Librarian/Book lover help

[gwyneth1362]

We recently acquired a stack of large paperback books (think Osprey Men-at-arms) that were in a smokers home.  They smell icky.

We've currently got them in a sealed plastic tub with baking soda spread around, so that none of them are touching the baking soda but hoping it might take away some of the smell.  Does anyone know of any way to remove

Comments

[missdoom]

Here is a link to a thread on a librarian list-serve. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/bookarts/2000/01/msg00108.html

Sounds like you are on the right track. I would be interested to know if this works.

[zandoria]

Could you damp a cloth with Frebreeze and put it in with them, not touching of course. Is that something that might work?

The only thing I ever had to get cig smoke out of was my truck when I bought it from my dad. I just put some Nilordor in the ash tray (after scrubbing it really well), and left it in the garage with the windows partially open. Took about two weeks for the smell to completely go away.

[eithni]

I've heard that grass clippings work great as an odor-eater, but they may need to be changed out a few times for full effect.

How smoked are they?

[beckmumble]

Baking soda, cat litter & vinegar are the odor eaters I've seen recommended for putting in a sealed box with the smokey book for a day.

Is the smoker's residue griming or yellowing the covers? A light wipe down with ever-so-slightly moist paper towels will usually get it off the glossy paperback covers. If it isn't rainy weather, airing the books for a few days on a screened porch or in a room with a breeze from open windows dries whatever dampness you may have caused wiping them down & seems to take the hard edge of the smell. The baking soda would probably work quicker.

[ghita]

This may be just weird, but the first thing I thought of was putting a fishtank charcoal filter in there with an airpump sucking air out of the box so that air by the books goes through the charcoal filter, kinda airing them out.

But I don't know much about books.