Why can I smell urine when I’m ironing a specific pair of jeans?

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

I’m aware this sounds weird. DH has been working mad hours since lockdown and I’ve been ironing his clothes as I’ve had more time than him. He has this one pair of black jeans that, even when just washed, have a waft of stale urine all over them when I put the steam iron on them.

I remember having a pair of black jeans myself with a similar smell but DH’s are worse for this. It’s as if it’s from the dye. He’s definitely not pissing in his jeans.

I have had a strong sense of smell ever having the kids so maybe this is why I’m noticing this and he’S never mentioned them smelling weird.

Has anyone else found this with denim? I press the steam button, there’s a waft that you think “hmm, odd smell....” then the last bit of the smell is “woah, 🤢”

It is definitely similar to stale urine. What the hell is it?!

Some black jeans are made with a dye that smells really bad, like cheap black school plimsolls.
Could be that?

It's the dye. Some black dyes, especially ones used on denim, smell terrible, and it never fully goes away no matter how many times you wash them. I had a pair just like this and eventually I got rid of them because the smell put me off so much.

I've got two pairs of black jeans which smell sort of like bonfire!
It seems to be a thing with black coloured jeans that the dye smells.

I have a pair of black jeans that itch me. Is there any connection with this dye?

Who Irons jeans?!

Yes, a bit like cheap school plimsolls! (minus the rubber)

Wonder what it is in the dye making it smell disgusting like that.....

I don't tumble dry jeans, they are line dried so go a bit stiff and then if they're not folded straight away they get a few creases in.

Maybe he can iron his own jeans. Could use a Febreze type product to reduce the smell.

Some dyes smell foul. I have a batch of Scion hand towels, all the same colour and no matter how I wash them they still smell nasty.

Do you wash things with non-bio? I find bio powder + laundry cleanser gets rid of lingering smells.

Oh yes I've had bonfire scented black jeans!

I ALWAYS sniff jeans before I even buy them now, even if I look like a crazy lady snorting pants.

Chochito...as you seem to have missed it...He has been working mad hours since lockdown and I’ve been ironing his clothes as I’ve had more time than him. which is something we sometimes do for those we love.

Jeez op, don't admit you iron on here, even worse that you iron your dhs clothes

I knew before opening the thread that they were going to be black jeans. It's the dye. Theres nothing you can do about it.

Ah, I didn't realise that about black dye! My suggestion was going to be a cat- their urine really lingers.

Adding vinegar to the wash sometimes helps get the smell out of black jeans. It doesn’t always work but it’s worth a try as sometimes it does.
I no longer buy black jeans because they all tend to smell, are tighter fitting than blue jeans and fade quickly.

People iron jeans?

More than happy to admit to ironing, and even happier to admit to ironing DH's stuff at the moment while he's working 50 hour weeks and on calls at weekends. But, you know, for those who would never stoop so low as to iron a (gasp) man's clothes for them, you carry on with that attitude. I, school support staff working from home at the moment, will choose to carry on doing his temporarily while he's unable to do it himself without having a nervous breakdown.

I can't not iron clothes. It's the same with not wearing any makeup just because I'm not going to work. I just feel kind of slovenly without doing it. I know there's no-one to see me and it doesn't matter if I look a bit creased but it just makes me feel better and more "normal". I also have to put footwear on when I get dressed even in the house. If I wear slippers all day, I go into "relax mode" and get nothing done. Weird, I know.

But back to the black jeans.....definitely not cat wee, I can smell that a mile off even outside and I've never even had a cat.

Must definitely be the dye if others have experienced similar. I might try the vinegar trick to see if that gets rid of the smell (and hopefully not the dye!!)

Sniff all jeans before buying. Black ones are a bugger for this

I bought a pair of blue jeans from Sainsbury's that had a strong smell of gas, even after washing. I had to get rid of them as I was getting really worried we had a leak. Strange dyes they use...

I have a top that smells a bit bonfire-ish, and it's a posh one, too, so I don't want to chuck it.
I have tried all sorts, like variously scented conditioners and zoflora.
I'll try the vinegar now, thank you.

Were the jeans cheap? I only ask because I've noticed in the past that cheap denim can smell really vile even after several washes. I assume it's something to do with the cheap chemicals and processes they use? My DD had some jeans from Primark which had to be binned because they had a nasty acidic smell very like fresh vomit.

I'll see you ironing for your DH and raise you actually packing for your DH. I tried letting him pack for himself back in the day and he just always did it wrong.

Try using Ace at a hot temperature. That’s good for getting rid of odours.

You wear shoes in the house??

Urine contains Uric acid which can be used to set the dye in fabric and clothes I think. I imagine it’s animal urine though and not human! Time to google and prepare to boak!!