Smelly Jeans

Try washing them in hot water with a cup of white vinegar if you can find it. Then wash again with a cup of baking soda. Or add the baking soda into the tub w the white vinegar if you don’t want to do a separate load. That has worked for when I had to wash my son’s mildewy smelling clothes when he came home from college his freshman year. Hope this helps!

Another vote for vinegar followed by baking soda. I regularly use vinegar when washing towels and washcloths/dishcloths.

You might try some white vinegar (although your jeans may end up smelling like salad dressing if you don’t rinse them well).

Laura's response is priceless! Definitely don't use balsamic 😂

Frank I am not sure where you are now but in the US there are detergents specific for stinky workout wear (Hex is one brand). They work best if you can let the clothes soak a bit after the detergent is mixed in but before rinsing. Worth a shot even doing that with regular detergent.

I suggesst google Fabreeze and any other smelly clothes products and then show the results to a staffperson in a grocery store or laundry. I have found that if they can see a picture and description of the kind of product I am looking for, someone may know a comparable or related prodiuct in their country. You didn't say where you are, but you also might try googling French or whatever version of Fabreeze.

Another vote for vinegar. I would let it soak in vinegar with water for a bit. Then wash like you do with regular clothes.
I had a pair of clothes stink from smoke after spending too much time next to a bonfire at the Sahara desert. I washed next day at my next hotel in the sink with detergent from home and nothing. I washed with regular clothes upon arrival and nothing. I finally soaked in vinegar/water for a full day and washed and it is back to normal!

Vinegar was on my list of things to try.

I'm currently in the Czech Republic so no US brands.

My hotel next week has a laundry room. I'll try soaking the Jeans in vinegar and then taking them to the laundry room. My hotel the following week has a w/d in the room.

I haven't work them yet but I'm thinking of getting them outside. Perhaps some fresh air might help

How long should they soak?

If that doesn't work, I'll go buy a new pair.

How long should they soak?

At least a couple of hours, I would say. If that is feasible with your travel schedule.

Probably difficult without at least a balcony, but I've found airing things outside does the trick. I put shoes out on my deck, and once got a really nasty/funky smell out of a large basket that was delivered with it. Took a few days, but it worked.

I hope you can find some of these items while on your travels to use. One other thing that I have used is tea tree oil. It is a natural fungicide. If you can locate some, put on a few drops or spray a washcloth with a tea tree oil solution and put it in the dryer with your vinegar/ baking soda washed jeans.

I don’t know if guys get as attached to their jeans as women, but I know I would be sad if I couldn’t save my favorite pair! Good luck Frank!

Our house burned when I was a senior in high school a LONG time ago (think last century). Some clothes that were in dressers were somewhat salvageable and we found the best thing to get the smell out (and smoke smell is HARD to get out) was to wash them in plain white vinegar as previously posted, and then hang them out in the sun to dry. So, if you are in a place with some sunshine and quite a few hours, it is definitely worth a try.

Dry cleaning?

currently in the Czech Republic so no US brands

Isn’t Heinz vinegar universal? Apparently not!

My suggestion was going to be white vinegar, too, but I wasn’t going to suggest baking soda, which I imagine will accelerate fading of your jeans, if that’s any concern. As suggested above, soak for at least 2 hours, but 6 hours would be better, if not overnight. Washing with straight vinegar was also mentioned above, and I could see that being a good approach, followed by a regular washing with detergent. Dry outside in the shade, if possible, to limit fading. Once dry, the denim will be stiffer than if you’d used a dryer, but fresh air will help the deodorization efforts, and the fabric will soften again as you wear them.

If all of the above recommendations aren’t completely successful, would any Czech recommend soaking the jeans in beer, by any chance? Wash them well afterwards, so you don’t wind up smelling like a used keg.

Frank II,

If white vinegar's the thing, I did a quick search for "bílý ocet" in Prague as an example. What came up was the Benu pharmacy chain of which there are a number of outlets in the capital city. Benu's listing for "bílý ocet" is:

https://www.benu.cz/bily-ocet

However, I don't see anything smaller than 0.5-litre in their online listing.

I think there's a version of OxyClean for smelly clothes. https://www.oxiclean.com/en/products/stain-fighters It's the one called OxyClean Odor Blaster. (I haven't tried it yet) Good luck! I bought a pair of workout pants, used but "new with tags" and when they came they smelled like someone's awful Bounce sheet. I have washed over and over in the vinegar and baking soda, and still they smell. So whatever you try, just do it over and over and over.

Unfortunately, I don't have any place to hang the jeans outside. My only alternative is to wear them as I walk around the city. I might do this. Yesterday, I wore the sweater that also had a slight smell. By the end of the day, the smell was gone.

When I said no access to US brands, I didn't mean white vinegar. I meant US "brands."

My next hotel has a laundry room with paid washers and dryers. The following week I will have a w/d in my room.

However.....these are not expensive jeans I also don't get emotionally attached to clothes. I just found out that there is a shopping mall near my next hotel--I've been there during a previous trip--that has a store exclusively selling this brand of jeans. I may just go in and buy a new pair. As long as they have my size. It's less than a 10 minute walk from my hotel.

Considering how much I've already spent on supplies to clean the jeans, it may be financially prudent to just buy a new pair.

I find jeans with lycra (or other stretch materials added) tend to be too hot in summer. I prefer jeans with cotton only as the material as that lets the body ‘breathe’ . So, my advice is to buy cotton only jeans and find the small label hidden inside that tells you what the material is before buying. (If it says ’stretch’ - you can be sure that some form of plastic - probably lycra - is incorporated).

Jeans that are too tight also inhibit movement. If buying non stretch jeans that are cotton only - allow for shrinkage.

As far as ease of solution, are you in a hotel? If so, does your hotel offer laundry service? If so, this might be an occasion where handing them off to industrial laundry service might be worth it, and it won't impact your time.

White vinegar is used for cleaning everywhere in Europe. We buy it by the liter or two-liter containers in grocery stores.

Today is May 1, so your supermarkets may be closed but any little market will have it at the cleaning products.

Air and sunlight should take care of the mildew, too. FYI, people should leave their washing machine doors slightly ajar and the little drawer where we put the products should be left slightly open after every wash. I find that mildew can be a problem in these apartment rentals where the washing machines and dishwashers are closed up tight. Check that machine in your next hotel before you do your next wash.

If you want to use this machine again, you can buy washing machine cleaner at the grocery store. Run it through, and that should take care of the mildew in the machine. Try drying your clothes on a rack instead of in the machine next time.

Our machines in Europe are compact which may add to the propensity for mildew. I would think that any machine that both washes and dries would be even more likely to have this problem if there is any drainage issue.

I think one of the problems with the in-room w/d is that people shut the door to the machine and to the cabinet it is in before letting it air out. That will cause problems.

The hotel also provides detergent tables to use in the machine negating the need for liquids in the soap dispenser.

When I reported the issue, the hotel sent someone up who did a good job in cleaning the machine.

Drying racks are not readily available in hotel rooms. Neither, unfortunately, are outside areas to hang clothes to dry.

Here in Czechia, it seems everything is open today except for offices. I checked with the local market and they are open.

The plan today is to spray the rest of the vodka on the jeans. If that doesn't work, I'll wear them outside all day tomorrow to see if that helps. If that doesn't work, I might send them off to be professionally cleaned. (It's only about $5.) If that doesn't work....new jeans.

Just a little note, as I 100% agree with the vinegar being the way to go - watch out, all..... vinegars have become part of the shrinkflation epidemic, unfortunately. Some now contain 4% acidity vs the normal 5%. I know,, I know. Who could tell a 1% difference ? Those who use it for canning food products. I'm always making certain to check since I learned of the change. Would it matter in my laundry ? I'm not going to find out.

Considering how much I've already spent on supplies to clean the jeans, it may be financially prudent to just buy a new pair.

In my opinion, that's the best idea yet! No sense throwing more good money after bad, not to mention the value of the time spent trying to fix the situation.

Might be time for a new pair of Jeans.........just sayin'....

Another vote for distilled vinegar and maybe baking soda.

If that doesn't do it, try putting them in a large ziploc bag with some of those charcoal packets they sell for putting in stinky shoes or hanging in closets. Make sure to "activate" the charcoal packets in the sun first.
Or time for some new jeans.

Thinking about this a little more,
you want something that will absorb the odor not wash it away.

For that I would try putting the jeans in a ziploc bag with a refrigerator box of baking soda for a few days.

We had a stinky, fishy smelling refrigerator at work that the cleaning crew was not having any success with trying to scrub away the odor. I finally brought in some baking soda that we poured on paper plates on several shelves and also some distilled vinegar that we set in open bowls on several shelves. The smell was gone in a day or two. The cleaning lady couldn't believe it.

Then dispose by dumping the baking soda down the kitchen sink followed by the vinegar.

Are they the $20 Costco jeans or some $300+ designer label jeans?

If closer to the former, replace them, if the latter it may be worth the bother to go to a car dealership and find out who does their 'detailing'. They may have an ozone generator which will remedy the problem. A used car I bought had been smoked in, but an overnight with the ozone machine left it "Spring fresh"

Ask a dry cleaner if they can fix it or suggest what will?

I remember getting Olomoucké tvarůžky stinky cheese at a cafe in Prague many years ago, and also the Rick Steves episode where he’s given some at a table, along with onions to cover up the breath of anyone who’s eaten it. Maybe some of that Czech cheese got into the washer and/or somehow got on the jeans.

Maybe try washing them in onion juice, using the cafe’s strategy, but then you’ve got onion aromas to deal with.

They are Lee Jeans and I think I got them at Kohls for like $35. My next stop is Prague and they have a Wrangler/Lee jeans store. My only problem is that I am a fairly big guy and I need larger sizes. Not as easly to come by in Europe.

Vodka update......I got a better spray bottle and sprayed my remaining vodka on the jeans. It has definitely helped. But I ran out of vodka. I only bought a 0.2 liter bottle. I plan to buy some more today and spray the jeans again.

Frank... we need an update!!!

I used the vodka. After three rounds of "spray and let dry," the smell completely disappeared. Each time I drenched the jeans and they dried without leaving any smell of vodka. No need to replace the jeans.

One thing, if you do this, make sure you buy the cheapest vodka available. That way, you won't be too tempted to drink it instead of using it for "aromatic" purposes.

How big a bottle did it take?

Here the liquor taxes are so high, new jeans might be cheaper

I wound up using about 0.5 L in total. The bottle was a bit bigger but was on sale for about $7. (I really soaked the jeans including the inside.)

There was some vodka left in the bottle and I left it for housekeeping.

I travel with a small 50ml spray bottle to help spray out wrinkles in my clothes. That was too small so I bought a bigger, more powerful spray bottle for about $3. It was left as well.

So the Lee Jeans cocktail was sprayed, and neither shaken nor stirred! No twist of lemon peel for a little citrus zing?

They were slightly shaken as I did that to smooth them out before hanging.

I came very close to buying a bottle of vermouth.