Smoking Quilt

[aktbone]

Ok out there -

I am a non-smoker.

Any suggestion on handling a smoker's quilt that reeks! YUCK!

[slluboch]

Try Febreze Fabric Refresher. I know the Febreze air freshners work great for litter box odors and such. I would think the fabric refresher would work just as good. Since it is made for fabric I doubt if it would stain anything. Although I would try it on some other fabric first.

I would be afraid to wash it prior to quilting. I would think the raw edge seems would all ravel.

[seakitten]

Fabreeze. And don't take another one from her.

[RitaR]

Tonilyn, I'd say good old fresh air, but your location doesn't quite make that handy. Check your u2u, please.

[ffq-lar]

Febreeze will mask the odor long enough to quilt it, but you may still get residual yuckiness on your leaders. This can transfer to your next quilt. If it can't be aired outside, which is the best solution, place in a plastic bag with lots of room and add some charcoal briquettes wrapped loosely in a pillow case to protect the fabric. Break the charcoal into a few smaller pieces if you can. The more surface of charcoal the better. Use cheap untreated charcoal, not the easy-light kind. Tie the top of the bag, making sure there is lots of air inside. This treatment will take several days but will remove the smoke smell.

When the time comes to discuss this with your customer (which will be when she asks you to quilt her second one ) you have a couple of options. You can carefully explain that while her quilts are beautiful and a pleasure to work on, you advertise that you quilt in a smoke-free environment and have customers with serious smoke allergies. Because of the transfer of particles (don't say "ugly smells"!) that can happen via your fabric leaders, she must bring you smoke-free tops. This means she will need to launder hers before drop-off. Or you can say YOU have allergies and had some difficulties with her quilt. It's a rather neutral way to get your point across. Smokers can't tell that everything they have in their lives smells! But former smokers will tell you nothing smells worse to them than smoke-smelly rooms/fabric/breath!

[ginnysnowden]

Also, Clotilda (spelling could be wrong) has a spray that eleminates the smoke odor. Do all the above then use this for any residue. This stuff works wonderfully.

Ginny

[quiltmonkey]

I have gotten 1 or 2 quilts with smoke smell. I just hung the quilt outside for a day and most of the smell dissipated. Helped a lot!

[Neher-in-law5]

I would encourage the Fabreeze and charcoal, but also using a fresh air treatment. I know that Alaska has a lot of fresh air, is there a way to hang it in the garage during the day, or on a porch, maybe with a muslin over it for sun exposure purposes?

[quiltmonkey]

I draped the smokey quilt over my outside deck railing for the day. Fresh air treatment worked wonders.

[doodlebug]

i bought a top off of ebay (before i knew any better) and it showed up reeking of smoke. it was mine, so i had the luxury of time- i hung in the closet (on a hanger) with the washer and dryer for a couple weeks....that helped.

i've done the same as linda but instead of charcoal, throw in a box of baking soda with the peel-off sides meant for the refrigerator in a big rubbermaid plastic container with a good fit lid, it worked a miracle.

[Primitive1]

I have also heard that it you put it into a garbage bag with a bar of irish spring it should help....

[Quilting Heidi]

I personally wouldn't take it. I have lung issues and I wouldn't risk it. I hate the smell of smoke.

[LadyLake]

I put those kind of quilts in the garage, hanging up for a few days until they air out.

[Merryjo2003]

I hang them outside and spray them with fabreeze. Sometimes it takes a couple of days and a second treatment to get rid of the smell. I don't get very many of the smoky ones, so I feel pretty lucky.