How to Remove the Smell of Smoke From a Fire From Clothes and Hair
Whether you love or hate the smell of a campfire in the moment—when you’re enjoying the outdoors with family or friends—you may not feel the same way about how your clothes and hair smell the next day. Or the next few days.
The smell of smoke from the campfire does linger and can withstand washing and showers. And if everyone you know set up a fire pit back in 2020 and it’s the main way to communicate now, the smell can be hard to avoid. Here are a few ways to get stubborn campfire smoke smells out of your clothes and hair.
How to get the smell of fire smoke out of clothes
If you’ve washed your campfire clothes and they still smell like you just stepped out of a campfire, here are a few things you can try:
- Let the smelly campfire linen air out – ideally hang it on a string or at least lay it out somewhere outside – before trying to wash it.
- Wash clothes in hot water (unless labeled otherwise).
- Regardless of the temperature of the water, add one cup of white vinegar to your laundry after your cleanser.
- Start loading laundry as usual, add detergent, wait five minutes, then add 1/2 cup baking soda . (However, do not use baking soda and vinegar together in the same load.)
- Put your smelly campfire linen in a trash bag, add 1/2 cup baking soda (depending on how many things are in it), tie the bag shut, give everything a quick (but thorough) shake, and let stand. Overnight. The next day, take the clothes outside, shake out the baking soda, and wash them as usual.
- Prevent the problem by wearing special campfire clothing (or at least a top/sweatshirt).
How to get rid of the smell of smoke from a fire in your hair
Your clothes are one thing, because most of the time you can find something else that doesn’t smell like a campfire. Unfortunately, your hair is a different story. Here are a few ways to get that smell out of your hair (instead of just masking it with another scent):
- Apply a paste of four tablespoons of baking soda and ¾ cup of water to damp hair. Apply it to your hair, from roots to ends, including the scalp. Leave on for one to three minutes, then rinse and apply shampoo/conditioner as usual.
- Wash your hair with a mixture of one part shampoo and one part apple cider vinegar .
- Some people swear by using a clarifying shampoo , especially one that contains apple cider vinegar, to get the smell out of their hair. (For others it doesn’t work.)