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1Airing out Your Clothing
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Formaldehyde is a chemical that is often used to preserve clothes and keep them looking nice before you buy them. If your clothing tag says wrinkle-free, stain-free, static-free, or the fabric has a strong chemical smell, it has most likely been saturated with formaldehyde. If you are sensitive to this chemical, it could cause itchy skin, rashes, or even blisters.[1] Air out your clothing for a simple way to get rid of the smell, soak your clothes in baking soda if you have time, or wash your clothes with vinegar for a quick solution.
Method 1 of 3:
Airing out Your Clothing
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1
Choose a well-ventilated area to hang your clothes. A clothesline outside is the best option to hang your clothes up. If you don’t have one, you can open up your doors and windows to give your room some ventilation as the formaldehyde leaves your clothing. If you are hanging your clothes inside, set up a fan to blow the chemicals from the clothing outdoors.[2]
2
Hang your clothing up on a clothesline or clothing rack. Drape your clothes over a clothesline and attach clothespins to secure them. Or, drape your clothes over a clothing rack and make sure they are centered so that they don’t fall off.[3]
- Don’t hang your clothes in direct sunlight. This could cause them to fade.
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3
Allow your clothes to off gas for at least 12 hours. Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound, or VOC, that will evaporate when it is exposed to air for long enough. Let your clothes sit for at least 12 hours to remove the formaldehyde and any other chemicals that may be in your clothes.[4]
- Leave your clothing to air out longer if you still smell formaldehyde.
Tip: If there are any pesticides or fumigates in your clothes that were sprayed on them during shipment, off gassing will remove those as well.
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Method 2 of 3:
Soaking in Baking Soda
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1
Fill a bucket or sink with warm water. Choose a bucket, sink, or bathtub that is large enough to hold the clothes you’d like to remove the formaldehyde from. Fill it up about ¾ of the way full with warm water.[5]
2
Add 1 cup (230 g) of baking soda to the water. Baking soda reduces odor and gently cleans your clothes, so it is suitable for all clothing materials and colors. Pour some baking soda into the warm water and swirl it around gently to mix the ingredients together.[6]
Tip: If you don’t have baking soda, you can use 1 cup (230 g) of Borax instead.
3
Soak your clothes for 8 hours. Submerge your clothes fully into the water and baking soda mixture. Let the clothes sit overnight or for at least 8 hours to fully remove the formaldehyde.[7]
- If your clothes are especially saturated in formaldehyde, you can soak them for up to 2 days.
4
Rinse your clothing in cold water and allow it to air dry. Take your clothes out of the baking soda mixture and rinse them out completely with cold water. Wring out the excess water and hang them up outside or in a ventilated area to air dry.[8]
- Air drying will help to get rid of any formaldehyde left over in your clothes.
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Method 3 of 3:
Washing with Vinegar
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1
Pour 1 cup (240mL) of white vinegar into the washing machine. White vinegar is a natural deodorizer and can even help to brighten your clothes. Add this ingredient to your washing machine before you start it to combat the formaldehyde in the washer.[9]
- Don’t let your clothes sit in the vinegar. Although it won’t harm your clothes, the acid from the vinegar can be harmful to your washing machine over time.
2
Wash your clothing using cold water and mild detergent. Cold water helps preserve the clothes while they are in your washer. Use a cold wash cycle and laundry detergent to wash and spin your clothing.[10]
Tip: If you are worried about the detergent not rinsing out all the way, put your clothes through a second rinse cycle without any added detergent or vinegar.
3
Allow your clothes to air dry. Hang up your clothes on a clothesline outside or in a ventilated area. Let the clothes dry completely before you wear them.[11]
- If you need your clothes dried quickly, put them in the dryer on a low temperature to avoid any leftover formaldehyde from bonding with the fibers.
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You can air out your clothes, soak them in baking soda, and wash them in vinegar as many times as you’d like to until the formaldehyde smell goes away.
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Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Hannah Madden is a writer, editor, and artist currently living in Portland, Oregon. In 2018, she graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Environmental Studies. Hannah enjoys writing articles about conservation, sustainability, and eco-friendly products. When she isn’t writing, you can find Hannah working on hand embroidery projects and listening to music. This article has been viewed 74,811 times.
Co-authors: 4
Updated: July 27, 2022
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FAQs
You can air out your clothes, soak them in baking soda, and wash them in vinegar as many times as you'd like to until the formaldehyde smell goes away.
What removes formaldehyde from clothing? ›
Baking soda reduces odor and gently cleans clothes. To do this, pour some baking soda into the warm water, swirl it around gently to mix the ingredients, and submerge your clothes in the mixture for at least 8 hours to remove formaldehyde. Rinse in cold water then air dry.
Does laundry detergent remove formaldehyde? ›
Washing with regular detergent should remove around 60% of the formaldehyde in clothes. If you want to increase this number, you can try a few other tricks: Soak in baking soda. Add a cup of baking soda into water and soak your clothing overnight.
What detergent removes formaldehyde? ›
OdorKlenz laundry detergent will effectively neutralize and remove a plethora of chemicals. This includes formaldehyde found in clothes while not damaging the color of your clothes.
How do you Unstink clothes? ›
If an ordinary wash just isn't getting rid of the smell, presoak your clothing for a half hour in a 1:4 solution of vinegar and water. Another effective natural method involves presoaking with a 1/2 cup of baking soda in a sink full of water.
How do you remove formaldehyde naturally? ›
How to get rid of formaldehyde from your indoor air
- Air the house often.
- Clean the house with natural products.
- Avoid buying products containing formaldehyde.
- Keep fireplaces or wood stoves ventilated.
- Operate the extractor fan when you cook.
- Do not smoke inside your home.
- Use an air purifier.
The only available filter that will reduce formaldehyde levels is a carbon air filter. These use small carbon pellets that have molecule-sized holes, cracks, and crannies in them. Chemicals like formaldehyde (and other organic gases) are absorbed on the surfaces of these pellets.
Does vinegar remove formaldehyde? ›
You can air out your clothes, soak them in baking soda, and wash them in vinegar as many times as you'd like to until the formaldehyde smell goes away.
How do you Unstink a shirt without washing it? ›
Vinegar: Combine half water and half vinegar into a spray bottle. Shake it up and spritz your musty-smelling clothing with the solution. If you add a few drops of essential oils to the mix that will help eliminate the smell of vinegar. You'll want to let your clothing air out for a bit otherwise.
Should you add vinegar to laundry? ›
Vinegar seems to neutralize odors, leaving your clothing smelling clean. It can reduce odors from smoke, pets, and sweat. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to your laundry to deodorize smelly clothes.
Clothing with A Chemical Smell
As I mentioned above, chemical smell in clothing is a sure sign of excessive formaldehyde. Simple rule - do not buy them!
Can toxic chemicals be washed out of clothing? ›
Washing all clothes before the first wear can be helpful in eliminating some of the chemicals used in production, but just like you can't fully “remove” the pesticides by washing a non-organically grown vegetable, you can't remove all the toxins and synthetics from a piece of clothing with a cycle in the washing ...
How do you get rid of formaldehyde fast? ›
Three effective ways of removing formaldehyde from your home are to open a window, use an air purifier with an activated carbon filter, or perform a home cookout.
Does heat remove formaldehyde? ›
Formaldehyde cookouts remove formaldehyde because formaldehyde is more volatile under higher temperatures and humid conditions. Therefore, heating up a room that has high-formaldehyde materials such as plywood, paints, carpets, and furniture can help reduce formaldehyde levels.
What are 4 everyday items that contain formaldehyde? ›
Household products such as glues, permanent press fabrics, paints and coatings, lacquers and finishes, and paper products; Preservatives used in some medicines, cosmetics and other consumer products such as dishwashing liquids and fabric softeners; and. Fertilizers and pesticides.
How is formaldehyde cleaned up? ›
A splash of concentrated formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde: Wipe up the splash with paper towels and place the paper towels into a fume hood to minimize inhalation exposures. Clean any contaminated surface with cold water at least two times.
Is formaldehyde in clothes harmful? ›
Clothing items with excessive formaldehyde is harmful especially to children because of their sensitive skin. Constant contact with such clothing items will cause dermatitis and other similar skin conditions.
How do you dissolve formaldehyde? ›
Formaldehyde stock solution (20%)
Heat at 60°C on a stir plate in a ventilated chemical fume hood to dissolve. Add a trace of NaOH to help dissolve the paraformaldehyde (no more than 1 mL of 1 N NaOH to 100 mL of H2O). Do not overheat; if the solution boils or turns brown, discard and start over.
How do you remove formaldehyde from non iron shirts? ›
Soak Your Non-Iron Shirt in Baking Soda
Soak your shirt in baking soda for several hours or overnight before washing. Rather than soaking your shirt for days at once, it's more effective to soak it overnight, wash it, dry it, and repeat the cycle a few times before wearing.
How do you test for formaldehyde in clothes? ›
A small piece of fabric is added to 2–3 mL of a solution of 10 mg chromotropic acid per 100 mL of 72% sulphuric acid. Warm the solution carefully to not more than 100°C for 1 min. A red to violet colour in the solution indicates the presence of formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is absorbed through intact skin and may cause irritation or allergic dermatitis; rapid metabolism makes systemic effects unlikely following dermal exposure.
How long does it take to remove formaldehyde? ›
The levels reduce over time. Most formaldehyde is released by 2 years [Park and Ikeda 2006].
Is formaldehyde reversible? ›
In addition, formaldehyde cross-links are reversible, which has the advantage of allowing complexes to be dissociated if desired but may also present a problem if undesired dissociation occurs in the course of an experiment.
Can you air out formaldehyde? ›
Open your windows, especially when it's breezy outside. Increase the ventilation rate (number of air exchanges) with an Air Purifier. Heat and humidity accelerate the release of formaldehyde so the use of an air conditioner and/or dehumidifier will help reduce emissions.
