Most people care about what they smell like. They bathe regularly and wear clean clothes, but they still add perfume. Perfume smell won’t only make you smell good, but it can also make you feel confident too. If you know you look and smell your best, then why shouldn’t you feel confident? Perfume smell can set a confident and suave atmosphere no matter where you are. Haven’t you ever been in a store and someone walks past you. You may have not even looked at the person, but their perfume smell got your attention.

There are many different fragrances to choose from with many different price ranges. Perfume smell can be found in about everything you use for house cleaning, laundry, bathing and candles. Nonetheless, there are times when you can have too much of a good thing; in this case, too much perfume smell lingering in your car, home, clothes and whatnot can be a very bad bad thing for you, your health, your sinuses and—if the unwanted perfume on you isn’t the type of perfume your significant other wears—your relationship.

Perfume Smell Removal

For Clothes:

• When everything is said and done, washing really is the best way to get rid of perfume smells. Alas, for people who have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity), asthma or extreme allergies—just some of the numerous reasons why people want to get rid of perfume smells in the first place—detergents like Tide Free are certainly not recommended, as it’s still a chemical mix even if the fragrance isn’t as strong.

If allergies, asthma and MCS are a problem for you, why not start using organic detergent or get rid of all the clothes that had previously been washed with chemical detergent and buy a new washer and dryer that have never had chemical detergent in them? Those methods will surely take that perfume smell right out without resorting to the use of chemicals that can harm your health.

• Here’s a slightly more involved washing method for perfume smell removal. First, soak your clothes in vinegar and water in the washer overnight. Use anywhere from a ¼ to 4 liters of vinegar, depending on how strong the perfume smell is. Second, wash your clothes the next day for at least three to four full wash cycles, using only water after the first spin and rinse.

• Third, dry your clothes without any fabric softener at all. Note that if you have stains, use vinegar, peroxide and a toothbrush to remove them. Moreover, make use of a full bottle of 450 ml peroxide in your wash to whiten your clothes. Watch this process carefully, for you can ruin some items—but that only occurs if you don’t take the item out before it’s too late. Guard your zippers and anything of that nature, as they can break if soaking is overdone.

• For perfume-smelling suede articles like jackets or skirts, avoid wiping with vinegar. The acid in it might damage the suede. You could try putting the skirt in an airtight container with an open dish of unscented kitty litter below it; that is, put it in a hanger inside a large trash bag with kitty litter spread on its bottom part without touching the clothing article itself. The kitty litter is great at absorbing odors. Coffee grounds can also work to neutralize odor. Try the kitty litter first, because the coffee grounds might leave behind their own distinctive scent.

For Cars:

• In regards to perfume smell inside your car seats and upholstery, you can always wipe down the leather with something leather-safe so that the seats won’t absorb the perfume smell. Also, whenever possible, keep your window cracked or opened. Giving your car time to air out and washing the car seat covers are the cheapest viable solutions for getting rid of unwanted perfume smells inside your vehicle. If you’re willing to burn some money, then have your car professionally cleaned.

• You can also place a bowl of vinegar in your car and turn the air conditioning on for a few minutes so the vinegar can cycle through the AC. Do not do this in a closed garage, though. From there, turn the car off and leave the vinegar in the vehicle overnight. In the morning, open all the car windows for the vinegar smell to dissipate. Both smells should be gone.

For People:

• Most people don’t even realize when they are wearing too much perfume. If you can still smell your perfume a half hour after putting it on, you likely are wearing too much. To help prevent putting too much on, spray it in front of you and then walk through the spray. To remove excess perfume, make a paste of water and baking soda and rub it where you applied the perfume, then rinse off the area with water.

• For people suffering from the smell of secondhand perfume (i.e., just like secondhand smoke, the smell isn’t coming from you), do you have a health and safety committee at work? If so, you should mention the problem to one of them. Your concern will be kept confidential and H&S committees carry a lot of power. "No Scents" policy is very common these days because it is considered a health issue. If another’s perfume scent bothers you so much you need a doctor’s note and to call in sick until the ‘atmosphere’ there changes, then it’s a legitimate concern.

For Dolls and Figurines:

• To remove the smell of perfume or other harsh orders, it’s necessary to hand wash the doll’s clothing and lie it flat to dry or hang it outside on a sunny day to air dry. For dry clean-only fabrics, send them to the dry cleaners.

• If the doll is vinyl, use a diluted cleaner such as Mr. Clean or Orange Glo to wipe the doll’s vinyl surface clean and allow it to air dry. If necessary, use a damp cloth and wipe the doll’s cloth body with either of these solutions. If the hair is washable, wash the hair with a mild shampoo. (Rooted hair is washable; wigged hair is not.) Allow the doll to dry.

• If the smell still persists, or if the doll is made of non-washable material such as porcelain or composition, then place the doll in a scented trashcan liner and tie closed. You can also cover the doll from head to toe with several scented fabric softener sheets, then place it in an unscented trashcan liner and tie the liner closed. Leave the doll in the liner for several days.

For Perfume Bottles:

• Empty the remnants of perfume from the bottle and then rinse with warm water. Make sure that you rinse the cap and any pieces of the lid as well. Place some water in the bottle and then work the sprayer mechanism to flush out any perfume from the plastic tubing.

• Place the cap, lid and sprayer mechanism in a small bowl and then cover with a high quality vodka. Pump the sprayer mechanism once or twice to fill the inside of the tube with alcohol. Use only pure vodka without fragrance and do not substitute with other forms of alcohol, such as gin. Soak the sprayer mechanism overnight, as it tends to hold the perfume smell far longer than glass.

Perfume Smell Removal Products

• Dove Body Refreshers: They are these wipes that you can get in a carry pack of 15. It can be used to overpower the smell of perfume; unfortunately, if you don’t like the smell of Dove cloth either, then it might not be the best option for you.

• Febreze Powder: Hang your perfume-coated clothing up on a hanger and place a plastic garbage bag over it. Carefully pour about 2 tablespoons of Febreze into the bottom of the bag without getting it on the product itself. Leave it there check on it in 24 hours. Repeat if necessary.

Perfume should be used to improve smell, not worsen it. But if worse does comes to worst, just follow the above tips, and everything will be smelling nice, fresh and non-overpowering in no time at all.