How To Get Sulfur Smell Out Of Clothes

How to get sulfur smell out of clothes is a hot topic that often presents on Twitter trending. Many people consider that the sulfur smell is toxic or harmful for their health, and finding the measures to get rid of these smells is unavoidable.

Although scientists have proved that sulfur is not toxic, the sulfur smell can leave some unexpected disease symptoms. These illnesses often happen when you have smelled for a long time, and the smell concentration mainly comes from clothes.

That’s why you can’t miss this article because it will provide different methods to treat the sulfur smells on your clothes. Keep reading to learn more now!

Sulfur Smell And Amazing Facts You Don’t Know

Sulfur is a chemical substance that originates from the Latin term “sulpur”. The word “sulpur” changed into “sulfur” in the 3rd century, and it’s widely used until now. You can find sulfur anywhere in your daily life.⁽¹⁾

Sulfur contributes to 0,3% of components in your body. Moreover, you can also find sulfur in various foods with protein content such as eggs, meats, fish, onions, cabbage, etc. In fact, pure sulfur doesn’t have any smell, but hydrogen sulfur is the opposite. ⁽²⁾

You can find the presence of hydrogen sulfur in rotten foods such as rotten eggs. Sulfur has many significant usages in daily works, but its smell sometimes causes unexpected adverse effects on your health. Scroll down and read the next section for more information.

Health Risks When Suffering Sulfur Smell

The hydrogen sulfide smell doesn’t have severe influences on your body. Some people who have previous irritations with gas may feel more uncomfortable than other people. Usually, the sulfur smell mainly impacts your mental health, such as easy-to-anxiety or resentment.

However, when you suffer from a high rate of sulfur smell, your nose will get very stuffy and even need the help of doctors in some cases. That’s why you need to identify the causes and treat them immediately.

The Causes Of Sulfur Smell On Your Clothes

One of the most common places that sulfur smells occur is your clothes. When you find your clothes smelling like gas, the sulfur smell has likely lingered on your clothes. Here are some reasons that may cause these odors on your clothes:

• The mineral spa
• The polluted water sources caused by litter or deposits
• A cream with sulfur content
• The water heater
• Medical substances
• Mite/Scabies treatment

The most important thing that you should do before treating your clothes is to check the source of the sulfur smell. If there is any problem with the water sink or water heater, you should fix them immediately or ask the experts to help.

Now that you have found the causes, you can apply the following methods below to eliminate the sulfur smell on your garments.

Step-By-Step Instructions To Get Sulfur Smell Out Of Clothes

After hard working days, you must be depressed when you suddenly find the sulfur smell on your clothes, and you just want to throw them away. Keep calm. The sulfur smell can come off your clothes quickly with these methods.

Method 1: White Vinegar

White vinegar is one of the most important things you should prepare in your house because you can take advantage of this product in preparing food and in your daily cleaning works.

Preparation

• White vinegar
• A bucket
• Laundry detergent

Instructions

Step 1: Pour 1-2 cups of white vinegar into a bucket filled with clean water.

Step 2: Soak your odor-affected garments in this bucket for at least 1 hour. Remember not to let your clothes over-soak for a long time.

Step 3: After soaking, you can wash your clothes with laundry detergent and ½ cup of white vinegar added to remove the sulfur smell better. Don’t forget to consider the care label on your laundry to use the appropriate water temperature, avoiding unexpected damage.

Step 4: Rewash your clothes with laundry detergent to get rid of the vinegar smell.

Step 5: Hang your clothes to dry.

Step 6: If the sulfur smell still stays on your garment, you have to repeat the process.

Note:

• If your fabric contains the cautious “dry clean only clothes”, you will need the help of a dry cleaner. Don’t try to remove odors from this type of fabric at home.
• You can use vinegar as a type of fabric softener.
• Ensure your garment is free of sulfur smell before taking them to the dryer.

Method 2: Baking Soda

Have you ever thought that baking soda, a common food ingredient, can do the job of a deodorizer?  Indeed, baking soda is a fantastic cleaner to treat different stains and stubborn odors, including sulfur smell. It’d be better to only apply this method to washable clothes.

Preparation

• Baking soda
• Bucket (For option 1 and option 3)
• Laundry detergent
• Plastic bag (For option 3)
• Vinegar (For option 4)

Option 1:

Fill a large bucket with 1 cup of baking soda or ½ cup of baking soda for a smaller bucket. Let your affected garments in this bucket for at least 8 hours, and then launder as usual.

Option 2:

Launder the clothes with your regular detergent and add ½ cup of baking soda for the best odor-removing result. Don’t forget to check the care label to choose the appropriate water temperature.

Hang your clothes to dry. It’s not acceptable to let the garment dry in the dryer.

Option 3:

If you still hear the sulfur smell on your clothes, you can put the dried clothes in a plastic bag with ½ cup of baking soda added. Tie off the bag and place it at a dry place for 1-3 days.

After that, you prepare a new bucket filled with baking soda following the same ratio in Option 1. Then take your clothes out of the bag and soak in this solution. Finally, you can wash your garments as usual.

Option 4:

First, dampen all the surfaces of the garment with cold water. Strew baking soda on the front and back of clothes, then let the garments soak in a cold water bucket overnight. Rinse the laundry with cold water.

After that, prepare a new bucket filled with vinegar and cold water (following 1:4 ratio), and leave your clothes soaking in this bucket for at least 1 hour. Wash your clothes with cold water (Hot water is not acceptable).

Don’t take your garments in the dryer if sulfur smells still persist on your clothes.

Note: If you can’t hang your clothes outdoors, indoors is acceptable. However, you should ensure that your house is well-ventilated.

Method 3: Washing Soda And Borax

If the vinegar and baking soda methods can’t work with your garment, you can consider this technique. Many people are often confused about “washing soda” and “baking soda”, but these two items are entirely different.

While baking soda is edible for cooking and cleaning, washing is not edible and is mainly used for laundry. That’s the reason why you need to be careful when choosing your necessary cleaners.

Preparation

• Washing soda
• White vinegar
• Borax
• Laundry detergent

Instructions

Step 1:  Consider the laundry’s color and allowance temperature to sort them. This way can prevent unwanted damages to your clothes.

Step 2: Set the water temperature as directed on the care tag and add ½ cup of Borax and 1 cup of washing soda. Set 30 minutes soaking for your clothes in the washing machine (no laundry detergent added)

Step 3: After soaking finishes, you can continue to run the rinse cycle.

Step 4: Pour 1 cup of white vinegar and laundry detergent into the washer and run another washing cycle with the hottest temperature setting as recommended on the care tag.

Step 5: After the washer‘s work finishes, you can let your garment dry outdoors.

Step 6: Clean your washer to avoid the remaining sulfur smell lingering on other clothes.

Method 4: Air Dry

Although there are several commercial cleaners or deodorizers, I still recommend you use the sunlight and fresh air to deal with the sulfur smell on your clothes. You can follow my detailed tricks below to say goodbye to many nasty odors.

Option 1: Hang Your Clothes Outdoors

The quickest way to make your garment dry is to hang your clothes in the garden or any place that the sunlight or wind can come to. You can try line-drying garments for the best result.

Note:

• It is not suggested to leave the vibrant or dark-colored clothes exposed directly to the sunlight. On the contrary, pastel and white fabrics can handle direct sunlight.
• If the temperature is cold or wet outside, you shouldn’t hang your clothes under these weather conditions.
• In case the weather in your living place is cold, hanging up your garments is acceptable.

Option 2: Place Your Clothes Over The Vinegar Bathtub

Vinegar is a great way to remove the sulfur smell on your clothes. First, you fill a bathtub with hot water and add 2 cups of vinegar. Then, you hang up your clothes above this tub to make your garments dry without any excess odors.

This option will be most suitable for clothes with weak sulfur smells.

Option 3: Avoid Drying With The Dryer

If you still find the sulfur smells on your clothes, you have to pretreat your clothes to remove entire odors before taking them dry in the dryer.

FAQs

Although you have dealt with the sulfur smell on your clothes before, there are some problems that you can’t handle by yourself. So why don’t you check these frequently asked questions and find the right measure for you?

Patience Is The Main Key

Let me tell you my experience. It took me 3 days to get the sulfur smell out of my clothes on the first try. Unfortunately, I still smelled the odors 2 days later, and I spent 5 days treating them. I was exhausted, but I finally could achieve the best result. No sulfur smell remained!

Now you have learned many methods to deal with sulfur odors, so the primary key to success is your patience. Don’t hesitate to share your practical experience with me in the comment section below!

References

1. En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sulfur – Wikipedia.
2. Npic.orst.edu. 2021. Sulfur General Fact Sheet.