clothes question

[KellyHabersham]

Not sure quite how to word this, but......anyone have any suggestions on how to make polyester NOT smell bad? My reason for asking is that last week, I got a dress at Wal-Mart which I'm saving for a trip to California next month, and the said dress smells like it's made out of shark skin. (oddly enough, it's got what you'd call a "shark bite" skirt)

It CAN be washed in a machine, but I've not done so yet because sometimes things don't look quite the same after they've been in the dryer.

[ArcticChicken]

Wash it and then hang it to dry? I would at least hang it someplace with good airflow, even if you don't wash it

[Seshat]

Rinse it in vinegar-water. (1 cup vinegar, 1 bucket water). You can use apple vinegar if you want it to smell like apples afterwards. White vinegar, however, is what I use.

OR: sprinkle with bicarb soda, roll it up, wrap in a clean towel, leave it for a few hours, then shake it out.


It's probably the mordant from the dye, or the dyes themselves, making it stink. I really would recommend washing it before you wear it (I have scars from allergy to some dye, mordant, or whatever, from the body pillow I started using before I washed it).

So: I strongly recommend washing it to get mordant and excess dye out.

If it still smells after that, vinegar and bicarb soda are both excellent odour absorbers. Give either of them a chance to work.
Please don't use them both simultaneously; they neutralise each other. (And you'll make a vinegar/baking soda volcano. Which is harmless, but very surprising if you're not expecting it.)

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I don't know how it works with polyester, I've only used it with natural materials, so use with caution with something you want to keep nice, but I've used many very stinky, sink into the clothes and never get out chemicals at jobs, and the only thing I have found that gets out the smell is pine oil. 1/2 cup or so in a bucket of water, soak for an hour or overnight, wring out and wash as usual.

***I don't know if this will stain man-made fabrics, please test on something disposable first***

[MoonCat]

Do you have Dr Bronner's soap in your area? I've found the lavender one is very good at getting rid of odors. I wash socks in it . Rinses out well, too.

[Kit-Ginevra]

What's a shark-bite skirt? Does it have big chomps out of it?

[fireheart]

What's a shark-bite skirt? Does it have big chomps out of it?

I'm guessing that the hem is asymmetrical, but instead of it going from one side to another, it'll dip up and down in places.

Something like this

I have never heard the term "shark bite" either

[Kit-Ginevra]

This is a shark bitten skirt