Freshen Up! How to Get Food Smells Out of Clothes

Have you ever put on a pair of jeans or a sweater the morning after you’ve cooked a big meal, and find that your clothes still have a faint, lingering eau de pot roast? Short of putting them through the wash, here’s what we do to get rid of the odor!

If we’re thinking ahead, we hang our clothes up before going to sleep. Hang each article of clothing on a separate hanger and put them somewhere well ventilated. If it’s warm outside, we put them next to an open window. Otherwise, we just hang them in a door frame or somewhere with a bit of airflow. The food smells are usually gone the next morning.

If that doesn’t work (or we fell into bed too exhausted to remember!), we throw the jeans into the dryer with either a dryer sheet or a sachet of herbs. The ten minutes between eating breakfast and getting out the door usually does the trick.

Another good tip that we came across recently is to close your closet or bedroom door if you know you’re going to be cooking something with a lingering odor. This helps keep the smells from getting into your bed clothes and clean clothes.

What do you do to get food smells out of clothes?

Related: Survey: Do You Wear an Apron While Cooking?

(Image: Flickr member mysza831 licensed under Creative Commons)