Grab a handful of tinder and an armful of kindling, and set a fire ablaze; ’round the fire you gather, and you’ll all end up smelling like you’ve just walked through flames.

One of the best things about a night in the great outdoors is a campfire. Not only do campfires keep you warm, but they’re also a great place to socialize and spend quality time together with your camp mates. While some people don’t mind the scent of burnt wood on their clothes, others are sensitive to the smell, or don’t find it appealing at all. Campfire smells also stick to camping equipment like tents, water containers, ground cloth, and clothes drying out on the camp clothesline.

If you don’t like the smell of last night’s campfire lingering with you on the trail, here are some ways to get rid of the odor.

Choose Wood Carefully

When burned and used as fuel, different kinds of wood have different smells. Some types of wood release a sweet, pleasant smell. Some have a bitter, tar-like aroma. While you can pretty much burn any type of wood, not all trees are suitable sources of tinder and kindling. Here are some tips to remember:

• Bring seasoned firewood. It’s still best to bring a supply of firewood for your campfire. Seasoned wood is already dried, and has most of the alcohol-based moisture content removed from the wood’s fibers. A few cords of seasoned firewood should be enough to fuel your campfire.
• Use dry deadfall. The branches and tree limbs that are already on the ground are a perfect source of firewood. Using deadfall means you don’t have to cut a tree to light a fire. Make sure that the deadfall is dry, and there’s very little rot to be found in the limb.
• Keep wood dry. You know the campfire is bad when you start to see smoke billowing out of the flame. A good campfire has a pleasant smell, a constant hot flame, and very little smoke. The smoke – not the flame – is the source of foul campfire odors. Make sure to use dry wood when you’re building and lighting a campfire.
• Follow your nose. Some woods have a high alcohol, benzene, and turpentine content that smell really pungent when burned. As much as possible, pick woods that have a neutral scent.

Burn Wood, and Nothing Else

Some people think that a blazing campfire is a good place to burn garbage. Some people throw discarded tires, plastic bags, and tin cans into campfires, thinking that the waste materials will burn in the blaze. While trash will eventually disintegrate in the flame, they release extremely toxic vapors when burned. The toxic vapors not only stick to your clothes and camping gear, but you can also develop serious respiratory ailments from inhaling the vapors.

Remember that a campfire should only be used for three things:

• Cooking
• A source of warmth and dryness
• For gathering and socializing

Campfires are not a place for you to throw garbage. The only things that you should burn in campfires are tinder and kindling. Vapors and odors from burning plastic and rubber also chemically bond with the fibers of your clothes, and are extremely difficult to remove. It’s best to burn only wood and other organic, natural matter in the campfire.

Don’t Use Solvents

Some people help start a fire using paint thinner, lighter fluid, and other flammable liquids and solvents. When burned, flammable fluids give off an unappealing odor that’s very similar to vehicle exhaust. While you do start the campfire quicker with a bit of lighter fluid thrown in, you end up with noxious, smog-like fumes that cling to your clothes like crazy.

As much as possible, try to start a fire without the aid of a solvent. Dry tinder and kindling are all that’s needed to make a roaring fire that’s great for cooking, socializing, and warming the campsite. You should only use solvents and flammable liquids to start the fire when absolutely necessary, like when the ground is wet or if you have to make do with damp or rotted wood.

Air Them Out

Cool outdoor breezes are very comfortable, and are a good reason to go camping. Wind can be a very good way to get rid of campfire odors stuck to your clothes, tents, and other camping gadgets. All you need to do is to hang your clothes and camping gear on a clothesline, and let them dry out overnight. The breeze will carry away most of the burnt smells found in your clothes and camping gear. When airing your clothes out to dry, here are some helpful tips to get rid of the smell faster:

• Make sure to hang your clothes and other smelly items far and away from the embers of the campfire.
• Use clothes pins to secure your clothes on the line. The key is to expose as much of the surface area as possible.
• It helps if you wash the clothes first before drying them out on the night breeze. If you can’t spare the time to wash, soak the clothes first in hot water and then hang them out to dry. You can wash them thoroughly after you come home from camp.

Pack Them in Potpourri

Instead of throwing those plastic bags, sandwich bags, and zip-lock bags on the campfire, you can put them to good use. Plastic and potpourri is especially useful if you’re a long way home, and you only need to get rid of the campfire scent from clothes that can still be worn.

To remove the campfire scent and add a fresh, natural scent to your clothes, you need the following:

• Zip-lock bags or plastic bags
• Dried flowers, or other fresh-scented items (do not use fresh flowers because they will get crushed and stain your clothes)
• Baby powder

Follow these steps to get rid of the campfire scent:

There’s a saying that goes, “If you smell like smoke, you’ve been through fire.” You don’t have to end up with a smoky scent by the time you leave your tent the morning after the campfire pow-wow. With these handy-dandy tips and tricks, you can keep smelling fresh no matter where you go, and no matter what happens, in the great outdoors.