I'm sure there's a better way to make a stinky book box; more air-tight and a better odor-eating material, but this is what I had and it worked pretty well for me!
Mar 4, 2010
stinky box
Have you ever made a stinky book box?
I had this book acquired from a swap site that smelled so strongly of cigars I could barely stand to open it. But I really wanted to keep it! So I lined a small box with fresh kitty litter and baking soda, fanned the book slightly and set it down on its edge, so the spine faces up and the pages open a bit. Sealed it all in a large plastic bag for two weeks. Now the book still has some odor, but it's pretty faint and very tolerable.
I'm sure there's a better way to make a stinky book box; more air-tight and a better odor-eating material, but this is what I had and it worked pretty well for me!
I'm sure there's a better way to make a stinky book box; more air-tight and a better odor-eating material, but this is what I had and it worked pretty well for me!
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I haven't had to do it myself, but have heard that this works really well. Putting books in the freezer is also supposed to help kill off some nasty smells. Well done with the stinky box!
ReplyDeleteNothing worse than a stinky book!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea! I've only had one stinky book before. It was a library book and had a very strong cigarette smell, like the book was actually smoking a cigarette.
ReplyDeleteMy sister was just asking me how to get smells out of books - I'm sending her a link to this post.
ReplyDeleteFarmlanebooks- I heard about the freezer trick before, but always worried about moisture, for some odd reason...
ReplyDeleteChandra- I know. I hate 'em!
Nan- Smelly library books are awful. It makes me uneasy thinking how they got that way.
Bermudaonion- I hope she finds it helpful!
Ewwwww! You might try a few days fanned out in the sun. There's probably no real reason for that to work, but it wounldn't hurt. Smelly books are as bad as smelly yarn.
ReplyDeleteBlackSheep- That sounds like a good idea, but we don't have much sun here yet. I can't imagine what stinky yarn is like!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you could do this. I have gotten perfect good books only they have a musty smell or worse a smoky smell. I've tried leaving them on the porch, but that doesn't really help. I must give this a try--what a good idea!
ReplyDeleteI had a guinea pig once, so I would have thought about cedar shavings instead of kitty litter.
ReplyDeleteA fresh box of dryer sheets & the book in a large ziploc bag?
I love your stinky book box!
Danielle- You should give it a try- it's very easy! All you need is something that absorbs odor.
ReplyDeleteBybee- I think dryer sheets would work just as well, if not better. And ziploc would certainly be easier than than a bag shut like I did.
I second the dryer sheet recommendation. My sister once bought me a gorgeous copy of Jane Eyre that apparently was all smoky when she got it, and she used dryer sheets to sort it out.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! I never even thought of doing something about stinky used books. I read one that I was actually allergic too. I'll have to try a couple of these methods.
ReplyDelete