New-Clothes Chemical Smell – How to Get Rid of It
By TaVare · updated 2026-08-14
The chemical smell on new clothes comes from residues that off-gas: dye, textile finishes (such as wrinkle-free and anti-mildew treatments) and solvents from manufacturing, often amplified by synthetic fibres and long container shipping. The smell is usually more of a nuisance than harmful, and it fades with airing and washing. Here is the step-by-step method – and when a garment that cannot be washed is better left to professionals.
Why do new clothes smell chemical?
The smell is the sum of several things still sitting in the fabric when the garment leaves the factory. The most common sources:
- Textile finishes: wrinkle-free, non-iron and anti-mildew treatments leave a sharp, slightly stinging smell.
- Dye and fixatives: deep colour needs chemicals to bond, and residues of these off-gas.
- Synthetic fibres: polyester, elastane and faux leather/PU often give a 'plastic' or petroleum-like smell stronger than in natural fibres.
- Shipping and storage: clothes are transported and stored a long time, often with moisture-absorbing sachets, and pick up smell along the way.
Air the garment first
Airing is the most important and gentlest step, because much of the smell is volatile and simply disappears with fresh air and time. Do this before you even consider washing:
- Hang the garment airily, ideally outdoors or by an open window, and leave it for a day or more.
- Avoid direct sun on dark and coloured garments – it can fade the colour. Shade with good air circulation is best.
- Turn the garment inside out partway through, and hang it so the air reaches both sides.
- If the smell is already faint, airing alone may be enough to avoid washing.
Wash with an odour-neutralising booster
If the smell lingers after airing, a wash takes the rest. Follow the care label, and add something that neutralises rather than perfumes:
- Wash the garment as normal per the care label, in cold or lukewarm water for colours.
- Add about a deciliter of white vinegar to the fabric-softener compartment. Vinegar neutralises odour and leaves no residue – do not mix it with chlorine-based products.
- Alternatively or in addition: add a little baking soda to the detergent compartment. Baking soda absorbs odour.
- For stubborn smell: soak the garment in cold water with vinegar or baking soda for about an hour before washing, and repeat the wash and airing once more if needed.
What you should not do
Some shortcuts make it worse or lock the smell in:
- Do not drown the smell in perfume or lots of fabric softener – it only masks it and adds more chemistry on top of what you want gone.
- Do not tumble dry the garment hot before the smell is gone. Heat can set certain smells.
- Do not put the garment straight on your skin if it smells strongly – it is precisely the off-gassing finishes that can irritate sensitive skin.
- Do not leave a damp, freshly washed garment balled up – then you swap chemical smell for a musty one.
When the smell will not go – or the garment cannot be washed
Some garments you can neither wash nor fully air your way out of. A new suit jacket, a wool coat, faux leather or anything marked 'dry clean only' should not go in the machine, and strong finish smells in such materials can cling. Then you can send the garment to us. We clean according to the material and care label and draw out off-gassing residues that home washing cannot reach, across all of Norway, without harming the shape or surface. You order online, and you see the price before you order.
You see the price before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Is the chemical smell on new clothes dangerous?+
Usually it is more of a nuisance than harmful. Some finishes, such as formaldehyde in wrinkle-free treatments, can still irritate sensitive skin and airways. That is a good reason to air and wash the garment before you wear it.
How do I get rid of chemical smell on clothes fastest?+
Air the garment well in fresh air first, then wash it per the care label with a little vinegar in the rinse or baking soda in the wash. For a strong smell, repeat the airing and wash once more.
Why do cheap and synthetic clothes smell most chemical?+
Synthetic fibres like polyester and faux leather off-gas more, and cheaper production often uses more finishes and fixatives. The combination gives a stronger 'plastic' or chemical smell than pure natural fibres.
Does chemical smell disappear on its own?+
Much of it does with airing and time, since the smell is largely volatile. Strong finish smells usually need a wash as well, and sometimes two rounds of airing and washing.
Rather have us handle it?
You see the price before you order.