How To Easily Get Campfire Smell Out Of Hair And Clothes

I love a good campfire as much as the next camper, but one thing I dislike is the stale smell of smoke in my hair, clothing and even my gear, long after the flames have been extinguished. Wood smoke can permeate fabrics and hair follicles and the campfire smell can linger on your body and hair for days—and longer in fabrics– if you don’t do something to get the smell out. That’s why it’s important to know how to get campfire smell out of hair and clothes.

Getting the Campfire Smell Out

When you’re camping, or living full-time in your van or RV, you often don’t have access to a shower to wash your hair or laundry to wash your clothes. So, what are some of the best ways to remove campfire smell from hair, clothes and gear?

How Do You Get Campfire Smell Out Of Hair Without Washing It?

The fire smelled great when you were sitting around, feeling the heat and watching the flames dance, and listening to your friend pluck a tune on the guitar, but now that it’s been safely extinguished, stale smell of a campfire in your hair is annoying. Here are a few tips to get the campfire smell out without washing it.

I wanted to test these methods before I recommended them. For this experiment, I burned a sage smudge stick, since I didn’t want to build a whole campfire just for this test. If you’ve ever burned sage, you know it has quite a strong, sweet, penetrating, lingering smoke smell. If these tips could get sage smoke out, it most certainly can get campfire smoke out.

Baking Soda

People use baking soda to remove smells from their refrigerators and it can help remove the smell of smoke from your hair as well. I’d heard about mixing baking soda with water and letting it sit for a bit before rinsing, but if you’re camping and can’t wash your hair, that won’t really be a good solution.

I tried baking soda two ways. First, I wanted to experiment with it dry, since that would be the easiest to try when you’re camping and don’t have access to a bath or shower. I added dry baking soda to my hair, to see if it would work to get a smoky smell out.

I simply rubbed a little in my scalp and on my hair. I let it sit for about five minutes and then rubbed it out with a clean towel. Then I combed my hair to get the remaining dust out. It worked great! The smoky smell was gone from my hair. And my hair felt good after, as well. I was afraid it would feel stiff or tacky, but it actually felt soft.

If you have access to water, you can make a paste by combine 1/3 cup baking soda and one cup water.  Rub that all over your head and scalp and let it sit for about five minutes. You can rinse your hair with cold or warm water.

While using baking soda can work as an occasional tool to remove the smoky campfire smell from your hair, baking soda has a high pH and can harm your hair with prolonged use.

Dry Shampoo

When you don’t have access to water, dry shampoo is a good option to keep your hair fresh and clean. It’s also a great option to get the smell of campfire smoke out of your hair. Three brands that come highly recommended by solo women vanlifers are:

• Batiste dry shampoo
• Hair dance volumizing dry shampoo
• Monat dry shampoo

Fresh Air and Sunlight

If you have time, just being out in the air, wind and sunlight will help remove the campfire smell from your hair. If you have long hair, run your fingers through it, let the air get between the follicles to air them out. You probably won’t get all the smell out, but it will reduce the smell.

Dryer Sheets

I’d read that rubbing dryer sheets on your hair could remove the smell of smoke. I was skeptical, especially since I use the unscented kind. I was also concerned it would leave my hair feeling sticky or gross. But I gave it a try. While it didn’t work as well as the baking soda, probably because I was only able to really apply it to the surface, and not get into my scalp the way baking soda did,  I noticed a reduction in smoke smell in my hair after rubbing a dryer sheet on my hair. And it didn’t leave my hair feeling greasy or tacky. If it’s the only thing you have, it works better than nothing at all.

What Can You Wash Your Hair With To Remove Campfire Smell?

Clarifying Shampoo

Regular shampoo alone may not get the smell of smoke out your hair, but a clarifying shampoo can do the job. Clarifying shampoos are made to deep clean and remove excess oil, dirt and build-up from your hair and scalp and this can be especially effective in removing the smell of smoke. Clarifying shampoos are not made to be used everyday and can

Vinegar

Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar before or after washing it to remove the smell of campfire smoke. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer that can remove the smell of smoke from your hair. You will need plenty of water to rinse, as the vinegar smell can be strong if not rinsed or washed out.

Hair Mask

A hair mask, especially one with tea tree oil can not only remove the smell of campfire from your hair, but can also strengthen and moisturize your hair and leave it smelling great. You will use a hair mask after you shampoo and leave it on for several minutes or even hours to let it soak in and work on your scalp and hair.

How To Get Smoke Smell Out Of Clothes Without Washing Them

Biokleen Bac-Out Fresh

I use this product to keep my curtains and upholstery fresh, especially living and traveling with pets. I decided to try for the smell of smoke and it worked great. I saturated a hand towel with sage smoke and then sprayed with Bac-out Fresh . After it dried, there was a very faint smell of smoke, but mostly smelled of lavender. Best of all, this product is plant-based, nontoxic and eco-friendly. You can use it on your camping gear, like backpacks and hammocks too.

Cannabolish

While this product is made to remove the smell of cannabis from the air and clothing, it works great for campfire smoke, as well. Simply spray a bit onto your clothes until they are damp to the touch, let it dry and the smoky smell will be gone. It’s non-aerosol and biodegradable and is safe to use around pets and fine for the environment.

Hang on a Line

Just as it works on your hair, fresh air and sunshine do wonders to get the smoke smell out of clothing. While the smell might not be completely gone until a thorough washing, hanging clothing out can help dissipate the smoke smell.

Baking Soda

Place smoky clothing in a bag or sealed tote with an open box of baking soda. Let it sit for 24-48 hours and the smell will be absorbed by the baking soda. Throw the box away after. Don’t use it for pancakes!

Activated Charcoal

What? Using charcoal to get the smoke smell out? I use these activated charcoal bags in my van to absorb the cat box and general musty smell from my damp NW climate. Activated charcoal absorbs odors in the air and can do the same for your clothes. You’ll have to put your clothes in an airtight container, such as a zip lock bag or a storage tote and let it sit for 24-48 hours. In my experience this diminished the smell, but did not remove it completely. Be careful not to leave damp clothes in a sealed container, or you’ll end up with a worse problem—smoky smell AND moldy clothes!

Getting Rid Of Campfire Smell On Clothes By Washing

It’s best to wash clothes as soon as possible to prevent the smoke from getting deep into the fabric. For really smoky smelling clothes, you might need to pre-treat the fabric before washing. Soak your smoked clothing in a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon of and water for at least 30 minutes before washing with your normal detergent. Wash in warm or hot water—whichever your clothes can tolerate.

Likewise, you can soak in a mixture of ½  cup baking soda to 1 gallon of water for at least 30 minutes. If you use baking soda, run the clothes through a water-only cycle to rinse it out before adding laundry soap.

Use a heavy duty detergent to get the stubborn campfire smell from clothing such as Persil ProClean . While I’m all in favor of natural products, if you’re not having luck getting the smoke smell from your clothes with your regular detergent, try something like this.

How Long Does Campfire Smell Last On Clothes?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely pulled a jacket out of a closet weeks after a camping trip and smell of wood fire comes wafting out. Campfire smell can last for weeks on clothes if you don’t do something to rid it.

Prevention

Is Campfire Smoke Bad For Your Hair?

Prolonged exposure to campfire smoke can be bad for your hair, skin and lungs. Smoke can dry out your hair and cause it to be brittle. The occasional fire while out camping with friends and family shouldn’t cause any long-term damage to your hair, but exposing yourself to a smoky fire night after night is not good for your hair or lungs.

When starting a fire, make sure to use good, clean wood, preferably from close to where you’re camping. While it might be tempting to bring along old scraps of plywood or two by fours to the campground and use that in your firepit, construction wood is often treated with chemicals that can become toxic when burned. Likewise, don’t use harsh chemicals like gasoline or kerosene to start a fire—not good for your lungs or the environment.

How To Prevent Campfire Smell In Your Hair

The best way to prevent the campfire smell in your hair is to keep your hair out of the smoke. Try to avoid being in the direct line of smoke. You don’t want to breathe that in, anyway.

Cover your head and tuck your hair into a hat, scarf or even the hood of a hooded sweatshirt to keep the smoke from wafting into your hair. If you have long hair, you can put it up in a tight bun and the smoke will have a harder time absorbing the smell. Cover with a ski hat or beanie, like one of these cute ones from the National Park Foundation.

Conclusion

Yes, you can enjoy a campfire and not have to bring the smoky smell home with you for days or weeks to come if you just follow the above steps to rid your hair and clothes of campfire smoke.

In addition, remember to follow all campfire safety precautions like making sure a fire is fully extinguished when you are through. Burn only clean firewood and not the garbage from your campsite. That’s what the trash is for. Burn only wood from the region you are camping to prevent the spread of invasive species.  And don’t use your firepit as a trash can. It will only leave a mess the next camper or campground host has to clean up.

Most of all, enjoy your time with family and friends at the campfire!