Cant get smell out of new Dickies

[robbinsandmyers]

I recently bought several pairs of Dickies relaxed fit denim painters pants. I guess you could call them stone washed. They had a funny smell thats a cross between a petroleum and Lestoil smell. Prob the chemical used to distress them. They're nice and comfortable but the problem is I've washed them 4 times already and the smell wont come out. I had this same trouble with some Carharrts several years ago. Any suggestions?

 

[combo52]

Wash them in at least 120° water, use plenty of detergent, other than that the smell will probably fade away if that doesn’t do it immediately.

John L

 

[mrboilwash]

Any consumer goods or clothes that have a strong smell of chemicals are a potenzial hazard to your health. Even more so if it smells like tar or petroleum.
If washing them 4 times didn`t remove the smell chances are high the smell will stay forever.
I`d make a complaint to the store where you bought them and if they refuse to take them back I`d get in touch with the manufacturer.

Good luck!

 

[donprohel]

Try ammonia

...it often works against odours

 

[maytag85]

Need a dryer with UV/ozone light to get rid of odors in clothes

 

[ea56]

You know oil cuts oil and if the scent on these Dickie’s is petroleum based then why not fight fire with fire so to speak?

I would try washing them in the hottest water possible, but rather than using a detergent try using a real soap based product. Since its next to impossible to find real powdered soap or soap flakes anymore you could get a bar of Fels Naphtha and grate it on a cheese grater and dissolve the grated soap in some very hot water and add this to the washing machine. Wash them for the longest possible time. Then use some white vinegar in the final rinse to remove any soap scum. This could very possibly work and would be an inexpensive remedy.

Oh, and one last thing, line dry them in fresh air, instead of the dryer. Nothing makes laundry smell better than sunshine and fresh air.

Eddie [this post was last edited: 5/5/2022-17:03]

 

[circlew]

Last Summer I spilled gasoline on my clothing - white shorts and a blue shirt. I washed them several times, but they still had an odor. I hung them outside in the rain and sun for a little over a week, and washed them again - no more gasoline odor.

 

[tomturbomatic]

What temperature water did you use to wash them? Apparently people are having a lot of odor problems from washing in cold water. Most of the ads on TV talk about odor complaints as if truly clean clothes should have odors--BS. If a hot water wash as John suggests, with ammonia, does not remove the odor, take a pair to a dry cleaner and ask that they be dry cleaned, not laundered, and see if the dry cleaning removes the chemical smell. Good luck.

 

[cleanteamofny]

New clothing dye scent

 

 

When I used to use Lestoil in my work uniform.

I would rewash the garments with Tide with Bleach,  then rinse with 1 cup of Baking Soda to 3/4 cup of vinegar in the 1st rinse follow with the 2nd rinse with fabric softener,  the Lestoil scent is fully removed when done.

 

Give this a try.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

jeans odor

Someone else just posted about this on ths.gardenweb . I had a pair of jeans that had a different kind of wash. They always smelled. I tried ammonia, vinegar, washing in warm and hot, dried them on high, extra rinses, EVERYTHING, and they still smelled. I would actually smell them more when I moved around, but I could smell them while sitting down all day. It got to the point where I threw them away. It just wasn't worth it to me. But I attribute it to the style of wash they were.

 

[iej]

Wash them (by hand) with dish soap, as it’s very cutting to oil based products which are likely to be the source of the odour. Soak them for a while.

Rinse well and then machine wash at hot as the item will take, and use a decent detergent.

If that doesn’t remove the odour I don’t know what will.

I’d agree though, fabric shouldn’t smell of chemicals like that.

 

[stan]

Borax

Get some!
Soak for a hour

 

[neptunebob]

That is one reason why I always preferred Dockers.  Dickies were always kind of rough on me too.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Sorry for the late reply folks. Been battling COVID the last week solid. Still on the mend. I did try the hot wash with Dawn dish soap, then a warm second rinse with no softner just 1 cup white vinegar. Then followed by a hot wash as normal with Persil and warm rinse with fabric softener. It seems to have gotten most but not all the smell out. I may try this cycle again if I feel its needed as they may smell more in hot temps with Summer coming. Thanks again for all the tips!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Hope you recover completely and swiftly.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Thank you. Im going for monoclonal antiviral infusion later today to hopefully beat it back.

 

[iej]

Take care & get well soon!

 

[polkanut]

Wash with detergent and ammonia & line dry, if possible.  Turn them inside out before washing to prevent fading, if desired.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

D-L topic here? lol

Yes, do that with all our pants, slacks and the Cat And Jack's...

-- Dave