I tried soaking the clothing in vinegar overnight. That didn't work at all. Now they smelled of fish oil and vinegar. Not a great combination. It's amazing how those little capsules stink! Then I tried another overnight soak in Shout. Nope. Still stinky. At this point I started worrying that my jeans and shirts were going to mildew and have to be thrown out. But as jeans are expensive, I wasn't ready to give up.
After more research online, I decided to try enzymes.
I went to the pet store and bought Nature's Miracle, a preparation containing enzymes that is made to deal with pet accidents. I have used it in the past for spot cleaning on carpets, and it worked fairly well. Apparently they also make a laundry detergent, and while that is expensive - 12 bucks Canadian - the store owner assured me it worked. They have a website, so you can look it up.
I washed the clothes in warm water with two capfuls (twice the recommended amount) of the detergent, twice. It got rid of 90 per cent of the smell - it really seems to 'stick' to denim. The tshirts at this point were smell-free. Yay!
I then did a final wash with regular detergent and a half-cup of bleach, in warm water. FINALLY the smell came out.
So the enzymes in Nature's Miracle did the trick, along with a final wash of regular detergent and bleach. They are purported to be available in almost all pet stores.
I think you could get away with just the regular stuff, rather than the detergent, but it worked for me.
Don't waste your time on vinegar! And the Nature's Miracle is also environmentally friendly.
