Tips for getting cigarette smell out of Wool?

[QueenOfToast]

Does anyone have any tips for getting the smell of cigarettes out of wool?

Someone that I know can no longer knit or crochet owing to pain in her shoulders and fingers and she has very kindly given me a large bag of her stash of wool. However, she's a smoker and it all smells of cigarettes. Can I get rid of the smell before I use it or do I have to make something with it and then wash it and hope for the best?

I suppose I could just the stash to make Christmas presents for all my smoker friends and they won't notice anything untoward

A couple of things you could try:

Wind it into hanks, dip into lukewarm water with special wool detergent, and hang up somewhere airy to dry.

Chuck a few incense cones into the bag.

Or just tip all the balls out onto the floor, if you have a spare room or somewhere you can leave them for a while. Exposure to the air might make the smell fade a bit.

I suspect the easiest way is just to knit it up and then wash it though.

Thanks for your suggestions Goat. I've just got some lavender to make up some sachets so I think I'll put some of that in the bag with it for a couple of weeks and see if it improves.

The lavender will not make a lot of difference, it will just sit with the cigarette smell. Gentle washing is a great idea but if you cannot be *rsed to do that then pin the balls of wool onto you washing line for a morning which will help.

Spray with febreeze?

I had some hanks of Patton's cotton from ebay which smelt of smoke a bit. I hung them in a hot conservatory for a few days and the smell evaporated in the heat.