Dollieh Sanctuary

This is only sort of dolly-related. It's actually more about ponies, but ponies are made of vinyl, so ...

I won a set of them off ebay. Pretty little things, in pretty good condition, but they STINK of cigarettes. O__x

Even after thorough washing and a few days of airing out, the smell still isn't gone. I'm afraid to put them with the rest of my collection or anywhere near my dolls for fear of them being contaminated, too.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks on getting rid of cigarette stink, without damaging vinyl? I am at a loss as to what to do, as nobody in my family smokes so I've never had to deal with this before.

I got some really smokey upholstered doll furniture. I put it in a ziploc and filled it halfway with febreze and left it to soak for two weeks. Also, burying stuff in baking soda can remove smells. Again, it needs to be in a sealed container for a week or more.

richila wrote:I got some really smokey upholstered doll furniture. I put it in a ziploc and filled it halfway with febreze and left it to soak for two weeks. Also, burying stuff in baking soda can remove smells. Again, it needs to be in a sealed container for a week or more.

I agree with richila. I have used "febreze" to remove smoke order from wood and clothing. I don't see way it wouldn't work for dolls. I also heard some people using cat litter in a sealed container.

Hmmm ... I have plenty of cat litter on hand, the Arm & Hammer brand. That sort of counts as baking soda, right? I'll try filling a plastic storage container and putting the ponies in it for awhile, see if that does the trick.

I have febreze, too. I'm afraid soaking them in it for a week might peel the paint from their bodies or discolor the plastic, so I don't think I'll be doing that, but maybe a spray-down might help.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I saved rubber Action Man stuff by submerging them in kitty litter. Once they smelled like kitty litter I stuck them in a bag of powdered detergent to absorb that smell, then just let them air out somewhere you don't mind smelling like Gain. Works on paper/cardboard and anything you don't want to get wet but it can take a good week or so.

Best de-smeller I know is:

Bury in kitty litter until the smell is gone. If you don't like the kitty litter smell then close up in a ziploc bag with a fabric softener sheet of the "smell removing" variety (I believe there are some Febreeze ones). This will get the advantage of the Febreeze without risking staining by spraying it on.

Ooooo! Good ideas! I'll just try that.

On the upside, I complained to the seller about the discoloration and smell that she never disclosed in her description. She was full of excuses - "I didn't notice" "I cleaned the box up in rubbing alcohol" (if that's true, wouldn't they all smell like rubbing alcohol AND cigarettes?), yadda yadda yadda - but she did give me a five dollar refund.

I guess in exchange I won't three-star her on her feedback like I threatened to.

Eww gross, I always make sure to check and only buy from smoke free homes as i can't stand the stink of cigarrettes it makes me ill. If I get something that does have a slight scent put it in the sun for a few days after washing with warm soapy water. Wash the ponies hair using a nice scented gentle shampoo (eg baby shampoo)

Well, I'd gotten these off Ebay and the seller didn't disclose that the home wasn't smoke-free. I did end up trying the drier sheet method VV suggested, and it worked pretty well. Thoroughly washed and scrubbed the ponies down with soap, let them dry, closed them up in a plastic container with a drier sheet for about two weeks. They STILL smell very faintly of cigarettes (even a year later) but it isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. I have to get my nose right up to them to detect it, whereas before I could smell it from across the room. I keep them on the shelf with the other ponies now, right above the dolls, and the smell hasn't spread to anything else so far in the past year, so I think it's safe.

Of course, I've since bought another set of the same ponies from Ebay, which are still brand new (just missing a pony), so I may end up selling the first set (minus the missing one) anyway.

Still try the kitty litter. Burry them in brand new old fashioned Johnny Cat odor absorbing kind for a few days or until your nose test smells litter instead of smoke.

Although if the smell is very light you might be able to go directly to ziplock bags with a bit of powdered detergent, bleach free might be best, or what about odor absorbing carpet powder?

And if the ponies are stained why not customize them?