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Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/8/2008 12:29:10 PM
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kohls356
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We received the horrible news that my mother-in-law had passed away last week and her body had not been found for almost a week. Without going into details I would like to know if it is possible to remove the odor from a comforter she had.
The comforter did not come in contact with anything but the odor did get absorbed. I threw away the decorative pillows because I didn't think I could get it out and honestly didn't want to try.
The bed skirt, pillow shams, and comforter have all been washed three times with a good detergent and vinegar. I think I am getting closer to removing the odor but wondering if anyone had any other ideas that could be used. I don't want to mask the odor I want to eliminate it.
I really love this set and hope to be able to use it but I also don't want to spend much more time trying to get it clean. If the odor can't be removed I really don't want to deal with it anymore. I have searched online for things but those searches sometime lead me to places I don't really want to read at this moment.
Thanks for any help.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/8/2008 6:20:05 PM
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earthless
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So sorry for the your loss. As someone who is a cop and has been at scenes where a person has been decomposing for some days and even several weeks.. the order is something that is really hard to describe and mask.
I carry a pack of cigarettes in my trunk for those kinds of calls. Break two of them off to almost the butt, light them up, puff a few times on both, snuff them out, and then stick them up my nostrils to TRY and be able to not smell the body.
The point of me sharing that is that the smell will be nearly impossible to get fully rid of. I recommend throwing it all out, but I do see you said they have sentimental value to you.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/8/2008 8:25:36 PM
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stellaluna
Posts: 3278
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Probably the best you could try at this point is a cleaner that will "eat away" decaying organic material. Try this. I know it has a bizarre name, but I've had good luck with it and pet smells.
Other enzyme cleaners might work as well.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/8/2008 9:18:52 PM
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W.O.F.
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soak it for three days in a solution of 1 cup borax per gallon of water (if in your washer...use 3 cups of borax)....wash with detergent and 1/2 cup borax and add 1 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle. Let it then hang outside on a clothes line for a couple days. This should remove the odor as long as the comforter honestly did not absorb any body fluids, etc and only absorbed odor.
However...to be honest with you.....the comforter will probably have to be tossed as well.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/8/2008 9:40:12 PM
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operalady
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So sorry for your loss.
I have tried this when I've had an odor problem.... Put it in a black trash bag, then sprinkle liberally with baking soda and place newspaper on top. Seal the bag and check in a couple of days. Wash, then dry in the sun.
I hope something works for you!
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/9/2008 12:11:41 PM
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charity7
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try dry coffee grounds--put in a plastic tub then add coffee
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/9/2008 1:11:02 PM
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earthless
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quote:
ORIGINAL: charity7
try dry coffee grounds--put in a plastic tub then add coffee
I don't want to come off as sounding harsh or _______. BUT I take it you have never, in person, smelled or seen a decomposed human. Especially not one that was dead for a week.
The smell is unreal.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/9/2008 5:07:43 PM
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kohls356
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Thank you for your advice. The comforter did not come in contact at all with any body fluids and was not in the same room as the body. That is why I have tried. The bedding set has been washed four times and seems to be free of the smell. I have it in the garage right now to make sure the odor is gone. I am afraid that I may end up tossing it just because of the thought anyway. I just wanted to try and see if it would be at all possible to use.
Earthless you aren't sounding harsh at all, you are correct it is an awful unreal smell. Although we were not at the house for the worse part the remaining odor after the cleaning was bad enough, I can't imagine before.
What is worse actually is there are many handmade quilts that my husbands grandmother made that probably will be tossed.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/10/2008 7:12:32 PM
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zoebob
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Kerrlaw1
quote:
ORIGINAL: earthless
So sorry for the your loss. As someone who is a cop and has been at scenes where a person has been decomposing for some days and even several weeks.. the order is something that is really hard to describe and mask.
I carry a pack of cigarettes in my trunk for those kinds of calls. Break two of them off to almost the butt, light them up, puff a few times on both, snuff them out, and then stick them up my nostrils to TRY and be able to not smell the body.
Please take this in the spirit it is intended:
The thought of you investigating a possible crime scene with two (still warm?) cigarette butts in your nose has made me LOL several times since I read your post yesterday. 
And I needed some good laughs.
I don't think Monk done it this way.
When you put it that way it makes me laugh too
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/11/2008 1:26:09 PM
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Memaw.
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I am so sorry for your loss.
Many years ago one of our best friends dad passed away and was not found for over a week (summer, non air conditioned house).
We "inherited" a chest that had been in his living room, far away from his bed where he passed.
There was no way to rid it of the smell, and yes it is a horrible smell, one that over 20 years later if I think about it I can still smell it.
We ended up having to throw the chest away.
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 When you go through menopause they don't tell you what you are becoming. I think I'm becoming my Dad.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/12/2008 1:01:19 PM
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kohls356
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I want to thank you for the suggestions. The set has been washed 4 times, and the odor is gone. Now I just have to bring myself to put it on my bed. Maybe it is too soon, but I am glad that I will be able to use it one day when I am ready.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/12/2008 11:01:12 PM
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W.O.F.
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do you have a guest room that you can use the comforter in rather than on your bed? If not....donate it to a charity rather than just tossing it since the smell is gone.....that way it can wrap someone else in warmth.
Also...I hate to see the heirloom quilts tossed....the washing technique I recommended may work for them also...especially the sunning part.
_____________________________
"It is better to debate
an IMPORTANT matter without settling it
than to settle it without debating it"
~Anonymous~
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/13/2008 12:45:29 AM
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MrsTracy72
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I think that maybe the guestroom idea is a good one. But if the odor does come back, I do use just a little bit of bleach in my washloadswith bedding. The only bedding I have taken color out of was my girls' bedding because I used too much, but if you use only a third of a cup and mix it with water, it shouldn't do anything but kill the odor. I don't have any sheets or blankets with bleach spots, and if you only do it once, it probably won't even lighten the colors on the set.
I am sorry for your loss, but that comforter can be of great use to you. You can wrap yourself up in it on cold days, or when you are doing your daily reading, and just think of her.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/13/2008 5:12:14 PM
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kohls356
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This comforter will be put to good use in a guest room like has been mentioned. The reason is quite simple, it is too small for my bed. I thought it looked small but the ladies that took it off the bed said it was a queen size. Well I didn't look before I did all of the cleaning but after I put it on the bed and realized that I was right in the beginning, it is a full, her bed was a queen but my bed sits much higher. I even remember now her saying it was a full, I just didn't remember at the time.
So I didnt' have to make the decision after all about it being on my bed, but I am glad I can still use it.
I hope the heirlooms can be saved as well.
Thanks for the responses and suggestions.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/15/2008 9:56:47 AM
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charity7
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All I know is my FIL used to truck pigs and cows and he would spread goffee in the truck after that and shut it up for a couple of days then wash out worked for him!!
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Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible!
Have you heard--Isabell Linnane was Born on our Ann.!!We welcomed Dan in Sept!
God is Good All The Time!!
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/18/2008 3:31:18 PM
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miasma
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In the future, when you are trying to get odors out, do NOT put them in the dryer. Let them air, outside.
Using vinegar was correct, as was repeating the process. I'd generally give it a try about 4 times, before giving up.
Also, use an unscented detergent. Sometimes, you'll pull something out of the wash, and *think* it's gone, but the fragrance from the detergent wears off, and it's not.
Letting it air dry, outside, and using vinegar (and NO HEAT) have always worked for me.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/23/2008 7:28:14 PM
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set_apart
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Vinegar always works for me, so does borax and baking soda.
For the heirloom quilts, try soaking in baking soda, borax and grated laundry soap (I use Zote, it is pink in the laundry aisle). Then wash hot and rewash with vinegar. Hope you can save those quilts and I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.
I'm surprised no one mentioned oxyclean. I've never used it, but I hear it is great. Worth a try before throwing them out I suppose.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/24/2008 9:26:27 AM
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kohls356
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We actually had a traumatic clean up service come in and clean the area. The first company did a very poor job and did not remove everything that had come in contact with fluids. The funeral home recommended a few companies and this was the one available to come overnight. They have been told not to recommend this company again because of poor work. It is shame too because when you are in the situation you just don't have time to think or research who would be the best.
So I guess my advice for anyone who might possibly be faced with this is try to find a a reliable company even in the midst of a traumatic time. We have had such a difficult time finding and eliminating the sources. We ended up having to replace the furnace and entire duct work becuase fluids had leaked into the duct work.
I don't know how anyone can do that line of work, it is not something I would or could be able to do for a living either because it is just more than anyone can imagine if you are not in this line of work.
The companies we have dealt with did clean, remove, and replace the parts of the house just not personal items.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/25/2008 9:39:47 AM
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miasma
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quote:
I don't know how anyone can do that line of work, it is not something I would or could be able to do for a living either because it is just more than anyone can imagine if you are not in this line of work.
It's a job. You go in, you do your job. Just like an EMT, coroner, mortician, etc.
Different people have different philosophies about it, and ways of dealing with it.
I don't really like the "there's something wrong with those people" tone I'm getting. It does take a "special" someone, to step in where nobody else will, and handle the most difficult situation we as mortal coils have to deal with. Someone strong. Someone grounded. Someone with the "special" capacity to carry and deal with/work through not only their own feelings, but those of all the family and friends involved.
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/25/2008 10:00:34 AM
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kohls356
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There is no tone in my post at all, so don't read it with one. I also never once implied there was anything wrong with someone who does this line of work. If that is how you took it then that is your problem. The comment of not being able to see how anyone can do it is my way of saying I could not do it, it is not possible for me. Just what little bit I experienced with my mil was enough for me to know I couldn't do it. That is not taking anything away from the people who do it. The loss of my mil and the ongoing fixing of the house is still very raw and I don't want this thread turned into some debate because you read a tone in it. If you don't like the tone you are getting you are free not to read the thread.
I talked with one of the workers and asked how he got into that line of work. He said he used to be a funeral director and saw the need from that. He also said he doesn't like knowing too much about the person or the families because then it gets personal to him and makes it harder. He didn't seem the least bit offended that I would ask him.
< Message edited by kohls356 -- 4/25/2008 1:04:10 PM >
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RE: Removing strong odor from bedding. - 4/25/2008 10:16:19 AM
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jesus_little_sunray
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Did the stink come out of the sheets? I hear dead people smell ain't no bed of roses....no pun intended.
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I'd try calling a funeral home or coroner's office to see if they could offer any advice. 
Ever watch Dirtiest Jobs? Not sure that is what it's called but it's something like that. No way in heck I could do a lot of those jobs either. I would think of these people as something special simply because it's something I wouldn't be able to handle but I don't think any of them in any of these fields of work think of theirself as anything extraordinary. They are doing their job.