Club Obi Wan

I have read that there are some that say putting a leather jacket in the washing machine (but never the dryer) can be done safely.

I have a few thrift-shop and ebay jackets that I treated with my mixture of leather scented oil, so the leather smells great. Brand new, in fact - but the cuffs and lining still smell like somebodys basement. Of course, this smell comes off on your clothing as well.

Don't tell me about coffee grounds and Febreeze and such, because I have been there and done that. Now some of these jackets smell like they were kept in somebody's basement along with coffee grounds and Febreeze. All of the odors are distinct and recognizable, but it is the underlying smell of mold that prevails. Plus the Febreeze that I bought smells kind of girly.

I would never do this to a Wested or any jacket that I cared a lot about since I wouldn't let it get that way to begin with, but I have to ask. Has anybody done this and had good results? Has anybody done this and had disasterous results?

Thanks in advance,
Rick

I don't know if I remember correctly, but I had a friend who got the mildew smell out of suede pants (why he had these I don't know, nor do I want to) with foot powder (I think?). Maybe someone else can concur

While I don't know definitively about removing, in order to prevent it from occurring wipe your leather item with a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol and let it air-dry after excessive use. Once dry, apply Pecards to the leather.

You could always play it off as a new "natural" cologne.

Arkansas Smith

I have bought old jackets and overcoats in the past which did have a lingering aroma about them. Sent 'em to the dry cleaners for a few quid and they came up roses. Wouldn't put them in the washer though if I were you - could ruin them!

Regards,

Alan

rick, I know this sounds a little odd, but have you tried putting them out in sunlight? Sometimes that can do a lot toward ridding an item of that good ol' mildew smell. I've tried it before, and it seems to work. In fact, after hanging in a closet in Africa for almost a month, my A-2 was SERIOUSLY mildewed...and I got rid of the smell with the old "bright sunlight" treatment. May not work with all leather items, though. Just my $.02 worth.

rick, I know this sounds a little odd, but have you tried putting them out in sunlight?

Sunlight in New Hampshire this year is like Bigfoot & the Loch Ness Moster. I hear that some people see them from time to time, but I have not witnessed the event personally.

Seriously, that is how I dried the Febreeze. I had the jacket inside out in the sun on one of those rare occasions where the sun was shining and I was not at work. The other time we have clear skies is at night and that seems to decrease the odds of the sun being handy for my needs.

Thanks for the additional ideas, but the point of the post was to find someone who threw their jacket in the washing machine. I read it somewhere, but it may have been at another board.

for theatre we spray vodka on clothes to get smells out. I know that method has been around for hundreds of years. Worth a shot.

The "washing machine" story was from _. It was not to get the smell out, but rather some poison oak he got on his jacket from a camping trip. He took it to the cleaner and they wouldn't touch it. So out of desparation, he threw it in the washer. I am not sure what he threw in the water, but something like "woolite" would make sense. I am fairly certain that he did not use the dryer. If he did it was strictly "air dry".

Bottom Line: The jacket come out clean, but super soft.

I would imagine a coat of Pecards was put on the jacket after it dried.

-S

for theatre we spray vodka on clothes to get smells out. I know that method has been around for hundreds of years. Worth a shot.

I can't tell if the "shot" pun was intentional or not... I cannot waste vodka like that. It can be put to better use... Actually, I will keep this in mind, but I really want to clean the jacket as well as get the mildewy smell out.

Thanks Sergei, that is it! Gee, and super soft - who would want that?

I thought _ used a pressure washer at a car wash? After he was done , he let it air dry and then Pecards. I might be wrong, but I think this is what he did........Rip.

Why not try a little Arm & Hammer baking soda? That stuff works on refrigerators and musty rooms. Sprinkle some over your jacket and not only should it absorb any odor, it will also give you that 'fresh out of the Well of Souls' coat of dust we all love so well.