I haven't worn jeans (or owned any) since the 1990s, but I would recommend soaking them in either Oxyclean or Borax and water. Soak them for about 30 minutes using hot water and then wash them as usual. Do not mix Oxyclean and Borax together.

I like the fragrance of Borax, which is very mild.

This is new to me so I googled.

Or google baking soda abs well

Wow formaldehyde!.

Oxy may not be wise for jeans … dyes can be unstable.

I always preferred faded jeans (when I used to wear them), but I guess not everyone does.

I wonder if the dyes are the cause of the smell.

My son buys Levi jeans and I have never noticed an odor. There is a product called Odoban that may help.

Most clothing I’ve bought in the last year has this odor. I wash each new item a few times with unscented Tide, and add an extra rinse. I don’t dry the items between each wash. Eventually the smell goes away.

I bought some turtlenecks a few years ago and I couldn't get the smell out of them after multiple washings. They smelled somewhat like that mothball smell you described, but I thought it was a diesel smell. I attributed it to coming from China on a boat. Anyway I donated them.

Maybe send a note to the Levi Company and see what they have to say. Wonder if it’s the dye or if they came from overseas. I won’t even use the grocery bags at Walmart they have a terrible musty odor.

Febreze is something I've used on things like that. I have some that's unscented. There are a number of products from other brands that do the same.

I agree, borax or vinegar are good deodorizers that can be used to soak and wash smelly things.

I think odoban and febreze has a smell. I would soak them in the washing machine with vinegar and baking soda. at least a cup of vinegar. dont be shy with either. soak overnight if needed then wash as normal. Might have to it a couple times. Sometimes those weird smells just don't go away unfortunately.

I can't stand scented odor removers. This is what I use - 0% perfume:

Thank you all for the advice! I'm going to start with borax, as suggested by Lars. If that doesn't work, I'll try the vinegar soak. I'll report back!

Just my luck--I find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly--and they stink!

I think Winter is onto something- that’s my experience too! Thank you for posting. And thanks to Carol for the Febreze Unscented. It’s also prompted me to look further for odor removal/neutralizing products that I didn’t know about.

I have had good results getting funky odors out of clothing with ammonia. It is inexpensive and it may work on your jeans.

Are the jeans black or gray?

I had a pair of American Eagle jeans that smelled from day one. The odor never went away. The cure? I put them in a trash can!

doreycrouse, Why did you not use the dirty labs booster on them? Or was this before you found that new product?

Lol. This was a few years ago! I had suspicion that it was the type of dye or wash they used. I even washed them on hot once to see if it would help. It did a little, but not enough. I could still smell them just sitting down.

Several years ago, I bought some lightweight denim fabric that was fine until I pre-washed it. After that, it smelled badly just like the OP's new jeans. i finally ended up throwing out the fabric.

I bought a bag of a dozen work gloves that smelled like diesel-tires-mothballs-pesticide. They sat in a closet for more than a year before I opened them, and sealed up, I did not know how toxic they smelled. I threw them all away, which is not something I do easily.

I recently tried the white vinegar soak on some new black jeans with a weird chemical smell. the smell is still there. May try another soak in vinegar...

I had a pair of jeans with this odor years ago (I said it smelled like diesel or chemicals). Nothing I tried took the smell away. And it was worse as they warmed up from your body heat.... I tried to wear them a couple of times and within a few hours it was intolerable and my eyes were watering. I ended up returning them - even the salesperson at the store had to acknowledge there was an obvious smell, so she refunded me. Now whenever I buy jeans I rub the fabric together to create warmth/friction, and then smell them. lol I'm sure people think I'm crazy. I find it more common in dark wash jeans. I think it's probably the dye.