How to Get Fish Smell Out of Clothes After Cooking
Sunday fish fry in a Bengali, Goan, Malayali or coastal Andhra kitchen is a joy until you notice your kurta still smells of it on Monday. Fish smell is tougher than most cooking smells. Here is why, and how to get it out.
How do you get fish smell out of clothes?
Change out of what you cooked in, hang it outdoors or by an open window, and wash it the same day if it is washable; fish smell is more stubborn than most kitchen smells. For a jacket or a garment you cannot wash today, air it inside out and treat the collar, chest and cuffs, which faced the pan. If it still smells after a day, wash it.
ODORSTRIKE 50ml · pocket size
Clothing deodorant: neutralizes sweat, smoke and food smell in the fabric. Never on skin.
Use it when a light fish-fry smell has stayed in a shirt you cannot wash today.
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See how ODORSTRIKE worksIn this guide6 sections
Curry smell in clothes is annoying. Fish smell is in a different league: it is sharper, people notice it faster, and it seems to come back when the fabric warms up. It comes from different chemistry, and it is worth treating the same day.
Why does fish smell cling so much?
Fish carries its own smell compounds, and frying throws them into the air with oil.
Sea fish contain trimethylamine oxide, which bacteria turn into trimethylamine, the compound behind the classic fishy, ammonia-like smell; researchers studying fish odour treat it as the main off-odour. Frying heats fish oils and those compounds and sends them into the kitchen air as vapour and tiny oil droplets. They land on fabric, and oily films hold smell far longer than steam does. That is why a shirt from a fish-fry kitchen smells worse than one from a dal kitchen.
Which cooking puts the most fish smell on clothes?
Shallow and deep frying, in a small kitchen with no chimney. Tawa fry and deep-fried fish send the most oil into the air. A fish curry simmered with a lid on puts much less on you. Steaming barely touches your clothes. A working exhaust fan or chimney makes a bigger difference than anything you do afterwards.
How do you get fish smell out of clothes today?
Take them off, air them, and wash them the same day.
- ChangeOut of the clothes you cooked in.
- AirOutdoors or by an open window, away from other clothes.
- WashNormal dose of detergent, as warm as the label allows.
- Dry fastSun or moving air, then smell the collar.
- Change out of the clothes you cooked in as soon as you finish.
- Hang them outdoors or by an open window. Do not put them in the laundry basket with other clothes.
- Wash with a normal dose of detergent at the warmest temperature the label allows.
- Dry them in sun or moving air; slow indoor drying can leave a stale smell. Our guide to why sun-dried clothes smell good explains why.
- Smell the collar and cuffs before you put them away. If the smell is still there, wash again.
What if you cannot wash it before going out?
Air it, then treat the parts that faced the pan.
Hang the shirt or jacket inside out under a fan for as long as you can. Then mist the collar, chest and cuffs with a clothing deodorant that neutralises cooking smell from 15–20 cm. ODORSTRIKE traps and neutralises odour molecules in the fabric instead of covering them with perfume, and it dries in 15–30 seconds. For a light smell that is enough to get you through the day. A heavily fish-fried shirt still needs a wash. Our main cooking smell guide covers tadka and curry too.
How do you stop fish smell getting on your clothes?
- Cook in an old tee or an apron, not the shirt you will wear out.
- Run the chimney or exhaust fan before you start frying, not after.
- Keep bedroom and wardrobe doors shut while you fry.
- Do not hang office clothes to dry in or next to the kitchen.
Why do my clothes smell fishy after washing?
If you did not cook fish, the cause is usually drying, not cooking. Clothes that dry slowly in humid air can pick up a sour, sometimes fishy smell; see why clothes smell bad after drying. Brand-new clothes can carry a fishy smell from finishing chemicals, which washing removes.
Heavy fish-fry smell in a shirt needs a wash. A fabric spray is for light cooking smell on clean clothes you cannot wash today. Never spray leather, suede or dry-clean-only garments.
Sources
Park, S. K. et al. Reduction of trimethylamine off-odor by lactic acid bacteria isolated from Korean traditional fermented food and their in situ application. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2020. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does fish smell stay in clothes longer than other food?
Frying sends fish oils and their smell compounds into the air as droplets, and oily films cling to fabric longer than steam.
Does washing remove fish smell?
Yes, usually in one wash with a normal dose of detergent and good drying. A strong smell may need a second wash.
Can I air out fish smell without washing?
Light smell, yes: a few hours inside out in moving air, then a fabric spray on the collar and cuffs. Heavy smell needs washing.
How do I stop fish smell spreading to other clothes?
Keep the clothes you cooked in out of the laundry basket and wardrobe until they are washed.
ODORSTRIKE — Fabric Odor Mist
50ml pocket spray for clothes. HPβCD traps odor molecules in the fabric and Zinc PCA neutralises them, instead of covering them with perfume. Dries in 15–30 seconds, up to 8 hours of odor protection on fabric under normal office/commute conditions. Fabric only, never skin.
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