm hoping to get some advice. Scored what I thought was absolute steal on eBay of a vintage tweed kilt jacket. Lovely jacket, great condition, seemingly well made, vintage Burberry. There are, unfortunately, two issues with it. First, the listing said it was a 38". Depending on the jacket/suit, I'm a 38-40, but assumed it would not be a fitted cut, so I should be ok. Sadly, it's more like a 44 I would guess. Hopefully, I can get it tailored to fit.

The other issue is that it absolutely stinks of cigarette smoke.

Any advice on getting the smell out of wool/tweed?

Once I can bear to put it on my body- I'll post a photo.

Thanks.

**FossilHunter** · 13th July 21, 07:26 AM

Originally Posted by Paco500

Apologies if this is the incorrect forum, but I'm hoping to get some advice. Scored what I thought was absolute steal on eBay of a vintage tweed kilt jacket. Lovely jacket, great condition, seemingly well made, vintage Burberry. There are, unfortunately, two issues with it. First, the listing said it was a 38". Depending on the jacket/suit, I'm a 38-40, but assumed it would not be a fitted cut, so I should be ok. Sadly, it's more like a 44 I would guess. Hopefully, I can get it tailored to fit.

The other issue is that it absolutely stinks of cigarette smoke.

Any advice on getting the smell out of wool/tweed?

Once I can bear to put it on my body- I'll post a photo.

Thanks.

You might ask a dry cleaner what they can do for it.

You might also hang it outside somewhere to air out for a few days (not in the sun for too long). A lot of smoky clothes have been living in closets and trunks which doesn’t allow much chance for the smell to dissipate.

**kingandrew** · 13th July 21, 07:46 AM

When I was a teenager, I often attended punk rock concerts. These were invariably held in small clubs that were filled with cigarette smoke. When I got home, my clothes would reek of smoke, which was not only smelly, but made me sneeze violently.

T-shirts, pants, and socks easily went in the wash. But my leather jacket would not. Through trial and error, I discovered that applying a generous amount of Lysol spray to the quilted lining of the jacket and leaving it hanging overnight on the back porch would generally eliminate the smoky smell, leaving the leather scent that I did like.

Although I certainly wore tweed in those days, I did not wear my tweed jacket to punk shows. However, I had a pair of tartan wool trousers that I did wear to shows. Although these were "dry clean only," the Lysol and overnight airing would clear them of the smoke odor as well.

You mileage may vary, but it's probably worth a try to salvage your find.

Good luck!
Andrew

**RichardtheLarge** · 13th July 21, 07:51 AM

I have had some success with the coffee trick—put an open jar of dry ground coffee in a wardrobe box with the jacket hanging inside and leave it there for a couple of days.

**Paco500** · 13th July 21, 09:03 AM

Thanks for the tips- will give it a go.

**imrichmond** · 13th July 21, 11:30 AM

Eighteen years ago, we had a serious house fire that left a lot of my treasured books stinking of smoke. I researched the problem, then tried the suggested solution of enclosing the books in a sealed plastic bag along with a quantity of clean, dry cat litter (a material which is designed to absorb odours) and leaving them sealed up for 7-10 days. This worked like a charm.

**Paco500** · 13th July 21, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by imrichmond

Eighteen years ago, we had a serious house fire that left a lot of my treasured books stinking of smoke. I researched the problem, then tried the suggested solution of enclosing the books in a sealed plastic bag along with a quantity of clean, dry cat litter (a material which is designed to absorb odours) and leaving them sealed up for 7-10 days. This worked like a charm.

What a good idea. Thanks!