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Loading...Removing the New Smell from Clothes
- Annie B. Bond
- March 31, 2001
- 2:29 am
- 22 comments
Giving (and receiving!) new clothing is a favorite holiday activity, but the “new” smell that comes along with new clothes often signals the presence of toxic chemicals.
Find out the simple solution for getting rid of both the smell and the chemicals, right here:
Unless the clothes are 100 percent organic, wash new clothes or bedding first before wearing or putting on the bed. That “new” smell is a potent mixture of chemicals such as formaldehyde and urea resins, and they should be removed. The chemicals are used to “finish” fabric for a range of purposes including stain resistance, mercerizing, keeping them from wrinkling, and even sometimes for disinfecting. Most contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which, like formaldehyde, are often sensitizers and suspected carcinogens.
The formula I give here is what I use to successfully remove this new smell from clothing. It will also work for low-level chemical contamination from normal household substances such as perfume.
Place the clothes in the washing machine with enough water to cover. Sprinkle one small-sized box of baking soda (or 1 cup) into the washing machine. Soak the clothes overnight. When convenient during the soaking, agitate the machine for a few minutes. Launder as usual. Repeat the method until the clothes don’t smell anymore.
Some imported clothes are now impregnated with long-lasting disinfectants; you can identify these clothes by the smell alone. It is very hard to remove it, and the method depicted above doesn’t work. The best thing is to not buy the clothes; I’ve started asking catalog companies if their clothes are disinfected.
Read more: Home, Household Hints
By Annie B. Bond
Annie B. Bond
Annie is a renowned expert in non-toxic and green living. Named one of the top 20 environmental leaders by Body and Soul Magazine, Annie has authored four books, including "Home Enlightenment" (Rodale Press, 2005) and "Better Basics for the Home" (Three Rivers Press, 1999).
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+ add your ownI have used Ecover detergent for delicate clothes for several years --love that it was all natural including a mild natural fragrance. But I bought a new bottle on Sunday--put in the detergent and a load of clothes and went upstairs. I started smelling toxic perfume--first thought it was drifting in the open windows as I have neighbors who use toxic dryer sheets--went to the basement to finish the laundry and realized the smell was from my washer! I looked at the label and saw it is now listed as fragrance not plant derived fragrance as it was previously. I was so angry-- I wrote to the company to complain and have not heard back from them. I washed the clothes with the cheaper natural stuff I use for the rest of my laundry(towels, husbands work clothes etc), added baking soda and did an extra rinse with vinegar--still just as strong. Repeated that --still odor. Went out and bought a commercial detergent with no fragrance--washed twice with that. soaked with baking soda and rinsed again with vinegar. There is still a toxic odor! Help! What can I do now?
Thank you for the share... I had to learn the hard way when it comes to washing new clothes before wearing them... I did this once because I needed go to a job interview. I bought the blouse and wore it that same day without washing and I suffered a nasty rash (contact dermatitis) on my armpits. I suffered for 2 weeks, it was horrible.
So we are not only getting the smells out, but also all the bad chemicals that can harm our bodies. very informative, thanx
thanks.
Thank you :)
thanks
Thanks
good reminders
Thanks. I never thought of toxic chemicals on new clothes.
thanks
ty
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