You can also put the vinegar in the washer with the soap, etc. We use this for cat urine smell, and it does wonders! (don't even ask...we don't own a cat)
The de-smeller we use is Fresh Wave (
freshwave.com/). I found it in a newspaper article. We began using it in my husband's office at my suggestion. We have a lot of Amish patients, and they do NOT wash often.
My office manager thought it wasn't doing any good until she ran out. Then we reordered. It's a gel that gradually evaporates. You just put in in any open container in the room, and it seems to absorb the odor. I put it in all our bathrooms now, and the kitchen.
You might also try activated charcoal. That's what I keep in my pan cupboards, to get rid of the stale oil odors.
You also might try using baking soda in the wash. I watched a tv show last week that proved that baking soda actually DOES absorb odor in refrigerators.
let us know if the vinegar helps. We had some loads we did twice, but the only thing it didn't help was a leather jacket.
Have you tried Borax?
Stephany in Iowa