After an amazing night around the campfire accompanied by stories and songs, you will certainly get up with a strong smell of campfire smoke on your clothes. Spending the night by the campfire is almost inevitable. This is because mother nature always has a way of getting someone to seek warmth from the campfire especially at night.
You need not worry about getting rid of that campfire smell that is not so pleasant. Many campers who came before you had gone through the same ordeal and came up with some useful ways of handling such situations.
Related: How to make a smokeless fire
General Information on Smoke
The form in which smoke comes in cannot be said to be a gas and neither can it be said to be in the solid form. Smoke is made up of very many particles which are always in a constant and random motion. The microscopic particles of the smoke stick to each other very easily and also on any surface.
How do you get campfire smell out of clothes while still camping?
Being away on a camping trip means that you will always be away from people you are familiar with. That does not in any way whatsoever mean that you should spend your days and nights with clothes that have a pungent campfire smell on your clothes. Here are some tips that will enable you to get rid of any strong odors, sweat and the campfire smell to give you a fresh start into your day.
1. Alcohol spray
Other than being great for a party, alcohol is the one key ingredient you can never lack in the perfume manufacturing process. The reason is that when temperatures rise, it heats up and evaporates. This way it releases the odors which have already been soaked in it.
You can make some alcohol spay using some basic things you carry to your camping spree. You only need to mix up some regular vodka which is a must have as you go camping with some clean and warm water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle.
Spray a generous amount of it on your clothes. You just need to leave them out in the sun to dry. This will allow the alcohol to heat up and evaporate, taking with it any bad odors. This simple method will leave your clothes with a fresh smell.
2. Simply rinse out your clothes and hang them out under the sun to dry
You could be wondering how authentic this method is, but it will surely work for you. Rinsing your clothes from the previous night and hanging them under the sun for a considerable duration, say one-hour every morning before you set out for your day’s adventure helps a great deal.
By the time an hour is over, the breeze will have blown away the bad odor from last night’s campfire session. You can do this preferably before breakfast to give them enough time to dry and get a fresher feel for the day and the next thrilling session around the campfire later in the evening.
3. Lemon spray
When looking for household cleaners, you will notice that most of them have lemon scents. The acidic nature of lemons makes them ideal for getting rid of bad odors. For the fact that not everyone has vodka when camping, the lemon spray can be used as a great substitute to get campfire smell out of clothes.
The procedure of making it is similar to that of making the alcohol spray. Get an empty spray bottle, lime or lemon, and some clean and warm water. Fill your spray bottle with warm water, about 80% of the bottle with warm water and 20% of it with lemon juice.
Give your clothes a generous spray of the lemon spray covering all parts of the fabric. Once this is done, hang them under the sun for up to 4 hours. After about 4 hours, your clothes will have a fresh scent, and you will have a fresh start of the day.
You can as well rely on it to keep your sleeping bag, tent and all other camping gear with a fresh scent.
4. Use activated charcoal box
This is quite an effective way of deodorizing your clothes from the campfire smell since you will use no moisture. This means that no time will be wasted as you wait for your clothes to dry out. Place some activated charcoal briquets in a pair of nylon leggings.
Place them in the same box with the clothes affected by the campfire smell. This one takes a little longer, for about six days. After the six days, you can remove your freshened up clothes from the box.
5. Deodorizing product spray
The deodorizing spray comes in handy when you have a very short time to get your clothes all freshened up by getting rid of the campfire smell. You only have to spray all over the fabric of your clothing and leave the moisture to dry up for the next 60 to 90 minutes depending on the material of your clothing. After that short time, your clothes will have a fresh fragrance.
How to Get Campfire Smell Out of Your Clothes at Home
After a camping expedition, the memories could be carried home by the strong campfire smell that clings to your clothes. It could last even longer. This gets many people quite uncomfortable to the extent that they store their clothes separately.
The odor can barely let you stay at ease when you have to be among a large group of people. Do not get rid of those clothes just yet because you can get away the odor.
1. Always use hot water
Washing your clothes using hot water will certainly ensure that the campfire smell gets off them completely. To avoid getting your clothes ruined, check the maximum level of heat they can withstand on the tags.
Make sure that you set the machine cycle to the maximum heat your clothes can handle. The hot water helps in opening up the fiber for the detergent to gain access to the residues of campfire odor within your clothes.
2. Make use of some baking soda
The reason why you keep a box of baking soda open in your refrigerator is the same reason why baking soda is quite popular when it comes to taking odors, especially within the washing machine cycle.
The best thing is that you can never lack it in your kitchen and you only need to use it in its form. Pour about half a cup of it in the washing machine five minutes into the washing cycle.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
| Munchkin® Arm & Hammer Puck Baking Soda Cartridge,... | $7.04 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
| Arm & Hammer Baking Soda - Net Wt 1 lb - (Pack Of 2) | $9.61 $5.92 | Buy on Amazon |
Last update on 2023-12-29 PST / Source: Amazon Affiliates - Details
3. Enzyme cleaners
The effect of enzyme cleaners on smelly clothes after a camping spree is that they literally eat off campfire residues that cause the odor. Mix about ten parts of warm water with a part of your enzyme cleaner.
Submerge the clothes with the campfire odor and let them soak for at least two hours and three hours at most. After the three hours, remove them from the solution and wash them using normal detergent.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
| Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner, 6 Month Supply, Cleans... | $11.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
| Folex Carpet Spot Remover, 32 oz | $23.64 $6.65 | Buy on Amazon |
Last update on 2023-12-29 PST / Source: Amazon Affiliates - Details
4. White vinegar wash
If you did not spend too much time around the campfire, the smell of your clothes should be mild. Add about a cup of white vinegar and the normal laundry detergent of your choice into your washing machine.
After the wash, you can be sure that your clothes will have a fresh scent and you will no longer be embarrassed about walking around with smoky smells on your clothes.
Wrapping up
Read also: How to make a smokeless campfire
There you have it on how to get campfire smell out of clothes. The processes are all simple, and for that, I see no reason why you should spend days with smelly clothes whether you are still camping or after you are done camping. All you need with the simple procedures is patience.
Your patience will reward you by giving your clothes a fresh smell and giving you a fresh start into a new day. If you allow the cleaning process to have adequate time to work their magic on your clothes as per the instructions, you will have no regrets in the long run.
You will always be enjoying the warmth of the campfire without worry of spending a day with clothes reeking of campfire smell. How have you been dealing with the campfire smell on your clothes? Have you ever used any of the procedures that we just discussed above? In case you have another effective method that you would like us to know about, please tell us about it.