If a rag is heavily soaked, and it is firmly pressed against the mouth AND the nose so that the person MUST breathe in air with a very high concentration of chloroform (low conc. of oxygen), then unconsciousness will come fairly quick. And it is an idealized situation. just now. Report Abuse. yes, a cloth soaked with highly concentrated chloroform could induce unconsciousness if exclusively inhaled-meaning that 100% of inhalation into lungs is through soaked cloth. this, in most cases, will not instantaneously cause unconsciousness however-it would normally require multiple breaths.