I love a good campfire. However, a campfire’s smoky smell can cling to hair and clothing long after the glow dies out and RVers return to their rigs for the night. It turns out, there are several ways to banish campfire smells. Here are just a few to try.
Get rid of campfire smell on clothing
If you love campfires, you know that its smoky smells can linger on clothing for weeks or more! That’s why it’s important to know how to banish campfire smells for good.
- Air it out. Before attempting to launder your smoky-smelling clothing, let it air out. Hang your jacket and jeans outside and let the fresh air do its thing.
- Vinegar. After adding detergent, place your campfire clothes inside the washer. When the washer reaches its rinse cycle, add one cup of white vinegar to the load. (Some RVers add the vinegar right along with the detergent and claim victory. I can’t recommend this because I haven’t tried it.)
- Hot water. Read clothing labels! If your clothes can be washed in hot water, go for it. Use detergent as you usually do and let hot water clean away the smoky scent.
- Baking soda. Add 1/2 cup baking soda to your campfire load once the washer has filled and begins its “wash” cycle. This allows the soda to mix better with the water rather than clump on your clothing.
- Baking soda, part 2. You can also place your smoky clothing into a garbage bag. Then toss in 1/2 cup baking soda, tie the bag securely closed, and then shake to distribute the powder. Keep the clothing inside the bag overnight to allow the soda to absorb odors. Finally, go outside and shake the powder out of the clothes. Smells should be eliminated.
- Commercial products. Odor-eliminating products are easily accessible. Febreze for fabrics or other odor-eliminator products sprayed onto smoky clothing often works well.
Get rid of campfire smells on hair
Smoke clings to hair just like it does to clothing. If you go to bed before treating your smoky-smelling hair, your pillow and even sheets can pick up the odor. Here are ways to safely remove campfire odors from your hair.
- Clarifying shampoo. Use a clarifying shampoo to wash away the campfire smell. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Apple cider treatment. Mix one part shampoo with one part apple cider. Work the mixture into your hair then rinse thoroughly.
- Baking soda. Make a paste using 3/4 cup water and 4 tablespoons baking soda. Apply paste to wet or dry hair from the scalp to the ends. Use your fingers to work the mixture through your hair and let the paste sit for approximately two minutes. Then rinse several times until the paste is completely removed. Shampoo as normal.
- Dryer sheet. Part hair into sections. Beginning at the roots, rub a dryer sheet through to the ends of your hair. Repeat for each section of hair.
- Vodka? Yes, vodka works to remove smoky smells from hair (and clothing, too). Mix together one part water and one part vodka in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture all over dampened hair. Let sit for a few minutes and re-treat as needed.
- Dry shampoo. Commercially manufactured dry shampoos like this one from Batiste can remove smoke odors, too. Use as directed.
Prevent the problem in the first place
- Instead of lugging wood to the fire ring, use a smokeless campfire unit like this one.
- Use cured, dry wood. It will cause less smoke.
- Designate some clothing for campfire use only.
- Tuck your hair into a hat, hoodie, or beanie to protect your hair from smoky odors.
- Sit upwind from the fire. Or distance yourself away from the fire.
- One winter night when we had no wood to make a campfire, we watched a campfire scene on our RV’s television. It was almost as cozy, but (alas) we didn’t have s’mores.
Does campfire smoke bother you? How do you banish campfire smells from your clothes and hair? Tell me in the comments below.
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I know this will start a firestorm of disagreement, but I will state my opinion. First, inhalation of wood smoke is not healthy; it is carcinogenic. Second, some people have allergies to wood smoke. Third, a propane firepit does not leave the smell of smoke on clothing or on hair, and it does not produce sparks that can start brush fires. Often, they can be used during “burn bans.” Lastly, the only aesthetic aspect they lack is the crackling sound which produces the sparks and they can be turned on and off instantly. I personally will not sit around a wood campfire anymore because I despise the lingering smell on my clothes and/or my body.
Propane contains carcinogens also…I know I worked in the oil industry for 30 years. I never recommend anyone use propane to cook food on…but to each their own. Stick with wood or charcoal…it has a pretty good track record.
We also use a propane fire ring. Can’t stand the smell of bonfire and it bothers my husband asthma. Propane is cleaner and you can still make smores!
And it doesn’t send sparks that burn your clothes .
For us, the smell is one of the reasons we enjoy a wood campfire. It’s just part of the camping experience. We know it going in so just deal with it. We enjoy our fire pit at our S&B too!!
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 We do get a smoky smell on our clothes during the fall, winter, and spring. The smoky odor is imparted by the brushpiles that we burn around the farm. I just wash the clothes normally amd the odor seems to disappear. We shower at the end of the day and the shampoo (Herbal Essence in my case, something else for DW) seems to remove the smoky smell adequately. Safe and sunny travels! 🙂 Have a great week! 🙂
Thanks for the ideas, it can really be tough to try to sleep with a strong smell lingering in your hair. For clothes, airing out does work, or just washing normally. Also, if you wear acrylic or other synthetic fibers for your outer layer, those absorb smoke less than cotton does.
It’s almost an annual thing in the Pacific Northwest that conditions get so dry that open fire bans are put into place everywhere. Propane fire pits are excepted. Wood fires are nice, but the propane pits are better than nothing…and smokeless!
How To Get Rid Of Campfire Smoke Smell. Not long ago there was a mystery product on RVT that was a cologne that smelled like campfire smoke? My, we ARE a strange species.
According to the Clean Air Act…which approves propane as a better choice for the earth, it emits low levels of CO2 which is safe for the environment. As for JBs comment about carcinogens, burning propane releases benzene at levels greater than second hand smoke. So…outdoors I think we are fine as the concentrations will be minimal…but I think I need to rethink how much I love my propane stove in my motorhome.
Campfire Smoke Smell can extend bathing time by 3 to 5 days.
I decided that choking on foul and unhealthy campfire smoke was not worth the experience.
I bought a propane “campfire”. Plugs right into my rig’s propane supply. Instant on, instant off. Clean. No smelly clothes. No more firewood lugging and overpriced wood. No mess, No smoldering smell. And no use restrictions during fire season. It was a no-brainer for me.
Many have stopped having any kind of campfire. Instead, they view the image of a “virtual fire” burning on their laptop screens, which they gather around in the evening. This laptop is powered by their solar array or by their rechargeable electric car. They eat food that is pre-cooked and eaten at room temperature to avoid the use of any kind of stove that generates C02 that they feel will damage the planet. They feel all warm and fuzzy that they are so virtuous. It’s quite entertaining to watch this.
This just leaves me “cold”…stay home and watch TV instead. I agree with you Captain
Theaters use the Vodka trick to avoid laundering delicate costumes. It not only kills the BO but also the germs that make the smell.