There aren’t many experiences better than sitting around the fire with your loved ones and having a good time. However, many people face problems afterward because of how fire pits smell.
Read on to learn more about which type of fire pit makes your clothes smell. We’ve also included useful tips to use to get rid of the lingering smell of smoke in your clothes.
Do Fire Pits Make You or Your Clothes Smell?
Whether or not your fire pit will make you smell unpleasant depends on the type of fire pit you use.
The main two types are wood fire pits and gas fire pits.
Wood fire pits are more likely to leave a lingering smoky smell on your clothes, hair, and skin.
Why Does My Fire Pit Smell?
Let’s discuss why each type of fire pit may produce an unpleasant smell in more detail:
Wood Fire Pits
Wood fire pits are definitely a cause of lingering unpleasant odors on your clothes.
As the wood burns, it produces plenty of waste. That’s because wood goes through incomplete combustion when it burns.
The main concerns are the ash particles and smoke a wood fire pit gives off. These smells can stick to your clothes, skin, and hair for a long time.
You may not see the soot and smoke particles, but you’re being showered with them constantly when you sit next to a wood fire pit.
Gas Fire Pits
On the other hand, gas fire pits don’t give off any odors. The gas burning is propane, and propane burns cleanly without producing waste.
However, propane gas itself smells rather unpleasant. Most people would describe the smell as similar to rotten eggs.
When you turn on the gas fire pit, you may initially catch a whiff of this smell. However, it disappears as soon as the gas starts to burn.
On some occasions, some gas may leak out when the fire pit is burning in full swing. This is perfectly normal.
However, if this happens often, your gas fire pit may be malfunctioning. In this case, you should turn it off immediately and stop using it until you know why this leakage is happening.
How to Get Rid of a Fire Pit’s Bad Smell
If you’ve recently sat next to a fire pit and your clothes reek of soot and smoke, there are several measures you can take to get those stubborn smells out of your clothes’ fabric.
The first thing to check is whether your clothes can tolerate washing at your washing machine’s highest heat setting. If they can, I definitely recommend doing it.
The hot water will cause your clothes’ fabric to expand and allow the detergent to really get in there and get rid of the soot and smoke particles.
Alternatively, you can pour white vinegar into the washing machine with your clothes. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which helps break down the smoke molecules sticking to the fabric’s fibers. You can also soak your clothes in water and white vinegar for three hours.
Another method to consider is baking soda, which has the same effect as vinegar. If you decide to add baking soda to your clothes in the washing machine, it’s best to do so mid-cycle.
To give your clothes a refreshing citrusy smell, you can use lemon juice instead.
How to Make Your Fire Pit Smell Good
Believe it or not, you can actually make your fire pit smell good. You can achieve this by adding certain types of wood and herbs to the fire pit.
A good example is Pinyon wood. It has a highly pleasant aroma and is also an excellent repellent for mosquitoes and bugs.
Additionally, adding sage to your burning fire pit is also a great option. This herb has an intoxicating scent that takes the ambiance of the surrounding area to the next level.
To get the most out of sage’s beautiful smell, you should use fresh sage instead of dry sage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions people commonly ask about fire pits.
Does the smell of fire pits repel mosquitos and insects?
Wood fire pits do have repellent properties. However, it’s not because of their smell. The smoke and carbon dioxide the burning wood produces help keep mosquitoes away because they mask the carbon dioxide you exhale and make it more difficult for mosquitos to locate you.
Additionally, the lack of oxygen in the fire pit’s surrounding area makes mosquitoes less inclined to buzz around.
What is a smokeless fire pit?
Smokeless fire pits produce little to no smoke because of the way they’re built and how they work. The lack of smoke makes these fire pits less likely to make you smell bad. However, smokeless fire pits tend to be expensive.
Final Thoughts
If you’re wondering if fire pits smell, the answer depends on the type of fire pit.
Wood fire pits produce soot and smoke which clings to your clothes and causes them to smell. However, you won’t face this issue with propane fire pits.
Use the tips we discussed in this guide to make your fire pit smell great and to get rid of any unpleasant odors that remain on your clothes.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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