does anyone have any ideas?

[rootofnewt]

I bought a skirt from an Indian import shop last year. After the first time I wore it, I noticed that it reeks of rubber. The smell appears to come from the cotton portions--it's a cotton and rayon skirt. The smell doesn't emanate from the waistband at all. I've tried everything to get rid of the smell--milk soaks, borax soaks, baking soda soaks, washing soda soaks. Nothing has helped. I've tried letting it air out in airy spaces for *weeks*. The smell remains. I've spritzed it down with alcohol and water--no luck. I even tossed it, slightly damp, into a barely heated dryer for 20 minutes--no luck. It's been tossed into bins with charcoal, tossed into bins with newspaper, tossed into bins with baking soda, left in cupboards with bowls of vinegar. The smell will not depart.

What the hell can I do? Is this skirt salvageable? The matching blouse doesn't reek at all.

Comments

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

If it had a man made rubber or plastic (IE:Rayon) mixture in it, it could be outgassing. If so, you're stuck. It may have been made with different fibers than the top as the pieces are almost never made in the same batch.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Rayon is heavily processed wood pulp/cellulose. I've never had rayon smell like this. The smell seems to be coming from the cotton, anyhow, which makes up the bulk of the skirt (small rayon inset panels).