<p>I have a few garments that have an odd chemical smell. One is new and one I picked up at the Goodwill Store. Both are all-cotton and are machine-washable.</p>
<p>So here is my question: to get rid of the chemical smell, should I wash in hot or cold water? A quick Google search has produced conflicting advice – some say wash (even soak) in hot water, others say hot water will “set” the smell. I am not sure what is causing the new item to smell (one website said new clothes can smell because of formaldehyde that is sprayed during shipping to prevent mold or mildew or something). I suspect that the used item smells because of too much fragranced laundry detergent or fabric softener used by the previous owner. </p>
<p>I would guess that the temp of water depends more on what material it is, although I would lean toward as warm as the fabric could stand.
I also use detergent that have enzymes, and low phosphates, like Biokleen.</p>
<p>Why not just wash in cold and see if the smell goes? But wash them separately. I’d be afraid that the strong smelling new item is due to a smelly dye that will bleed all over everything.</p>
<p>I would suggest baking soda, lots of it. Like a cup or two and put them in a presoak with low water level. Temperature won’t matter.
Clothes from smokers end up smelling like formaldehyde…</p>
<p>^^^I agree. Vinegar will neutralize many odors. I would just add the vinegar to the washing machine and let it sit for an hour or so. Rinse twice at the end of the cycle.</p>
<p>Some detergent is needed to be used with the vinegar to make the water “wetter”. That’s why I suggested some Dawn with the white vinegar. If you do this in the washer, it shouldn’t be a HE. If you have a regular washer, then fill to a height above the clothes. If that is a high level, then use more vinegar…the turn the washer off and let it sit sit sit. </p>
<p>I have had good luck using a sports detergent like Odoban Sports, Win Sports or Penguin Sports Wash to get smells out of synthetic materials. I have also had good luck using Febreze Laundry In-Wash Odor Eliminator to get rid of fabric smells. I have not dealt with a chemical smell, but these products work so well on sweat and pet odors, I think they would be worth trying.</p>
<p>Found this…it says to use the hottest water safe for the fabric. </p>
<p>Add two cups of baking soda for large loads, one cup for small loads. After several hours, agitate the clothing, then add two cups of white vinegar for large loads, one cup for small loads. The vinegar and baking soda may bubble and/or fizz. This is normal. Allow the clothing to set overnight. -</p>
<p>I wonder if the concern is that if the smell isn’t removed (not enough soaking or not enough detergent/vinegar/etc) that the hot water will open the fibers and then when the fibers cool and close the smell will get trapped inside.</p>
<p>I guess I wouldn’t let the fabrics cool down until I was rather certain that the smells had been removed. </p>
<p>But it is safer to first try this with cool (not cold) water.</p>
<p>Thanks, all. Just to add a few details. The shirt from Goodwill is a pretty ordinary cotton shirt. The new item is actually a bunch of fruit of the loom boxers I bought to send to my son who is living in China, where doing laundry is apparently a large undertaking given that he lacks access to a dryer. </p>
<p>I have tried washing the boxers (cold water with All fragrance-free detergent) but they still smell odd. I probably should have just taken them back but I didn’t think about them still smelling after I had washed them. </p>
<p>And I want to soak the Goodwill shirt before I put it in the washer. I guess cold water (with vinegar and soap) is the best bet to start with–if that doesn’t work I can move on to hot water.</p>
<p>I agree with Thumper that hanging it outside will help - that certainly worked with cloth diapers! I really don’t think hot or cold makes any difference. I think lots of things help get rid of noxious odors - bleach, vinegar, soda and sunshine are all good.</p>
<p>Agree–your S will appreciate all your efforts and the clothing. I’m not sure he’ll even notice any odor, especially after you mail it across the country to him. Would agree wih the white vinegar, soda, soap and sunshine. I think those would all be helpful and think I’d start with cold water and sunshine before trying hot water and dryer.</p>
<p>If none of the other suggestions have worked yet, how about trying Borax? I’ve had good luck adding about a cup of Borax to my HE detergent, using white vinegar instead of fabric softener and running a second rinse cycle. </p>
<p>In my experience, that chemical smell is a lot of “perc” and the only way to get rid of it is to have it dry cleaned again. That is, they don’t properly remove the smell but a new dry cleaning should. It will fade over time and the American Cancer Society says the trace amounts aren’t dangerous.</p>
<p>A brief update for those following my laundry saga - I soaked the boxers overnight in the washer with laundry detergent (All Free & Clear) and a good amount of vinegar - I didn’t measure but it was at least 2 cups, with the water level at the “small” load. This helped some but there is still an odd smell. I picked up some Borax this morning and will use that tonight. I’ll also try the baking soda and Oxy Clean if there’s still a problem.</p>
<p>I’m waiting on some things I ordered from Amazon to include in the box I’m sending to my son, so I have a few more days to try to get rid of the smell.</p>
<p>(I haven’t done anything with the Goodwill shirt yet.)</p>
Good luck! </p>