Although the smell of perfume is generally pleasant, sometimes we might want to get it out of our clothes.
So, whether you’re trying to remove the stale perfume smell, or you’ve bought something second-hand, what’s the best option for getting rid of the smell?
In this article, we’ll look at the best options for how to get perfume smell out of clothes. First, let’s look at some information worth knowing to help you deal with the issue.
Prepping Your Clothes for Cleaning
The first step is to figure out exactly what you’re dealing with. It might seem obvious, as perfume is perfume, right? Well, not necessarily.
Eau de parfum is “traditional” perfume and is the strongest product you’ll be dealing with.
Eau de toilette is next. Parfum contains 10-20% essential oils and has much more staying power than toilette, which is usually up to 15% essential oils.
Finally, there’s body spray, which shouldn’t leave much of a lingering aroma.
But why does this matter? It can make a difference because less resilient products can usually just be aired out of your clothes, whereas stronger perfumes will need some kind of treatment.
Next, you need to figure out whether you can wash the item of clothing. If it can’t be washed, this might limit your options, even beyond laundering it as normal.
Some materials should be kept away from water as much as possible, meaning you might not even be able to spritz them.
Figure this out before reading through the list of cleaning methods, so you know which methods to try.
How to Get Perfume Smell Out of Clothes
Method 1: Wash your clothes
This is a pretty obvious start, but just wash the item as normal. Provided you use a quality laundry detergent, this should get rid of the perfume smell.
However, a resilient perfume (and/or a poor detergent) will mean you’re left with some lingering aroma.
If possible, try this before any other method, just so you can cut down on the level of perfume smell you’re trying to remove.
Method 2: Air out the clothes
The second most obvious option is to air out the clothing, ideally outside. The combination of sunlight and a breeze should be enough to strip all but the most powerful smells from your clothing.
Sunlight can damage some fabrics, but it shouldn’t be an issue for the length of time they’ll be hanging outside. However, if you’re concerned, turn the item inside out before hanging outside.
Method 3: Spray with vinegar
If you’re familiar with DIY cleaning products, you’ll already know about the power of white vinegar.
It’s great at removing odours because the acetic acid bonds with volatile compounds, which are what form smells.
Although perfume is a pleasant smell, it still follows the same logic as bad odours.
Simply mix 5-10 ml of white vinegar with 500 ml of water and pour into a spray bottle.
Spray it on your clothes and hang them to dry, ideally somewhere with a breeze. This should be enough to remove weak or old perfume smells but might not work on strong ones.
You could always spray the item again if you didn’t get the desired results the first time around.
However, if it hasn’t worked after two sprays, you might need to try something else.
Method 4: Soak the clothes before washing
Soaking your clothes before washing them normally can help pull out or neutralise smells before the detergent gets to work. The best product for this job is bicarbonate of soda, which is a popular deodoriser.
Mix around 50 grams with 5 litres of warm water and soak your garment overnight if possible. If not, a few hours will be fine. From there, wash as normal with laundry detergent, and hang to dry.
You can also soak the item in white vinegar and water instead. It accomplishes the same job as the bicarb, and washing the clothes will get rid of any lingering vinegar smell. For vinegar, mix 50 ml with 5 litres of warm water.
Method 5: Add products to your washing cycle
If you can’t be bothered to soak your clothes, you can add bicarb and vinegar to the wash cycle.
The only disadvantage is that they won’t necessarily have long enough to work on the perfume smell. However, it’s a quicker process all round, so is useful if you’re in a rush.
Add a few tablespoons of either bicarb or white vinegar to your washing machine’s detergent drawer.
Don’t bother using both products together, as they cancel each other out. Then, just set the washing cycle as normal.
Method 6: Go to a dry cleaner
What do you do if none of the above methods has worked, or if you can’t wash the item that smells?
Well, you pull out the big guns and visit a dry cleaner. Lingering perfume smells will be small work for the kind of cleaning products they use, so they’ll easily get your clothes smelling fresh again.
Dry cleaners use solvents instead of normal laundry detergents, which can make quick work of stubborn stains or odours.
It’s common for people to take wool or delicate items to dry cleaners, but they’ll work on pretty much anything.
When you take your clothes in, explain specifically what the problem is. Although they’ll generally use the same cleaning method, it’s worth telling them you need to remove perfume smell so they know what they’re doing.
It might be a bit more expensive than washing at home, but it’s a guaranteed option for getting rid of strong odours.
Final Thoughts
At least one of these options for how to get perfume smell out of clothes should work. Washing and airing can do wonders for gentler or older smells, but can lack the power needed to get rid of a strong perfume smell.
If all else fails, a dry cleaner will be able to do the job for you. Either way, try as many of the at-home options as you can before paying them as a visit, as you might find repeating them will get the job done.
Jacob is a writer based in Wales, where he lives with his partner and two dogs. All his work is fuelled by extensive research and buckets of coffee.
