posted on January 31, 2003 11:20:04 AM
I know there was a long topic on this a few months back, but I can't seem to find it.
I recently bought a couple of thousand postcards and when they arrived I found them to be so filled with smoke odor my whole house now smells like a smoker's home.
I don't want to mix them with my other postcards this way and I couldn't remember what others did? Fabreze? sprayed on something and put in box? Cat litter?
posted on January 31, 2003 11:46:13 AM
What works well for me is to put the items in a large plastic bag filled with crumpled newspaper for a few days.
posted on January 31, 2003 11:57:41 AM
Thanks! I am doing that right now and we'll see how it smells on Monday or so. I can't believe how much smoke can accumulate in small items. My whole house now smells of smoke and I only opened the package a couple of hours ago.
posted on January 31, 2003 12:34:17 PM
Try this: Place the cards into the household freezer in a moist free metal can. Within the can, place some baking soda. Leave your cards in this sub-zero environment for approximately 4-5 days. A lot of the tobacco smell will be gone. Try one card first and see if you're satisfied with the results. If so, then put more in later.
posted on January 31, 2003 07:11:17 PM
Potpouri! I have a box filled with it, and
I put items that smell of smoke or are musty
in there for a few days. It hasn't failed yet!
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
posted on January 31, 2003 07:45:10 PM
Ralphie says to make sure you put the cat in the freezer FIRST! OTOH, he does seem to have a FROZEN FELINE FETISH...
posted on January 31, 2003 07:59:54 PM
Try tossing a couple dryer sheets in with the newpaper. If you live in an area with a large latin population the "ethnic" or 99 cent stores may carry a brand called Suavitel which makes a Vanilla scented sheet. They rock! When I have been out of town a few too many days a couple of those over the heating or air vent for an hour or two is THE ticket for removing litter box smells.
posted on February 1, 2003 09:25:35 AM
LindaJean, try putting the items on a rack in a bag with the clay cat litter on the bottom, and close the bag. It's worked well for me with books. I don't like the odor of the fabric softener sheets and potpourri. It's also worked for books with a musty smell.
You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on February 1, 2003 03:38:45 PM
I have a very senstive sense of smell. I HATE when someone tries to use Febreeze or dryer sheets to cover up smoke or some other bad smell. These scents do not "get rid" of the smell. They attempt only to "cover it up".
When I have bought merchandise and the seller used a scent to try and cover up a bad smell, the item has arrived reeking of both smoke and perfume, Febreeze, or dryer sheets. Totally yucky!
Did you know that certain perfumes (especially thise containg coal tar) deaden the olfactory senses to a degree? That's why some of you no longer "smell" the offending odor once you use a scented product. It's really still there! But now your nose is half dead!
You may be sending out something you think smells pleasant that your buyer thinks simply reeks.
When you spray room freshener or the like, you are only "covering up" the original odor with a blast of a more intense odor, not actually "removing" the original odor.
Baking soda and other absorbent substances work best. Also, real vanilla will work if soaked in a rag and placed for a few days in something enclosed like a stinky ice chest.
Freezing for two weeks kills bacteria pretty well. Everclear (Yes, drinking alcohol that's 80 proof or better) misted into an enclosed area (a room or even cardboard box)will kill mold and musty odors. Just don't inhale!
For cloth items that can be washed, Oxyclean will completely remove most odors the moment the item is wet down with the solution. You usually will smell a "rush" (best term I can think of) of the bad odor leave the item the moment is is fully immersed.
As a seller, I never introduce fragrance to my merchandise. As a buyer, I hate receiving smelly packages!
Okay, okay, I'm stepping off the soapbox now. It stinks too bad anyway!
posted on February 1, 2003 04:16:06 PM
Patty... we agree with you about the dryer sheets smell, etc..
But real vanilla is a real smell too! It just "smells better" than something like Fabreze, where nearly everyone seems to hate the smell. Baking soda will absorb odors, but using vanilla is also just a form of "covering up" the smell. People would have severe sensitivity to stuff like this could have problems with vanilla, too. It's just a matter of what your triggers would be.
Baking soda and freezing help a lot with stuff we get that smells smoky, but we mostly have linens, and have never tried the freezing on paper goods. Sometimes just setting them out in the sun and fresh air does the trick just fine for us!
I respect your opinion. Any odor, natural or not can be a problem for one individual or another.
I mention vanilla for ice chests because in that case, it really actually neutralizes the odor somehow. I've had really stinky ice chests (like some food spoiled) and washed thoroughly with detergent and bleach, but had the stinky smell remain even though disinfected.
If you soak a tiny piece of rag with vanilla, and place it in the isce chest for a few days with the lid closed, it actually neutralizes or absorbs the odor. You can toss the vanilla rag, wash the ice chest, and have no vanilla smell or stink.
An Igloo (maker of ice chests here in Texas) employee told me about the trick.
Anyway, the item I'm most sensitive too smell-wise that I keep running into in public places is those dried Ecalytus branches. Instant sinus headache!
