Remove cigarette smoke smell from race suits

I picked up a bunch of Nomex SFI 3.2A/5 NASCAR Official race suits for cheap to use for my lemons team. A few of the suits are brand new and have been hanging in a closet for a few years. Problem is all of them smell like cigarette smoke. I’m guessing the seller was a heavy smoker as a couple of the used suits are discolored from the tar. What is the best way to clean and remove the smell? One of the nicer ones that was wrapped in plastic still smells but I was going to drop that one off to be dry cleaned. It would be nice to come up with a cheaper solution for the rest. I already tried washing one of the used ones and it still has a strong smoke smell.

I have little experience with smoke smell, but lots of experience with lots of other awful smells. Here is what I would do:

Put them outside in the sun on a really hot day.

It's amazing what nature can do. Plus, its cheap and easy and if it doesn't work you haven't lost anything!

If that doesn't work there is always this:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/tired-of-your-carpet-smelling-like-febreze/128933/page1/

As above, hang in the sun, turn inside out and hang some more. Put a cup of baking soda in the washing machine with the soap when you wash it.

White vinegar in the washing machine when washing them. Though I'm not sure what that would do to any fire retardant properties of the suits. I live with a smoker, and dogs. White vinegar get's used A LOT around here.

My friend owns a shop and sells a car occasionally; VW busses always smell like pot, baby puke and stale chocolate milk. He has an Ozone Generator that removes smells. The theory is that Ozone is O3, in an effort to even up the number of electrons it picks up ones off the stink. (that's how it was explained anyway)

It works. See if you can rent one for a day.

Dan

Are the suits so old that they are from the Nascar Winston Cup days?
If so, maybe they are supposed to smell that way.

I just removed skunk smell from my dog, who brilliantly rolled in skunk E36 M3, by mixing peroxide with baking soda and dawn dishsoap.

That would likely bleach the suits though.

The only thing I can add as those are the remedy's I'm aware of is to Get more Fire retardant as also suggested. that is MORE important than the STINK,"Cause my wife Smokes and My Dogs are Stinkers Too !

Take them to the dry cleaners. Done! Nomex is safe to dry clean.

Dry cleaning is the safe and surefire choice. Even sun exposure will degrade the suits.

My truck was stolen by chain smoking lowlifes who apparently never showered and when it was recovered it reeked to high heaven. It was so bad that leaving it in the shop with the windows closed made the shop smell. A used car dealer friend of mine gave me this -> Nifty Link thingy to try and shockingly (pun intended) it worked! I bet if you stuck the suits in a closet (or maybe even in the car) and used the Auto Shocker it would take care of the smell.

GTXVette wrote: The only thing I can add as those are the remedy's I'm aware of is to Get more Fire retardant as also suggested. that is MORE important than the STINK,"Cause my wife Smokes and My Dogs are Stinkers Too !

To be fair, I was a smoker till last year, and it's a Boston Terrier. He can clear a room pretty damn quick. That and have you ever smelled what a bearded dragon can leave behind? For a vegetarian... OMG that's some STANK!

Small side bar. Is machine washing bad for Nomex?

Is it the fabric itself that's fire retardant or some treatment to the snow suit itself that can be washed off over time with sweat or other fluids?

In reply to Durty:
You can launder Nomex just like any other clothing. Don't use bleach and wash it by itself. Washing with your other clothes will add to the mechanical wearing of the suit.The fire resistance is a function of the fabric, not due to a flame retardent coating.

I've used Atmosklear for smoke and other bad odors with success. You may be able to find it locally in stores, or you can get it off of Amazon. http://maryellenproducts.com/Odor-Elimination/

Wear them as a fuel man on an endurance team. They will smell like BO and gasoline in no time.

DeadSkunk wrote: In reply to Durty: You can launder Nomex just like any other clothing. Don't use bleach and wash it by itself. Washing with your other clothes will add to the mechanical wearing of the suit.The fire resistance is a function of the fabric, not due to a flame retardent coating.

DUH?????? then why is it nessary to resaturate the suit in Fire retardent? after washing, Have I been Robbed!

In reply to GTXVette:

If you bought a NOMEX suit you don't need the retardant.

Cheap suits use Proban / FRC which is the one requiring chem treatment deal.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/the-toolbox/racing-suit-material-and-construction/28844

Cheap suits use Proban / FRC which is the one requiring chem treatment deal

that 'splanes me to a T. Lol

I washed one suit yesterday on quick delicate cycle in the washing machine with normal detergent. It still came out smelling like smoke. I found a bottle of stain/odor remover under the kitchen sink and soaked all the suit in that then washed them with some mild dish soap. I read online that the dish soap will help break down the tar. Anyway I used the longest wash cycle I could which was 2 hours with a long soak and they came out smelling great. I still dropped one suit off at the dry cleaners just to see how it will come out.

I don't know anything about NASCAR but the suits range in date from around 2006-2013.

Seller even included some bonus official hats including some Winston Cup ones. Maybe John is right and they are suppose to smell this way.