Did you get a pair of jeans that smell putrid, sour or musty?
Winner winner chicken dinner! Feel special. Not everyone can smell dyes (usually black and purple) or chemicals used to manipulate the colors and fabric in denim.
Really similar to how some think that cilantro tastes like soap, some will find that jeans have a smell.
Our warehouse has over 30,000 pairs of denim at any given time and of our current 6 employees, only one can smell denim dyes.
If you receive a pair of a denim and they have a smell, here are OUR recommendations:
1. On a scale of 1-10, how noticable is the smell to you?
If the smell is slightly noticable, has a chlorine, pickle-like or slight chemical smell, then soaking and using one of the methods below will likely help tremendously.
If the smell gives you a metallic taste in your mouth or has an overwhelming mildew smell to you, then you may wish to send the jeans back (with tags attached) as you MAY always be able to smell some part of the denim.
2. SOAK
Soaking your jeans for 30-60 minutes in one of the methods below should BEGIN to help any scents in jeans fade. You may need to repeat the process a few times.
White Vinegar and Water (1/4 cup to every 3/4 cup water)
1/2 Cup or castille soap to a sink of water
Baking Soda and water
3. SUN!
The sun's UV light have powerful rays that can break down fabrics and smells. After soaking (or with a water/vinegar spray from a spray bottle before soaking), hang your jeans INSIDE OUT on an outdoor clothing line for a few hours.
4. Big Kahunas!
Already removed the tags and have a stronger smell than vinegar can help with? Oxy Clean or Borax may help!
For chemical/chlorine smells:
Try soaking in Oxy Clean & Water PER recommendation from bottle for 4 hours (NOTE: An oxygen bleach is very different from straight bleach. Straight bleach will ruin your jeans)
For mildew smells:
Soak in borax. Borax soaks and stripping your clothes with borax are common google searches that give different tips for this.