How to Get Perfume Smell Out of Clothes

This post shares the best tips and tricks for how to get perfume smell out of clothes including dry clean only clothing.

Recently I ordered a dress, and when it arrived it smelled so strongly of perfume that I couldn't even keep it in the house. Now, many people love wearing perfume to help them smell nice, but I personally try and stay away from perfumes and any artificial fragrances.

If you've been following me for a while you would have heard me talk about the health risks of fragrances (including perfumes) before. In a nut shell, fragrances can contain ingredients that can be bad for our health, including hormone disruptors like phthalates. So if you are like me, you might be looking for ways to get that perfume smell out of clothing. Luckily, you can easily remove perfume smells from clothes with just a few simple tricks, using ingredients that you likely already have in your home!

Some scents and smells are harder to remove from clothes than others. For example, "eau de parfum" is more concentrated than "eau de toilette," and body sprays are the least concentrated types of scents. The scents from fabric softeners and dryer sheets are usually the hardest to get rid of since the products use a silicone formula that coats every fiber in the clothing. But don't worry, below I am sharing many different ways to help you get any unwanted fragrance out of your clothes.

Table of Contents

• How to get perfume smell out of clothes
• How to get Perfume out of Dry Clean Only Clothing
• Frequently asked questions:
• Other health information you will be interested in:
• Our expertise:

How to get perfume smell out of clothes

1. Air Out the Clothing

This is the simplest method to remove odors and perfume smells from clothing. This method typically works well for perfumes, colognes, and body sprays, but will likely not be as effective for more stubborn scents from fabric softeners or dryer sheets.

To air out clothing, hang the clothes outside in the fresh air. If you can't hang the item outside, hang it up in a breezy, warm, and sunlit room. If there are plants in the room, even better, as the plants will help absorb the odours. How long the clothing will need to air out will depend on how saturated the scent is. It can take as little as a few hours or as long as a couple weeks.

2. Soak the Clothing in Baking Soda Before Washing

Soak the clothing in a sink or washing machine filled with warm water and one cup of baking soda before washing. You'll want to fully submerge the garment in the baking soda water. How long the clothing needs to soak will depend on how saturated the smell is. Overnight is often long enough, although some scents may require you to soak the clothing for a few days.

3. Wash the Clothing

Washing clothing is often one of the easiest ways to remove perfume smells. For the wash to be even more effective, use the baking soda soaking method described above before you wash the clothes. The other thing that can help remove odors from the clothing is to add some vinegar to the wash. You can do this by adding 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine. The vinegar will help cut through the perfume residue in the clothing fibers. Now, when washing your clothes I always recommend using a non-toxic laundry detergent to avoid any potentially harmful chemicals.

4. Dry Clothing in the Sun

After you've washed your clothing, drying it outside in the sun can help further eliminate odors. Just be careful with coloured clothing as the sun can fade them.

5. Use Lemon Juice and Water

The acidity of lemon juice can help remove scents from clothing. For this method, mix a 1:1 solution of lemon juice and water in a spray bottle. Spray the lemon water mixture onto the piece of clothing where the scent is concentrated (you can even spray the entire garment if you want). Then use a soft brush, such as a toothbrush, to brush the clothing, especially where the scent is most concentrated. This helps the solution penetrates the fabric to better remove any scents. Then let the garment dry.

6. Use a Vinegar Solution

Similar to the lemon juice method above, you can mix a 1:1 solution of white vinegar and water (for example 1 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of water) in a spray bottle and then spray it over the garment and allow it to dry.

7. Use Vodka

Yes vodka. It's not just for drinking. It's actually great for removing odors from clothing. The nice thing about vodka is you don't need to dilute it, you simply pour the vodka into a spray bottle and spray down the smelly areas of the clothes. Then allow the item to air dry.

8. Store Clothing Properly

Try not to store clothing with a strong perfume odor. The perfume will just settle into the fabric and the scent will still be there when you take the clothing out next time. If you don't have time to clean the clothes before storing them, you can place the scented clothes in a sealed plastic tub or heavy-duty plastic bag with a box of baking soda. The baking soda will absorb the odors, just like it does in your refrigerator!

How to get Perfume out of Dry Clean Only Clothing

Besides letting the clothing air out, and storing clothing properly, the other methods above can't be used for dry clean only clothing. Dry clean only clothes need to be handled differently when it comes to getting perfume out of them. Because of their delicate nature, normal water-based methods will be too harsh and leave them saturated in moisture. Instead, use these more gentle methods to get perfume smells out of dry-clean-only clothes.

1. Place the clothes in the sun

For dry clean only garments, the first step is to let them sit in the sun. The sun and wind may completely remove much of the scent, and if nothing else it will dilute it before moving onto the next step.

2. Put the clothes in a box or wardrobe with a scent absorber

If the perfume scent still remains on your dry clean only clothing after airing them outside, you can then try hanging the clothes in an enclosed cardboard box or wardrobe with a scent absorber. There are a couple different scent absorbers that you can try including crumpled up pieces of newspaper or a box of baking soda. Both newspaper and baking soda are items that naturally attract and neutralize scents. Leave your clothes in the box or wardrobe for at least 72 hours to help get the perfume smell or odor out.

I hope this was helpful! If you have any other tips or tricks for getting perfume smells out of clothing please let me know and I will add them to this list. 

Frequently asked questions:

Other health information you will be interested in:

• Best non toxic hair care products
• Easy ways to live a healthy lifestyle
• The best non-toxic deodorants
• Is there mercury in your mascara?
• Is mineral or chemical sunscreen better?
• How to choose safe cookware

Our expertise:

Dr. Erin Carter, MD, FRCPC, is a physician with board certifications in internal medicine and rheumatology. She is passionate about preventative healthcare including nutrition, environmental health and low toxicity living. She is also a self-trained chef and has been creating and publishing healthy recipes since 2015. Her recipes have been featured on many different websites and online publications.