Formaldehyde: It’s not just for embalming anymore
August 20, 2007 by Badbadivy
Dear Home-Ec 101,
Could you please tell me what that awful chemical smell is on some new jeans? How I can get rid of it? I tried adding 1 cup of vinegar in my wash with soap 3 times and they still stink. I really love the jeans and hope you have a solution for me.
Thanks,
Stinky Jeans
Ivy says:
The smell you are referring to is most likely formaldehyde. I used to work for Old Navy and I’d come home with that smell all over me. My dad would tease me about smelling like a mortician, because that’s the chemical that is most often used in embalming. In clothing manufacturing formaldehyde is used because, in theory, when combined with urea (Yes! That’s pee! Ewwww!) it makes the clothing more wrinkle resistant, stain resistant, and is a disinfectant (what self respecting germ could survive that?). For you chemistry nerds out there, here’s a wikipedia article on formaldehyde.
So, what’s the best way to get rid of the smell? Borax and/or baking soda. When I worked at Old Navy, I would use baking soda to wash my hands when I got home. It usually worked.
In your case, I’d probably use a cup of baking soda per load of new clothing. It may take several washings as some companies are now using even stronger disinfectants and even pesticides to protect the clothing during clothing is storage. Those chemicals are even harder to get out.
Getting Rid Of That New Clothing Stink…
It’s back to school time and you need to get that nasty chemical smell out of the kids’ new clothing. What is that smell and how do you get it out? Home-Ec 101 has the answer….
Kennedy’s uniform t-shirts for school are the same way. I’ve washed them all 3 times and still the chemical smell. I even put fabric softener on them. I’ll try the baking soda. Thanks.
The European Union has decided on the date September 22, 2007 to ban Formaldehyde use throughout Europe, because of its carcinogenic properties. [7]
Great, give me another thing to worry about Ivy:) So my child is wearing around clothes soaked in solutions know to cause cancer.. will the baking soda actually take the formaldehyde out of the clothing or just get rid of it’s odor?
Samantha,
Enough washing will remove it, and since we all know baking soda has good cleaning properties as well as the scent-removing properties, I expect it will.
Thanks:)
I hope it rids the clothes of the nasty stuff… but for reference, do you think it will cause her “stain resistant” and “no iron” Kaki uniform shorts to stain easier and need ironing? Not that I mind if I’m ridding them of a carcinogen, just didn’t know if you can “wash” that outta them.
yikes. did not know this, kind of wish I still didn’t. ignorance was bliss.
I have issues with chemicals and now I really am gonna have to think about the clothing I buy.
Thanks, I guess
Formaldehyde in clothing also makes it more flammable, and can cause contact dermatitis. Washing will remove the chemical treatment. Baking soda adsorbs (yes, that’s spelled right, it is a chemical process, no a physical one) some of it, but does not neutralize it.
Try soaking the clothes in a plastic tub containing hot salt water with a little bit of lemon juice in it — place a stainless steel spoon on one side of the clothing and a wad of aluminum foil on the other…there are usually metal salts in the sprayed on solution, and the anode effect you create this way may help pull the stuff out of the fabric.
Will the salt water/lemon juice bath fade or otherwise damage the clothing? These are manditory school uniforms that have to be kept free of defects of any kind to wear to school and I sure as heck don’t want to have to purchase more. Thanks for the info!
I wish the only formaldehyde I had to worry about was in some new jeans. I am enduring Gross Anatomy class this semester. Ugh.
Thanks for the baking soda tip.
I had no idea that there were that many chemicals on new clothing. crazy