Why Do Black Jeans Smell: The Science Behind the Odor?


Black jeans can be a great choice for those looking to update their wardrobe with some new, stylish denim. However, one thing that many people don’t know about black jeans is that they tend to smell. The question of “why do black jeans smell?” has been widely debated and there are many theories as to the cause of this strange phenomenon.  

Why do black jeans smell? Black jeans are known for developing an unpleasant odor over time because they tend to absorb odors more than other colors do. Black denim has higher levels of sulfur compounds which cause them to have a distinct odor when compared to other fabrics such as cotton or wool.

What you might not know is that when you sweat in your pants it leaves a residue behind (just like with any material). This means that by wearing black jeans for long periods of time, they will absorb all kinds of smells from food and bacteria living on our bodies.

How Do You Get the Smell Out of Black Jeans?

You aren’t sure where the awful odor comes from? Don’t worry, because you can fix the disturbing order from your clothes by applying some of these tips of getting the smell out of black jeans.

Fix Fungi-Based and Chemical-Based Smells from Black Jeans Using Borax!

It’s not a daily product for many people, yet Borax is as flexible as it works. It’s specifically efficient in getting rid of fungi-based and chemical-based odors. If you use it the same way, you’ll be making “soft drinks” to get the smells out of your jeans.

Use Castile Soap to Get Rid of the Black Jeans’ Smell

When combined with water, they create a reaction that helps strip smell. Hand-wash your new jeans with castile soap for a delicate method of removing the dye-like smells.

Rinse Smelly Trousers in White Vinegar.

If any of the above methods don’t work, a vinegar rinse could be the key. Mix white vinegar with cold water, soak your jeans for 30-60 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Ideally, you would use something like an all-purpose vinegar cleaner like that from, Calyptus. Which can be diluted to better suit your needs. Learn more about its Amazon listing here! Once the jeans are fully dry, the chemical and vinegar smell will evaporate.

Try Oxygen Bleach (Oxyclean) if none of the Other Remedies Worked.

In this case, oxygen bleach gets deep within clothing fibers to cleanse new jeans of chemical smells. Wash them as usual.

Make sure to clean your new jeans separately to prevent your other clothing from absorbing some of the chemical smell or color. Look into extra-skilled ideas for cleaning your jeans.

How to Get the Smell Out of Jeans Without Cleaning Them?

A healthy and balanced dosage of fresh air can relieve most problems in life. Your stinky brand-new jeans are no exemption. Hanging your jeans inside-out in the sunlight is an efficient method to decrease and get rid of smells without cleaning them.

UV light will undoubtedly break down chemicals that create a smell. These rays are so effective they’ll also bleach material (which is why it is necessary to transform your brand-new jeans inside-out). You can increase the sunlight’s smell-eliminating result by splashing your jeans with watered-down vinegar.

How Do You Get the Sulfur Smell Out of Jeans?

A strong odor of sulfur in your clothes is never pleasant. The stench of sulfur is sometimes compared to that of rotting eggs. Even with frequent washing and drying out, the smell of sulfur can be difficult to eradicate from garments. Fortunately, a few everyday household items may be all you need to eliminate that noxious sulfur odor. For instance, while washing your clothing, you could use white vinegar.

Getting the Sulfur Smell Out of Black Jeans with Vinegar

So, how can you use vinegar to remove that awful scent of sulfur? In this part, here’s a systematic approach to using white vinegar to ensure your new or old black jeans won’t cause a pathetic odor.

Now, here are a few things you need for this approach. Indeed, for smelly garments, you’ll need:

  • Clothes dryers
  • Smelly Black Jeans.
  • Cleaning agent.
  • 1/2 mug of white vinegar.

Clean your black jeans at the very least from top to bottom, as well as with various other dark products. This entails all your typical perfumes and excellent cleaning agents.

After that, do your pair of jeans still smell? If so, then begin the cleaning procedure once more. However, this moment does not include any textile softener. Set your cleaning cycle to stop before the last rinse.

Wait on needles and pins for the last rinse cycle. When the previous solution is going, open the cleaning device and add 1/2 mug of white vinegar.

Rinse the vinegar out. Rewash your clothes with regular detergent to get rid of the vinegar scent altogether. Vinegar has a distinct odor, particularly if you’ve soaked your clothes in it. You may have to rewash the clothes to get rid of the vinegar scent.

Once the rinse cycle is completed, relocate your jeans over to the clothes dryer. Following this further, as well, completely dry them!

To dry your clothes, hang them indoors or outdoors. If it still smells like sulfur when it’s dry, repeat the process. In this case, do not put your black jeans in the dryer until the sulfur smell has gone away.

The Chart Below Discusses Possible Factors That Can Cause Your Black Jeans to Smell:

Why do black jeans smellPercentage of total results
A possible culprit could that was suggested are fire-retardant chemicals placed on the black jeans.10.53%
By far the most agreed-upon factor responsible for black jeans smelling is the dyes used by the manufacturer. 42.11%
It has been known to happen that materials and chemicals from the packaging of the clothing can cause your black jeans to smell.5.26%
The burning of fabric can be a large contributor to the possible odor and smell of your black jeans.15.79%
Chemicals to preserve the dye’s integrity and to prevent fading have been thought to influence the possible odor of black jeans.26.32%
Data derived from various Fashion & Beauty forums

Why Do Black Jeans Smell Like Pennies?

The formaldehyde used in the production process to prevent molds, germs, mildew, and other things from wearing down the fabric while still kept in the warehouse is responsible for the smelly stench you notice from your new garments. Is formaldehyde a word you’ve heard before? If you’re thinking about the very poisonous chemical commonly used for embalming, you’re correct. The formaldehyde in these new black jeans gives out a strange and robust stench, making them unsuitable for wearing for the first time.

Because formaldehyde is categorized as a chemical irritant, persons sensitive to solid chemicals may experience a response if they are exposed to it through clothes. When creating new clothes, different chemicals alter the fabric to get the desired feel and fit. Various finishes need other chemical manipulation, ranging from loose jeans to thin jeans, trousers, shirts, skinny jeans, acid wash finishes, leather jeans, and many more.

There is, however, a reason to be optimistic! You’re not required to simply wear sweatpants and t-shirts. They do, however, can eliminate that musty and foul stench from your new pair of jeans or other items with appropriate washing.

They might not fit or feel right at first, but with time and wear, they’ll be great. The only disadvantage is the chemical odor.

Why Does Jean Smell Musty?

When you get dressed in the morning, do you want to feel clean and fresh? There’s nothing more infuriating than putting on clothes that feel damp or smell musty, especially if you’ve just washed them. So, Why Does Jean Smell Musty or damp?

Clothing can smell damp for a variety of reasons. It occurs when there’s excess dampness captured in the pair of black jeans that cannot leave. As a result, the state ends up leaving your garments smelling a little bit moldy.

Right here are simply a few more reasons your clothing smells musty or might not smell so fresh.

  • Leaving damp washing in the cleaning equipment suggests the textile cannot ‘take a breath.
  • Leaving damp washing in the tumble dryer will certainly trigger other odors in apparel.
  • They are saving garments in encased areas (drawers/wardrobes) while they are still damp.
  • Opting for a jog or competing for the bus– sweat can add in the direction of foul-smelling garments.
  • A foul-smelling cleaning device can likewise leave your clothing smelling less than fresh.

The bright side is that it’s simple to get moist smells out of clothing.

Take a look at the video below for some extra explanations on how to get the smell from your jeans out without too much hassle!

How to Get Rid of Wet Clothes Odors

There’s nothing more frustrating than freshly washed clothing smelling of mildew as well as feeling damp. Thankfully, stopping moist smells in clothing is as simple as 1, 2, 3.

  1. Constantly clean sweaty or wet apparel asap (this is also an excellent method to avoid accumulating sweet spots).
  2. It is essential to constantly hang your clean-rinsing to completely dry, or pop it in the tumble clothes dryer as quickly as the washing machine has ended up–do not leave moist garments in the maker.
  3. Before storing clothing in a cabinet or closet, make sure it is scorched so that dampness does not become trapped within the fabric.

Leading suggestion: If you have stinky cleaning equipment, choose a warm water wash and run it with no apparel to give it a much-needed refresh. When it is not used to prevent dampness, it’s also a good idea to keep your washing machine door open.

Why Do My Jeans Smell Bad After Washing?

Do jeans smell bad after washing them? You need to fix that issue. But to address that problem, one would need to understand some of the reasons why their black jeans smell bad after washing. Here are all the various factors due to which jeans smell after cleaning. I’ll also share how to get the wet smell out of garments.

  • Your cleaning device should be neat.

Cleaning devices have a truly irritating behavior of hanging on to standing water, harboring limescale, germs, or mold, as well as having obstructed filters.

The good news is, there’s generally no requirement to call a fixing solution. Besides, you can provide your device a deep tidy rather quickly, and there’s minimal effort entailed.

  • You used more (or less) cleaning agents.

On the other hand, too little detergent means you won’t get the clothes clean. They’ll often focus on a 7kg or 6kg load, so if you have a giant machine, you may need to add a bit more soap powder or liquid. And, if you’re only washing a light load, you might not need as much detergent.

Some washing brand names supply convenient application rounds. It’s worth investing in a measuring cup (you’ll often find them in the baking aisle) if yours doesn’t. Or you might change to pills to make life simpler.

Adding or choosing a fragranced detergent textile conditioner will undoubtedly assist in making your garments smell fresher for longer.

  • It’s taking too long to dry your clothing.

Make sure you dry them within a couple of hours. It can take longer to dry and end up smelling musty and damp if washing is left to dry naturally and there’s not enough heat.

You might want to invest in a dehumidifier to speed up the process if your laundry smells bad after drying indoors. It’ll additionally help to stop all that water from becoming airborne in your house, which can cause damp issues and also make your home feel more relaxed.

Also, if you use a tumble clothes dryer, do not overload it and attempt to dry comparable weight clothing together wholly.

  • You’re not letting them dry effectively.

Check that your clothing is completely dry before taking it off the line or out of the tumble dryer. That could imply picking ‘additional completely dry’ on your clothes dryer.

If you favor ironing clothing while they’re still damp, do it instantly instead of leaving your ironing stack to accumulate.

Why Do My Jeans Smell Like Bleach?

Often, black jeans may smell like bleach due to the chemical components that the manufacturer used while producing them.

What is the odor, and how can you get rid of it? Here are the answers:

The strange odor that specific new garments emit may appear to be a minor irritation. Still, the source of that odor: formaldehyde, should be taken seriously.

That’s correct. The chemical that’s creating the off-putting odor on your clothes is the same one that’s used in embalming. What could be better to inhale than that? Formaldehyde exposure can lead to respiratory issues, skin problems, and headaches.

So why are some firms spraying this hazardous substance on your jeans? During the production process, formaldehyde and other unpleasant odors procedures are frequently used. This chemical bath aims to keep mold, bacteria, mildew, and other contaminants from damaging the fabric. At the same time, it is being stored and shipped. Some jeans contain formaldehyde to make them wrinkle- and stain-resistant.

Some vendors do not use formaldehyde or other chemicals while treating their clothing. While not all manufacturers employ hazardous chemicals in their manufacturing processes, it’s still a good idea to wash new jeans before wearing them.

Here’s How to Remove the Smell While Staying Safe

Use Borax or Castile soap to get rid of fungi-based and chemical-based odors. Alternatively, mix white vinegar with cold water, soak your jeans for 30-60 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Try Oxyclean if none of the Other Remedies Worked. Take a quick peek here for more information on its Amazon page. If all other methods failed, a vinegar rinse could be the key.

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