He fought the funk and the funk won.

[jamespowers]

A friend bought a vintage jacket recently and found that it had just a horrible smell to it. The dry cleaner cleaned it twice---poor guy. That didn't work.
He sprayed it down with Lysol. That didn't work.
He sprayed it down with Vodka. That didn't work but having some along with the jacket wasn't bad
He even threw it in the washing machine and washed it. That didn't work.
All of these were followed by setting it in the sun to dry. Nothing worked.
He finally got discouraged and threw it in the trash with the papers from his rabbit cage to prevent himself from wasting time trying something else. Poor guy. I felt bad for him. He fought the funk and the funk won.
Now my own situation involved a very reasonable Armani suit. I found out why. It has funk and a yellow stain in the pants that didn't come out even after dry cleaning. I think this will make its way into the donation pile. I don't want to fight the funk and have it win against me too. :eusa_doh:

 

[KittyT]

Should have tried soaking it in a diluted solution of water and white vinegar. Usually it'll get the smell out, but if it doesn't, then you'll at least smell mostly like vinegar instead of funk.

 

[jamespowers]

Should have tried soaking it in a diluted solution of water and white vinegar. Usually it'll get the smell out, but if it doesn't, then you'll at least smell mostly like vinegar instead of funk.

I forgot to mention, he tried that too. :eusa_doh: [huh]

 

[KittyT]

Wow, that's SOME funk!

 

[jamespowers]

Wow, that's SOME funk!

That's why he lost. Even the dry cleaner was nearly bowled over by it as he pressed it. He gave up after the second time because he just couldn't kill it and he didn't want to have to smell it again. lol lol
Someone mentioned to me that wearing such a garment can actually transfer that stinky bacteria to you. I have no idea if that is true but that Armani is gone for sure now --just in case. :eusa_doh:

 

[rumblefish]

How about; Breakin' rocks in the hot sun? lol

Seriously, when all else failed for a jacket I own, for about a month when I could, I left it outside in the breeze and sun. The smell did finally wane. There's also draging it behind a boat in salt water for a few hours, but only if that's not likely to ruin the garment. Rags that stink of rotting bait come out smelling clean, still stained, but not stanky.

 

[jamespowers]

How about; Breakin' rocks in the hot sun? lol

Seriously, when all else failed for a jacket I own, for about a month when I could, I left it outside in the breeze and sun. The smell did finally wane. There's also draging it behind a boat in salt water for a few hours, but only if that's not likely to ruin the garment. Rags that stink of rotting bait come out smelling clean, still stained, but not stanky.

Breaking rocks in the hot sun is probably what made it smell like that. Geez, I didn't know street bums wear Armani. :eusa_doh:
This jacket would have to go through a hurricane to get the funk out. :eusa_doh:
Dragging it behind a boat might kill too many fish.

 

[Caledonia]

Funkyyy! Only thing I've found works is a good, solid hand washing. Soak it in exorbitant amounts of hand wash fluid, and I mean for about 48 hours. Then just go for it H for leather on the stains, scrub a dub dub. All the obvious dangers are there - shattering, shrinkage, colour loss... Tried the dry cleaners, and to be honest, they can't do it. If you want it, and you don't thing you can sell it on in that condition, what the heck - try for it big time! I've regained several items, including wool coats, although you have to put a lot of hours into reshaping during the drying process, and be prepared to undo lining stitching and reshape, followed by about an hour per garment with the iron when dry. Not sure I'd recommend for a tailored and shoulder padded jacket though.

However - I think the old yellow stain ought to have been a bit of a give away. Never managed to move that myself.

 

[rumblefish]

:
Dragging it behind a boat might kill too many fish.

lol Sounds severe.

 

[Caledonia]

Did you see the one about the great white released from a net by a fisherman, that now follows him about scaring all the fish away, looking for a belly rub? What colour was the jacket?

 

[jamespowers]

Funkyyy! Only thing I've found works is a good, solid hand washing. Soak it in exorbitant amounts of hand wash fluid, and I mean for about 48 hours. Then just go for it H for leather on the stains, scrub a dub dub. All the obvious dangers are there - shattering, shrinkage, colour loss... Tried the dry cleaners, and to be honest, they can't do it. If you want it, and you don't thing you can sell it on in that condition, what the heck - try for it big time! I've regained several items, including wool coats, although you have to put a lot of hours into reshaping during the drying process, and be prepared to undo lining stitching and reshape, followed by about an hour per garment with the iron when dry. Not sure I'd recommend for a tailored and shoulder padded jacket though.

However - I think the old yellow stain ought to have been a bit of a give away. Never managed to move that myself.

Oh in my case, the suit was one of those $20 a bag of clothes deals and it fit in real fast without much regard to looking it over well enough. I suppose the guy could have died in it.
All that treatment that you enumerated just isn't in the cards for me. It might work but I'll let someone else at Goodwill try to get it out. I don't even want to touch the funk areas much less scrub them.
I suppose I could give it to my other dry cleaner and see what he could do but then I would be wary or wearing it. Then again, my dry cleaner might ban me for life from his shop. :eusa_doh:
I suppose my friend had the right idea with his jacket. It ain't coming back.

 

[jamespowers]

lol Sounds severe.

Sever enough to kill that previously mentioned great white. That fisherman wouldn't have to worry about belly rubs anymore.

 

[Robert Conway]

Was it a nasty stink with a tinge of sweetness mixed in?

Are you sure the suit didn't come from a coroner...

 

[ShooShooBaby]

try one of those pet stain cleaners, i heard they work wonders. someone recommended a particular one as a miracle worker for vintage, but i can't remember which. [huh]

 

[Caledonia]

Oh in my case, the suit was one of those $20 a bag of clothes deals and it fit in real fast without much regard to looking it over well enough. I suppose the guy could have died in it.
All that treatment that you enumerated just isn't in the cards for me. It might work but I'll let someone else at Goodwill try to get it out. I don't even want to touch the funk areas much less scrub them.
I suppose I could give it to my other dry cleaner and see what he could do but then I would be wary or wearing it. Then again, my dry cleaner might ban me for life from his shop. :eusa_doh:
I suppose my friend had the right idea with his jacket. It ain't coming back.

Gotcha! Remember the life in them, and say a goodbye over the bonfire - lay the threads to rest.....

 

[jamespowers]

Was it a nasty stink with a tinge of sweetness mixed in?

Are you sure the suit didn't come from a coroner...

No sweetness to it. That would have at least mitigated it a bit.

 

[jamespowers]

Gotcha! Remember the life in them, and say a goodbye over the bonfire - lay the threads to rest.....

BONFIRE! Oh no! I wouldn't release that into the air. It might kill someone. I don't need that on my conscience.

 

[jamespowers]

try one of those pet stain cleaners, i heard they work wonders. someone recommended a particular one as a miracle worker for vintage, but i can't remember which. [huh]

That actually is something that neither my friend nor I have tried. It might just work.

 

[John in Covina]

MAYBE try:

Enzyme cleaners like BIZ
DIDI-7
Carpet cleaner
Oxyclean
White Gas
Soak it in cheap cologne

Compress it with a trash compactor with bakng soda leave it for a few months in Baking Soda.

Have an Excorcism.

 

[jamespowers]

Enzyme cleaners like BIZ
DIDI-7
Carpet cleaner
Oxyclean
White Gas
Soak it in cheap cologne

Compress it with a trash compactor with bakng soda leave it for a few months in Baking Soda.

Have an Excorcism.

I think the last one just might work. I wonder how much my priest charges.