Cleaning Cigarette Smoke From A-2 Jacket?

[barnabus]

Right. Stop pussying about. Put the jacket in the washing machine on a cool cycle with detergent. Bang! Smell gone.

Alternatively, and I've just done this on a jacket and it really works - white vinegar spray, as mentioned up there in the thread. White vinegar and water, spray bottle, jacket inside out and thoroughly douse the liner with the spray.

Hang it outside, inside out, to air it. The vinegar smell will quickly go and take the smoke smell with it. You might have to do it a couple of times but it will work.

 

[jswindle2]

Just take up smoking.

I did for 10 years, but have since quit. Even while I did, I couldn't stand the smell.

 

[jswindle2]

Right. Stop pussying about. Put the jacket in the washing machine on a cool cycle with detergent. Bang! Smell gone.

Alternatively, and I've just done this on a jacket and it really works - white vinegar spray, as mentioned up there in the thread. White vinegar and water, spray bottle, jacket inside out and thoroughly douse the liner with the spray.

Hang it outside, inside out, to air it. The vinegar smell will quickly go and take the smoke smell with it. You might have to do it a couple of times but it will work.

I'm currently attempting to air it out for an extended period. If this doesn't work, I'll move on to a more extreme measure. This has become more of an experiment at this point. I have several other leather jackets, so I won't miss it, ultimately.

 

[jswindle2]

I'm currently attempting to air it out for an extended period. If this doesn't work, I'll move on to a more extreme measure. This has become more of an experiment at this point. I have several other leather jackets, so I won't miss it, ultimately.

After a lot of consideration and a suggestion from one of you. I decided to throw it in the washer on delicate with a small amount of unscented liquid detergent. It's made from a rather stiff lambskin, so I think it will hold it's shape well. I did turn it inside out as a countermeasure. I'll let everybody know how this works out.

 

[CatsCan]

I'll let everybody know how this works out.

Yes, let us know! Good luck! You could add some Baking Soda to the rinse cycle. Go ahead, but be aware, lambskin is more delicate than cowhide. Skip the spin cycle!

 

[jswindle2]

I put it on delicate and added a small amount Arm and Hammer unscented liquid detergent. The jacket came out soaked but otherwise in good shape. We luckily had an 80 degree day, so I could lay it out flat to dry. By dark, the jacket was mostly dry, but still held a cigarette smell, although less of one. This morning, I decided to put it in the dryer on no heat w/ 5 dryer sheets. It came out the same it went in. Currently, it's hanging outside to complete drying and air out fully. There's another day of warm weather forecast, so I expect I'll know how this turns out by dark.

 

[RockSolid]

Hello
It is hard to get rid of cigarette smell, i tried hanging one outside for maybe 2 weeks (during summer) and it didn't work very well
I've heard of a method, you put the jacket in a box with some newspaper during a week and it is supposed to remove the smell
Good luck

 

[Seb Lucas]

For cigarette smoke, one way to resolve this is with 4.5 fl oz of vodka, a dash of soda water, a squish of lemon, some ice. Put this in a glass, drink it and buy a new jacket.

 

[jswindle2]

Unless some miracle occurs overnight, I've decided I'll just donate it the store I purchased from. The store uses the proceeds to fund our local center for battered women, so I don't mind giving it away for a good cause. I don't have the room for a jacket I won't wear anyway. In addition to my other jackets, I have one L.L. Bean A-2 already and another on the way. Plus, I plan on getting an A-1 I just saw.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I won't buy another jacket with cigarette smoke smell. I got a nice Brooks and while I have gotten rid of most of the smell, its still lingering slightly.

I washed it at least 5 times, 3 of those with an odour neutraliser, aired it for a few weeks, I even had the liner changed but its still there slightly.

never again

 

[Will Zach]

^^
As last resort you might want to consider treating it with Obenaufs oil. The oil has a fairly strong, sweetish smell. It is based on propolis and some oils. It might mask the faint remnants of the smoke odor. But it might also create an odor mix that is unattractive. You are right, getting a jacket with a cig odor smell is not worth it unless for free or almost for free. Then you can play with ozone, and if that does not work, toss it or donate it.

 

[jswindle2]

That evening after I made my last post, I was packing up the jacket and noticed the smell was almost gone. It was still there, but had transformed into more of an old, slightly stale smell. I've decided to keep it for now. I figure I can use it when I walk the dog or when I go camping. I may still donate it in the future, but it can stay at least until next fall. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice and if anyone has any other ideas of how to get rid of odors, keep posting. Maybe this thread can become a useful tool for folks in the same predicament as myself.

 

[Scooterz]

I know this is an old thread but I routinely use ozium after hanging out in a cigar bar for clothes or my truck. Get it in the automotive section or store. Hang the jacket or clothes in a closet or some confined space like a bathroom or laundry room and spray some ozium in the air. Does not take a much. Do it somewhere you aren't going to breathe it in as its (ozone) an irritant. I usually do it in a walk in closet before I go to bed and the next morning I cannot detect cigar smoke. I spray in the car at night and let it sit overnight. I cannot tell its been smoked in. If a jacket is heavily saturated it might take a few times or it may not completely get rid of smell but it has always worked for me. I would only use it as needed not routinely.

 

[Bahabp100]

heavy stink of cigarettes. I took it to a local cleaners, however it came back no better. I imagine the smell is in the liner as well as the leather. Does anyone know of a place I can send it to get it truly clean and stink free. I even attempted cleaning it by hand, but it still stinks. If I can't find a place, I'd be willing to sale it for a very good price. Any ideas?

I got an A-2 that smelled like cigarettes recently. Ironically the seller refunded all of my money except for the shipping when I told her. I said OK and this would be a good way to test out the ways to remove cigarettes smoke from leather jackets that I learned here, so here goes:
I put it in the washing machine with Woolite dark with fabric crystals (smell nice) on cold for 45 mins and then dryer with fabric sheets on low heat for 45 mins . It did not shrink. I Let it dry some more over the tub with windows open the bottoms of the sleeves were still wet so I Waited couple hours then smelled..... .......... well I could still smell cigarettes but faintly but it was still there. The washer dryer and detergent treatment took away 80% of the smell. There was also a detachable faux fur collar. That barely smelled at all after. So once it seemed dry I started sponging it generously with 50/50 vinegar/water then let dry after. After one treatment it basically smelled similar around 90% less cigarettes smell, but still it was there if you put you nose up to it. So I did one more vinegar treatment and after that it was 95% gone, it was very faint but still there. I left it in a bag full will charcoal bags and baking soda overnight, but after it was still there. After the 3rd vinegar treatment and overnight again in the bag and then window/fan, this time when I woke up I could not smell it anymore so after that I aired it out with a fan and open windows for 2 days. No cigarettes no vinegar just smelled like clean laundry, I couldn’t detect any smell at all even with nose right inside and outside.
Now it was time for some restoration. I cleaned it with saddle soap and water with a soft cloth first. Then Obenauf's oil everywhere. After that it smelled like leather again. I’m planning on a treatment of Percards dressing last and then wear it outside. It look time and effort but it really worked combining all of these treatments learned here. Took less than a week around 3-4 days.

 

[Flying Monkey]

How many times have you run across a great jacket only to discover that the previous owner was a smoker (and you're not)? I have seen paragraph after paragraph on how to get that smoke smell out using all sorts of potentially harmful or ineffective methods. I will grant that I have had limited success with the tennis balls in the dryer thing, but I don't think this is a viable solution for all jackets. (Think kinda fragile vintage.) I have had terrific luck with an ozone generator which can be had for around $100 at big box hardware stores. I know its a hundred bucks, but you and your pals can use it a zillion times. They really really work. I have fixed 3 jackets this way and have not noticed any degradation of the leather. I would not use it over and over repeatedly on the same jacket, but I had a cr that I liked the looks and fit of but stunk terribly. I put it on a hanger in a small unused locker room at work. The ozone generator was turned on for about 20 minutes and then shut off. Everything stayed right where it was all day while I was working. That super stinky jacket took two go arounds to fix, but fix it did. It smelled like ozone for a few days and then smelled like basically nothing. I aired it out for a couple days outside under a patio awning which may have helped the process of getting rid of the entrapped ozone. A friend who had a generator suggested this to me and I was amazed how well it worked. You need to have an unused bathroom/closet/etc. that can be left for about a day without any traffic. DO NOT stay in there with the ozone. It will dissipate almost immediately, however, once you open the room up. I'm not sure why more people don't know about this trick, but it sure has worked for me.

 

[handymike]

You can’t buy Ozone machines in California.

 

[Flying Monkey]

You can’t buy Ozone machines in California.

I have no words.

 

[Marc mndt]

How many times have you run across a great jacket only to discover that the previous owner was a smoker (and you're not)? I have seen paragraph after paragraph on how to get that smoke smell out using all sorts of potentially harmful or ineffective methods. I will grant that I have had limited success with the tennis balls in the dryer thing, but I don't think this is a viable solution for all jackets. (Think kinda fragile vintage.) I have had terrific luck with an ozone generator which can be had for around $100 at big box hardware stores. I know its a hundred bucks, but you and your pals can use it a zillion times. They really really work. I have fixed 3 jackets this way and have not noticed any degradation of the leather. I would not use it over and over repeatedly on the same jacket, but I had a cr that I liked the looks and fit of but stunk terribly. I put it on a hanger in a small unused locker room at work. The ozone generator was turned on for about 20 minutes and then shut off. Everything stayed right where it was all day while I was working. That super stinky jacket took two go arounds to fix, but fix it did. It smelled like ozone for a few days and then smelled like basically nothing. I aired it out for a couple days outside under a patio awning which may have helped the process of getting rid of the entrapped ozone. A friend who had a generator suggested this to me and I was amazed how well it worked. You need to have an unused bathroom/closet/etc. that can be left for about a day without any traffic. DO NOT stay in there with the ozone. It will dissipate almost immediately, however, once you open the room up. I'm not sure why more people don't know about this trick, but it sure has worked for me.

That's a great tip. I had to sell a couple of jackets because of the cigarette smell. Some were so bad that the smell transferred onto my skin or sweater after wearing the jacket for just a few seconds.

I just googled for ozone generator, they can be bought for about €50 here in the Netherlands.

 

[Al 916]

You can’t buy Ozone machines in California.

sounds like a hole in the market....

 

[handymike]

It’s an environmental issue. I can”t even get one shipped.

**edit**
it took a moment, but I finally got the joke