The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Fun with Fabric => Topic started by: Efemera on April 15, 2018, 16:10:58 PM
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I bought some lovely thick poly Ponte type paisley jersey for a coatigan from The Church....it stinks despite 3 washes and being hung outside, I reckon it’s the black dye, any suggestions to get rid of the smell before I chuck it out.
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I have the same problem with some bonded scuba. It's been washed 3 times but smells as if it has been dipped in petrol. I only paid £1.49 a metre so haven't lost anything if it gets recycled, it would be a shame as i really like the cerise side and was hoping to make a reversible jacket.
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Wash with white vinegar?
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You could try putting it in a roomy box sprinkling cat litter among it close the box and leave it like that for 2 - 3 weeks. Shake the cat litter off and wash and line dry it outside (if it ever stops raining). I can't guarantee it will get rid of the smell but it worked on some navy fabric I had.
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white vinegar rinse
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spray with vodka and water ad airdry- repeat until smell is reduced
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A few times I have had rubber with a very noticeable petrol smell, when you entered the room it could not escape you. Nothing I need lessened the smell, but it gradually aired off, and it took over a year with a rubber mat for the dog's food and water bowls. Scuba has a lot of rubber like fibers? I'm not sure why jersey should smell, lycra/elastane usually doesn't
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... spray with vodka and water ...
Shocking waste, missus. 0_0
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Shocking waste, missus. 0_0
lol only the cheap stuff!
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Some smells just won't go. I have a beautiful embroidered deep pink bedspread which was my mother's when she was first married in the 30s. For some reason it was at my uncle's and it turned up after he died. Unfortunately it had been kept in a drawer with mothballs. I had it dry cleaned and afterwards hung outside for several hours and it wasn't at all bad. I didn't have an immediate use for it so stored it in tissue and a polythene bag. Result? - smells almost as strong as it did to start with.
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Look on the bright side - the moths won't munch it!
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Wash with white vinegar?
Tried this today but still smells.
@DementedFairy Perhaps rather than spray the fabric with vodka i should just drink it then i wouldn't notice the smell as much :gin: :gin: Hic.
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If it's pretrol smell from some kind of fiber in the product it will air off. I don't think it can be washed out, it just takes time, a year or two (seriously). You can't seal it in plastic or pack it away, it will preserve the smell as well as the fabric. It's very annoying fabric are meant to be like that? The same for moth balls, which often is myrrh or cedar. It will air off, but it takes more than a day and you can't expect it to go away after 4 hours in the sun. I thought a dry cleaning would though. My grandparents had a chest lined with myrrh wood. It didn't smell bad at all, neither did the clothes or blankets kept in there. Some mothballs on the other hand often needs a good airing out.
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Instant flashback to the 70s when I had a beige anorak (off the market - thanks Mum) which smelt of fish despite frequent airing and washing from the moment it came out of its plastic wrapping to the day about 3 years later when I was finally released from its stinky clutches by growing out of it.
Probably polyester, definitely revolting. :fish:
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I bought some trim on the internet that smelled badly. Didnt know what caused the smell but definitely had a petrol under tone. Vinegar didnt work. Ditto for the vodka, sun, dryer sheets, variety of essentials oils...cant remember what else. I put it in a plastic bag and left it in the back of the freezer for weeks. That worked ror me.
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Leather jacket from Morocco - never lost the whiff of camel! Binned it.
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I had an Afghan
goat coat.
Anyone who was there will know what that means. Anyone who wasn't there will n e v e r know what that means. :x
I loved that smell. :loveit:
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Ewww...Ooooh...yes. Afghan coats. ;) I know what your sayin' wrenkins. Some of them stunk absolutely vile, but, somehow mine was O.K.
Once smelt, never forgotten.
Sandra.
xxx
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Mine was definitely in the vile camp especially when wet. My mother decided, in her wisdom, to spray it with perfume. Helena Rubenstein Apple Blossom. :x Dear Lord!!!!!
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Oh, deary me. :x
Desperate circumstances and all that....'could it smell any worse if I spray a bit of this on it?'....
Sandra.
xxx
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OMG,!!! Yes the white afghan coats - thought I was the Bee's knees - hot pants, boots, crochet sweater and afghan, some continental leaves for gentle inhalation - those were the days of peace and lurve, peace and curve! You had to have been there. That coat saw a lot of action ;)
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Our local branch of Chelsea Girl had to close for fumigation after a delivery of Afghan coats turned out to have fleas on board! :D
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The fabric that started all this has gone to the charity shop.... someone else’s problem now!
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I remember that Chelsea Girl story @Fiona M . Loved the shop in the 70s though. :D
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Instant flashback to the 70s when I had a beige anorak (off the market - thanks Mum) which smelt of fish despite frequent airing and washing from the moment it came out of its plastic wrapping to the day about 3 years later when I was finally released from its stinky clutches by growing out of it.
Probably polyester, definitely revolting. :fish:
It probably had formaldehyde added to the fabric. That would account for the fishy type smell. I always remember when we made this in Chemistry (in test tubes) and the smell was just awful.
Have a read of this.
https://www.cottonique.com/blogs/blog/7-reasons-why-formaldehyde-in-clothing-is-dangerous-and-how-to-protect-yourself
Not got much time to search for more scientific papers on it but this webpage explains it well enough. It was used in the 70's and still is "This compound is also present in clothes since it is used to prevent wrinkles and mildew. It may be quite useful in preserving clothing materials since it can also increase stain resistance and colorfastness". Not without its health risks though.
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I think nearly all of the soft plastic materials contains dubeous substances. Formaldehyde is one, even more common these days are bisphenol A and B, phthalates,... The list is probably long. Some of the odd smells are probably just a bit unpleasant, like the rubber inner tubes for bike tires. Some of these smells I'm convinced are due to solvent residues, very much like white spirit. The problem is we never get a full list of ingredients when it comes to this, it's just called PVC, plyurethane, polyester, butyl, leatherette... A part of this is dute production secrets too, the best hightech fiber treatments for water proofing, stain proofing, etc. It's too much info to put on the back side of a wash lable.
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I absolutely loved my Afghan coat, and it didn't smell too bad 0_0
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Afgan coats, I'm not sure I've seen one since I was 6. Shearling shouldn't smell though?