Just purchased an unused MLD Superlight on ebay. Seller didn't say he sat next to it for 10hrs a day blowing his cigarette smoke directly into the bivy.... but it sure smells like he did. I emailed Ron and asked how to clean it. He reccomended hand washing with woolite. Tried it. Hanging outside to air dry now but still smells like smoke.

Any suggestions? Mirazyme? Vinegar?

Edited by kbweb on 02/20/2011 14:08:39 MST.

I once received a pack that smelled like it's been used to store cig butts and nothing else! I've never tried Mirazyme, but multiple saturation of Febreeze got the offensive smell out... finally.

Use it often and add your own funk to the mix, or, replace the scent with something stronger that you can tolerate.

A diluted solution of good ol' baking soda and water should do the trick, just hand wash the bivy gently in a sink of the solution, rinse out with cold water, and repeat until the scent dilutes.

White vinegar is cheap and safe. I'm told that the slight acidity helps cut the resins left by the smoke. I would follow with a sport fabric cleaner like Tech Wash so you don't hammer the DWR.

I got a bivy that had a bit of campfire smell and just airing it out helped a lot. The UV in sunlight will kill a lot of odors, but you don't want to leave your stuff out there for days.

Vinegar is my go-to odor remover of choice...cat pee, the funk that follows synthetic workout clothes...never tried it on smoke, though...

Vinegar, diluted in water. The longer you soak it, the better. Rinse repeat. Don't use soap every time, and I wouldn't bother reapplying DWR until you are happy with the smell. Usually you need to let it dry out to get a good idea of how out smells- save the optimism until out is dry.

Only thing worse than smoke is cologne/perfume! Oh, the perils of eBay (and Gear Trade)!

Are you left with a bivy sac that then smells like vinegar when you're done?

Mythhbusters had great success washing the smokey piece with vodka. Yes, Vodka. Even spraying it on helped.

Weirder things have happened!

borax

If you have access to an ozone machine, that will take out the smell. I had a truck once that I had to ride in, that the salesman smoked like a train in it. I took it home, put the machine in side all night, next morning no cigarette smell, it did smell a little like ozone, that I can handle.

@Eugene - Only if you forget to rinse the vinegar solution out.... I've done dozens of vinegar rinses and never had a problem. If I'm using it in a laundry machine I just do a second rinse.

K, I had purchased a pack a few years ago for my wife that had the same problem. I used Febreeze (heavy duty version) and it worked! The key is not over soaking (saturating) the fabric with it. It needs air to work. you might want to do two sprayings of it. It is a lot easier then Mirazyme, but then again with Mirazyme you can soak the bivy all at one time. I know Mirazyme works on mildew smell, but haven't tried it on Cig smoke.

Edited by bestbuilder on 02/20/2011 23:03:14 MST.

the Marmot website says Never use Woolite to wash shells.

don't know if this is specific to Gortex or applies to all waterproof breatheable fabrics.
See FAQ #13 on this link

Marmot Recommendation

Give MiraZyme™ Odor Eliminator a try. It is a powerful blend of natural enzymes and microbes to remove odors caused by algae, bacteria, mold and more. McNett has identified, separated and reproduced a unique blend of 10 naturally occurring and highly adapted enzymes, microbes and other organic ingredients designed to identify and destroy odor.

I have used it to get the body and nylon smell eliminated from VBL that were stored for some time and it worked great.

@Art - It would apply. I wouldn't use Woolite or *any* liquid detergent (Tide, etc) on a WPB fabric, for the same reasons Marmot gives. They leave all sorts of residues on fabrics. Some of these we like on everyday clothing, but not good for anything with a membrane or DWR.

Dreft is one of those things folks associate with mildness, but the liquid stuff isn't any more mild or "gentle" than any other liquid detergent. There are a lot of similar options, but choosy gear nerds (and dads) entrust their cloth diapers and "tech" fabrics to Country Save, baking soda, and vinegar. :)

Thanks everyone. I washed and rinsed well with woolite as Ron recommended. Once dried, the smell was about half gone. 24hrs later I soaked it in mirazyme then let air dry again. Smells good as new now.