I have begun purchasing old, historical issues of Life, Look, and Ebony from different vendors. Some vendors ship the items to me and it is clear that the issues have been allowed to take on the musty smell of a basement or, worse, the smell of cigarette smoke. Is there some safe way to "air them out" so that I can retain the issues, but lose the smells? Thanks in advance.
InTheBoonies
Favorite Answer
Put them in a box large enough to have room for an open box of baking soda. Keep box closed,baking soda will absorb odors.
Anonymous
Activated charcoal or baking soda will absorb the smell. Put the book in a cardboard box and fill a container with either baking soda or activated charcoal placing it in the box. Leave it for a week or so and the smell will go away. However, if the old book had mold or mildew spores (look for little black dots), put it out in the heat of the sun or in the dryer on the delicate rack making certain air can circulate all around it. The heat will kill the spores, then work on removing the smell. If the book is a collectable, do not wet it or use fabric softener sheets as you will devalue it. The softener sheets leave a residue which will yellow as does any liquid.
Clankine
My Mom told me to use fabric softeneer sheets in between the pages or just on top of them (I had my husbands old books from when he was a kid to de-stink) - I haven't done it yet tho so I can't say how well it worked! However, my Mom's usually on target with this kind of thing.
wise
get a plastic bag place them in dump baking soda scented wood chips in the bag and leave them there for a couple of days
or place scented fabric softner in the bag this will work
brya95
stand a few inches back, and try and spray them with some febrreeze