Help, My toys stink!

[Gasport]

Thought this would be the right place to ask if anyone out there has had any experience getting cigarette smoke stench out of soft vinyl toys? These are the full set of Land Before Time soft vinyl puppets that were give aways at Jack In The Box during the late 80's. I won them recently on ebay. They're in terrific shape otherwise and i'm giving them to my Niece's 5 year old daughter in a few days for her 6th birthday. These things really REEK and i hate to give them to a kid that way. I've had them sitting in an open window for days with Fabreze sheets shoved up their butts [better them than me] and nothing has changed funk-wise...any suggestions?

[Wich2]

Mike-

Put 'em in a CLOSED bag with a few pieces of charcoal?

-Craig W.

[Gasport]

Craig,
         Makes sense...has this worked for you personally and if so, should i wrap the charcoal in something to protect the toys?? Thanks,
                                                                  Mike

[OldTimey]

Place them in a ziplock bag with a fabric softener sheet.

[mjaycox]

I agree with all the methods listed here. Nothing is perfect for getting out Cigarette smoke. Especially from Vinyl. You need to give the smoke something to leech into. So the trick is something to get it out woithout hurting the toys themselves.

Apples are renowned for gettng out smoke smell. Car dealers put apple cores in cars to get out smoking smells. You might try that as well, or even washing in apple juice? (not sure if that would mess up any paint jobs).

A trick I used once on a vinyl toy that worked rather well was this: I figured the bad smell of the smoke was aromatic/organic in nature and could be broken down if a reducing agent was added--enter peroxide. i got some from the medicine cabinet and washed the thing with it... testing it on the paint in a very small area first... it went a long way toward getting the smell out.

But the only true method is time... being out of a smoky house will allow the smell to leech out over time.

Beast witches,

Matt Jaycox

[Mike Scott]

Here's an ebay guide for removing smoke smell:
http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-Eliminate-Smoke-Smell-from-Your-eBay-Purchases_W0QQugidZ10000000001669988

Cutting to the chase:

PLASTIC [or other washable] TOYS, ETC.

Bleach and vinegar won't get to some smells that plastic absorbs.

Try using kitty litter confined with the plastic item. Pack it as for books (above) pack it in there and leave it for a few days. If the toy is small enough, put it in the kitty litter bag from the store.

Dump them in the bathtub, with soap and vinegar.

Run them through the dishwasher.


Scrub them by hand with orange or lemon based cleaner. The dollar store sells AWESOME but it has strong fumes. Spray it onto your cloth and then wipe it on straight.

[Gasport]

Thank you Mike, for that useful link! Think i'll try the cat litter remedy first. I'm reluctant to get too crazy using detergent and scrubbing because the paint is in great shape on all the puppets and i want to keep it that way. The woman who sold them said they belonged to her son and pretty much just sat on a shelf in his room until he outgrew them. Judging by how intense the odor is, that poor former kid better go get himself a chest X-ray soon! Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to post solutions,
                                                           Mike G

[Illoman]

It's funny that this topic has just come up. The other day I bought a book at a used book store. The price was so great I didn't even open the book, just grabbed it, paid for it and went home. When I sat down to read it it stunk so bad of ciggies I almost gagged. After a quick google search, I put the book in a plastic bag, put in some crumpled up sheets of newspaper, let it sit for three days, and now almost all the stench is gone! You really have to put your nose in the spine to smell it, whereas before just opening the book was overpowering.

Mike