Need help with smoke odor in materials.

[artbyljw]

I have been purchasing a lot of ACEO blanks to create with since I don't cut my own. Recently I got a large amount of them that were saturated with the smell of cigarrette smoke. As soon as I opened the box they came in, the odor was overwhelming. I can only conclude they came from a smoking household that was not aware of how much the smell had penetrated them.

Well.. I really don't want to throw away the cards (and the money I paid for them) but I don't want to pass the odor along to my collectors either.

Is there a way to get this smell out of the cards without risking ruining them? Some are colored and I am afraid spraying anything on them might spot them. I had them in a sealed baggy with dryer sheets, but it just seems to be mingling with the odor and not eliminating it.

Any ideas?

If anyone smokes, that's your business, but please be aware that anything you smoke around is going to pick up the smell, and to a non-smoker it is very obvious and offensive to the senses.

[isablue123]

Have you tried to fan them out and leave them in a well-ventilated area (but away from people)? I'm not sure if it would totally eliminate the smell, but it would probably help. I have had a similar experience with other things I bought on eBay, and I am sensitive to it as well.

[poozybear]

Ugh! Cigarette smoke is the WORST, and on paper products, very hard to eliminate. I'm extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke and would have been really upset to have received the cards in that condition.

Probably the only thing you can do is try to air them out and hope it dissipates. If you paint on them with acrylics, that may also cover up the odor.

If it were me, I think I would have asked for a refund, or left neutral feedback warning others. I have major issues about receiving smokey items. I would have been really ticked off. I always state in my auctions that my items come from a non-smoking home. It's an issue for a lot a buyers.