Febreze - any tips

[hyacinthine]

Any tips for getting rid of the smell.  I bought a lovely dress recently but the seller had doused it in Febreze which I hate.

[*guinevere*]

Me too! I wouldn't give it house room, I really dislike it. 

If it is a washable dress can you put it through a few gentle washes? And if the weather is OK hanh it outside for a few hours?

If you can't wash it consider rerurning the dress as snad because I think I would in a case like that. The smell would make me feel sick.

[hyacinthine]

Thanks for your reply. I have tried soaking in baking soda and water and washing. Then another wash using vinegar in the rinse. Gentle washes. Both helped a bit but not enough. I have also seen the suggestion to hang it outside for a week in the cold air. The weather has been too wet recently so I tried putting it in the freezer in a plastic bag for a fortnight but that didn’t produce any further improvement. I’ll see if I can hang it outside some more if we get a dry spell between now and Christmas/New Year when I want to wear it.

[*guinevere*]

I really wish sellers wouldn't do this, don't you?  I hope you manage to get the smell out!

[amarantha1951]

I beg sellers not to use this filthy product, but few respond.  It's not a good thing to breathe even if you're not allergic.  There are chemicals which can affect hormones and it takes forever to break down.  The smell may even outlast your purchase.

I've tried vodka sprays in fresh air - this may be enough if it's not drenched in the stuff.  I 've done vinegar soaks,  more fresh air, careful laundering.  Sometimes nothing works.  I have had to bin items I can't clear and will even send goods back.

My latest effort is a product called Nilodor, a tiny dropper bottle.  We used to used it in hospitals when patients had very smelly conditions and needed a very strong deodorant.  Just one drop really helped.  I never thought I'd need to use something like that on a jumper!  

I wish there was a chemical that would break the active molecules in Febreze.  Any organic chemists out there?

[solitarysorceress]

Hi! Did you try charcoal (or similar) odour absorbers? Not sure if they'll work but might be worth trying!