# Removing smoke smell from a leather jacket

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-smoke-smell-from-a-leather-jacket/709418>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 9, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-smoke-smell-from-a-leather-jacket/709418 "2015-01-09T17:53:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DoggyDunnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@DoggyDunnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoggyDunnit)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-smoke-smell-from-a-leather-jacket/709418/1 "2015-01-09T17:53:58Z")

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One guy I know is quite, err, “blessed”, and recently gave me a very expensive, genuine leather jacket he only wore a few times.

There’s just one issue: he is a heavy smoker, and the thing reeks like an overflowing ashtray.

How can I remove the smoke smell cheaply, without ruining the leather or the lining inside?

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**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-smoke-smell-from-a-leather-jacket/709418/2 "2015-01-09T18:07:13Z")

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air, sunlight, time

or use an ozone generator and lock them in a room together for a while

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-smoke-smell-from-a-leather-jacket/709418/3 "2015-01-09T18:07:37Z")

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if it’s finished leather then wash it with saddle soap.

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-smoke-smell-from-a-leather-jacket/709418/4 "2015-01-09T19:22:38Z")

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Turn the jacket inside out to let the lining get better air circulation - the layers of fabric and poly fiber batting/quilting hold smoke like crazy.

Cleaning the leather with Lexol, Apple or similar can help. Avoid any sort of silicone-containing sealers or finishes as they’re really no good for leather.
