How to Get Campfire Smoke Out of Clothes (You Must Know)

Sitting around a crackling campfire under starry skies is one of life’s simple pleasures. However, once the last embers die down, you’re often left with clothes permeated in lingering smoky odor that’s hard to remove. That persistent smell can be unpleasant and make your favorite tee shirt or hoodie seem ruined.

Don’t despair – getting stubborn campfire smoke scents out of fabrics is possible. While the smell clings to clothes and seems stubborn, there are effective methods using easily available products to fully remove smoke residue and odors. With a few key pre-treating and washing techniques, you can eliminate even saturated smoke smells from garments.

In this article, you’ll learn insider tips to strip smoke and its clinging particles out of clothing fibers. Say goodbye to unpleasant lingering odors and hello again to fresh, wearable garments after your next camping trip or backyard bonfire. With the right strategies, vanquishing stubborn campfire smells from wardrobe items is achievable. Read on to restore clothes to their former unsmoked glory.

How to Get Campfire Smoke Out of Clothes

1. Air It Out Before Washing

Before discussing the washing process, it’s essential to address the initial smoke residue on your clothes.

Airing out clothes: Exposing smoke-affected garments to fresh air

Before machine washing smoke-saturated clothes, take some simple preparatory steps to release surface-level smells. Hang or lay garments outdoors or by an open window. The fresh circulating air helps lift and carry away smoky odors from the fabric. Direct sunlight also helps naturally bleach and deodorize clothing.

Brushing off loose smoke particles: Removing surface-level smoke residue

Gently brush off any loose char or soot particles that are lightly clinging to the exterior of the garments. This removes some surface residue that contributes to lingering smells.

Checking care labels: Ensuring compatibility with washing methods

Check care labels and washing instructions before cleaning. Different fabrics require specific handling such as wool or silk require special handling. Air exposure, brushing and pre-treating stains set up clothes for the best results in the wash.

2. Wash to Neutralize Smoke Odor

Now that you’ve prepped your clothes, it’s time to wash them with odor-neutralizing agents.

Hot Water Wash: The washing machine offers powerful odor-removal capabilities for smoke-scented clothes. Set the machine to the hottest water temperature allowed for the fabric. Hot water provides superior cleaning action to remove stubborn oil and tar-based smoke smells than lower temperature washes.

Baking Soda: Add baking soda to the wash cycle rather than detergent. The baking soda effectively neutralizes and absorbs foul odors. Use 1/2 cup per load for mild smoke smells and up to 1 cup for heavy saturation.

White Vinegar: White vinegar is an effective deodorizer. For an extra deodorizing boost, also add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar, which helps break down the smoke odor from your clothes.

3. Lemon Juice

The citric acid in lemon juice acts as a natural deodorizer. Lemon juice can also be substituted for vinegar. Add lemon juice to your wash for a refreshing scent while combating the smoke odor.

Heavy-Duty Detergent: Choose a heavy-duty laundry detergent if not using baking soda. The stronger surfactants in heavy-duty formulas help tackle set-in smoke smells.

4. Sun-dry to Completely Eliminate that Smoky Smell

After washing, the final step involves drying your clothes to ensure the complete removal of any remaining smoke odor.

Line drying: Exposing clothes to sunlight and fresh air

The drying process is important for fully removing any lingering traces of campfire smell not eliminated in washing. Line-drying clothing in the sunshine takes advantage of the natural bleaching and deodorizing properties of UV sunlight. Hang your clothes outdoors to dry in the sunlight and fresh air. This natural method contributes to eliminating any residual smoke smell.

Commercial dryer: Utilizing the heat and airflow of a dryer

The fresh outdoor air circulating through the fabrics lifts out the last remaining smoke odors. For quicker drying indoors, a tumble dryer can be used if the clothes are dryer-safe. The heat and constant airflow through the dryer help fully purge any lingering smoky scents.

Avoiding fabric softeners: As they can sometimes trap odors

Avoid using dryer sheets or fabric softeners during the drying process. These products can sometimes trap odors in fabrics rather than remove them. Drying until clothes are completely fresh-smelling is key to ensuring smoke smells don’t return once garments are worn again.

What Causes Smoke Smell in Clothes?

There are a few reasons why campfire smoke leaves such an unpleasant, lingering odor in clothing:

Sitting near the campfire allows smoke to directly permeate the fabric, seeping into the fibers. Smoke particles cling to clothes just from being in proximity.
Smoke contains oils, tars, and resins that cling stubbornly to clothing fibers and do not easily wash out. These compounds cause the stubborn smelly residue.
Smoke smell can linger for a long time after your clothes are removed from the campfire site because the odor-causing particles are sticky.

How to Prevent Smoke Smell in the Future

Taking preventative measures can significantly reduce the likelihood of dealing with persistent smoke smells.

Choose your seating wisely to minimize direct exposure to campfire smoke. Sit away or upwind from the campfire to limit smoke exposure when possible. Keeping distance reduces odor permeation.
If you’ve spent a significant amount of time near the campfire, changing into fresh clothes reduces the chances of smoke odor transfer.

Designate a separate storage space for your camping clothes to prevent the spread of any residual smoke odor to your everyday wardrobe.
Before stowing away your camping clothes, sprinkle them with baking soda. This helps absorb any potential lingering odors during storage.

Taking simple precautions provides the first line of defense against persistent campfire smoke smells ruining your favorite tees and jeans.

How to Get Campfire Smell Out of Your Hair

Much like clothes, smoke odor can cling to hair fibers and be difficult to remove. Fortunately, baking soda comes to the rescue again as an odor absorber.

Mix baking soda with mild shampoo before washing hair. The baking soda helps lift and neutralize stubborn smoked smells from hair when used as a shampoo mixture.
Rinse hair thoroughly after washing. Make sure to fully rinse out any residue to prevent drier hair or flakes.

Repeat wash if needed. For heavy smoke exposure, do a second wash with baking soda shampoo mix to ensure fresh results.
Use conditioning treatment. Follow up with a hydrating conditioner or hair mask to counteract drying effects.

How to Make Your Campfire Less Smelly

You can take some precautions to make your campfire experience less smokey and therefore less prone to odor permeation:

Choose dry seasoned firewood. Wet or green wood causes more smoking and residue.
Construct a good airflow design. Arrange logs so air moves easily, which reduces overall smoke.
Position yourself upwind from the fire. Sitting with the smoke drifting away from you reduces exposure.