04-28-2018 09:03 PM
I recently acquired some old buttons and postcards that I'd like to sell. I'm concerned about the 'vintage' odor though. The buttons were kept in a metal tin and they have a smell that's a cross between old chemicals and band aids. I've been letting them air out, and they smell so much better, but I'm wondering if this is par for the course with buttons? Do the people that buy old buttons expect a vintage button funk? Or should these buttons just find a new home in the dumpster? Same question about the old postcards- they smell like they were in Grandma's attic for 60 years. Not really musty, just old paper smell. Is that acceptable with this type of item?
Finally, if it is acceptable to sell them, what would be the best way to explain the smell in the posting?
Thanks for any help.
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04-29-2018 08:11 AM
@easthillvintageco wrote:Some of them turned out to be bakelite. I wonder if that stink ever goes away? I feel like I should advertise with a 'may be carcinogenic' warning. Thanks for the reply.
No Bakelite has a chemical (formaldehyde) in it
Don't think you need to add a warning, if you are listing as some Bakelite buttons collectors know very well what it is.
I have had a tin in the attic with bakelite items in it and when I open the tin it stinks because it is hot in my attic and the tin is sealed so well
(Making Bakelite was a multi-stage process. It began with the heating of phenol and formaldehyde)
As far as the Papers do your best to get some of the odor out but I have sold older paper item in the past & just add to the description has old paper odor or slight odor from age.
Read this linked post below on smells so you have an idea about items descriptions and can cover yourself
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/Smoke-smell-complaint-amp-return-2-items/td-p/2837892...
04-28-2018 09:12 PM
Have you tried baking soda? I find it works wonders with "old paper" smell. Fill a small open bowl with baking soda. Set it in a container with a tight lid. Put the papers and whatnot in the container with the bowl and put the lid on tight. Set it aside for a couple of weeks. The baking soda will absorb most if not all of the odors. I have great success with this.
04-28-2018 09:20 PM
I woud do my best to get the smell out, trying different things if necessary. If it still stinks, just imagine if you would be happy with receiving an item in the mail that smelled like that.
04-28-2018 09:48 PM
Finally, if it is acceptable to sell them, what would be the best way to explain the smell in the posting?
Thanks for any help. op - ----------------- unquote
Put the items out in the direct sun for a day , repeat the next day if the odor is still there . Tulips
04-28-2018 10:52 PM - edited 04-28-2018 10:54 PM
After you air them out and/or use the baking soda, you might consider putting them in a container for a couple of days, then checking to see if there's still an odor. That would simulate them being enclosed in a package in transit to a buyer and ensure the buyer didn't get a odorous surprise when they opened the box. This happened to me as a buyer, although it took me a little while to figure out what happened since the seller insisted there was no odor, and I had specifically asked prior to purchasing.
I'm very sensitive to chemicals/odors so I always appreciate a seller disclosing that information up front. I have seen many listings that disclosed magazines or paper ephemera had a strong musty odor or basement odor and yet some seemed to find willing buyers anyway. It's been a few years since I browsed magazines to buy, otherwise I could probably think of some of the terms I ran across to describe various odors besides musty, moldy, or old basement smell.
04-28-2018 11:03 PM
04-29-2018 03:33 AM - edited 04-29-2018 03:34 AM
The paper I would use the baking soda trick on.
Buttons are washable, just give them a bath and roll them around on a bath towel and spread them out to dry.
BUT buttons that have been stored together that are starting to smell have a few of them that are plastic that the chemicals that make them up are reacting badly to the other plastic buttons. Look for plastic buttons that are misshappen, cracked or brittle and throw them out. That should take care of the problem.
04-29-2018 04:22 AM
I am very sensitive to smells. Some will trigger a migraine. However I love that old vintage smell like when you walk into an old musty junk store with the old hardwood floors.
Smells are different for everyone . Just make sure you mention the items may be stinky.😷
04-29-2018 06:34 AM - edited 04-29-2018 06:35 AM
@easthillvintageco
General Reply
Paper I agree on the baking soda
The buttons are they plastic?
Could they be Bakelite
A clip from a site I have used .
Rub the item in question vigorously with your thumb until you feel the plastic heat up. Then, before it cools, take a whiff. A distinct chemical odor similar to formaldehyde will linger with most genuine Bakelite. This often takes a bit of practice, but it works well for many people while out shopping.
Rub a button between your fingers or clasp it until it feels warm. You can also drop several buttons in a cup of hot (hand hot, not boiling) water to warm them. Once warm, smell the button. Bakelite was made with a formaldehyde resin and will give off a formaldehyde smell when warm.
04-29-2018 06:58 AM
Thank you! I've not done the baking soda yet! I'm really, really new to all of this so it's trial by error at this point. I'll definietly give your suggestion a try.
04-29-2018 07:01 AM
That's a good idea to put them in a container and check them in a few days to simulate the possible smell after shipping! I will definietly do that. The last thing I want is to surprise a customer with a stinky item.
04-29-2018 07:03 AM
Some of them turned out to be bakelite. I wonder if that stink ever goes away? I feel like I should advertise with a 'may be carcinogenic' warning. Thanks for the reply.
04-29-2018 07:51 AM
I too love the "old" smell of some things.
If the smell remains, just mention there is a smell...even strong smell of storage/vintage.
I would never use the term "stinky". Some of us were raised being told that "stink" is an "ugly" word!
We have had luck removing smells by airing the items outside, not in the sun. That removes many smells after a couple of days. Sure works with a mothball smell!
Also, Kitty litter Unscented works in a sealed box to take away smells.
Then if you have a cat, it has a good reuse.😃
Although I am not a button expert, I would never wash or wet buttons without carefully going through and sorting.there could be fabric ones or others with dye that could bleed onto natural ones.
Good luck!!
04-29-2018 08:09 AM
By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–
Is sunlight the best disinfectant? Through serendipity, I happened on an article called Natural Alternatives to Bleach for Disinfecting.[1] It discussed pros and cons of such disinfectants as bleach, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and yes, sunlight. The article stated that bleach could be dangerous, causing irritation to the eyes, mouth, lungs and skin, and when mixed with ammonia could result in the release of toxic fumes.
The authors suggested three alternatives: vinegar, which is non-toxic, hydrogen peroxide, which can cause burns at high concentrations, but when used safely is reasonably safe, and sunlight, which like vinegar is nontoxic. The article states “In fact, scientists have found that exposing a bottle of water to sunlight for 6 hours is an economical way to provide developing countries with safe drinking water (see References 2). The disinfecting properties of sunlight can also be useful around the house. If you have an object that you can move outside, the sun’s rays can help disinfect it. A stained piece of white laundry can be effectively brightened and disinfected by spraying the stain with lemon juice or vinegar and then hanging it in the sun.”
Imagine that—no wonder my mother hung her clothes out on a line in the summer sun to dry, although I don’t recall any use of vinegar or lemon juice.
The mention of water also took me back a few years to the time I spent a week with a Mexican friend of mine in a small town near Guadalajara called Juchipila. As most of you know, the drinking water in Mexico is often contaminated with noxious bacteria, and the sale of bottled water to prevent “Montezuma’s revenge” is big business. While there, my friend Miguel and I visited a bottled-water plant. Interestingly, the only method of purification was the exposure of the water to ultraviolet light. It obviously did a terrific job, because the proprietor did a good business with no reported problems of related bacterial diseases.
There was a time when sunlight was used to disinfect hospitals, and such should be the case now, considering the superbugs that have developed a resistance to antibiotics. The legendary humanitarian Florence Nightingale observed that sunlight helped heal wounded soldiers and insisted that hospitals be constructed to allow the free entry of sunlight.[2]
In reality, it has long been known that sunlight is a powerful disinfectant and bactericide. As early as 1877, researchers discovered that sugar water left in the shade became cloudy, indicative of bacterial growth, but if exposed to sunlight, it remained clear.[3] In 1890, the German microbiologist Robert Koch (who had isolated and described the tuberculosis bacterium in 1882), showed that sunlight killed TB bacteria.[4] Later on, research showed sunlight also killed E. coli bacteria in twelve feet of seawater and in waste stabilization ponds.[5] [6] [7]
In the aforementioned article comparing alternative disinfectants with bleach, the authors mentioned that exposing the armpits to sunlight would kill the bacteria that caused odor. There is little that I enjoy more than sunbathing with my hands behind my head and my armpits exposed to the sun. Lots of vitamin D, nitric oxide and endorphins produced, and later on I am more popular with my friends!
Sunlight exposure has been shown to heal Tuberculosis, psoriasis and a host of other diseases. To protect against a multitude of diseases, infectious and otherwise, be sure that you and your environment are exposed to plenty of sunlight, but also be sure not to burn. Any reddening of the skin indicates that you have had enough.
[1] http://homeguides.sfgate.com/natural-alternatives-bleach-disinfecting-79312.html
[2] Nightingale, F. Notes on Hospitals (third edition) Longman, Roberts and Green 1863.
[3] Downes, A. Researches on the effect of light upon bacteria and other organisms. Proc Roy Soc Med 1877;26:488.
[4] Hobday, R. The Healing sun. Findhorn Press 1999:132.
[5] Hart, D. Sterilization of the air in the operating room by special antibacterial radiant energy. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1936;6:45.
[6] Gameson, A. et al. Field studies on effect of daylight on mortality of coliform bacteria. Water R
You might find this information helpful by using natural sunshine to rid items of smelly bacteria - Tulips
04-29-2018 08:11 AM
@easthillvintageco wrote:Some of them turned out to be bakelite. I wonder if that stink ever goes away? I feel like I should advertise with a 'may be carcinogenic' warning. Thanks for the reply.
No Bakelite has a chemical (formaldehyde) in it
Don't think you need to add a warning, if you are listing as some Bakelite buttons collectors know very well what it is.
I have had a tin in the attic with bakelite items in it and when I open the tin it stinks because it is hot in my attic and the tin is sealed so well
(Making Bakelite was a multi-stage process. It began with the heating of phenol and formaldehyde)
As far as the Papers do your best to get some of the odor out but I have sold older paper item in the past & just add to the description has old paper odor or slight odor from age.
Read this linked post below on smells so you have an idea about items descriptions and can cover yourself
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/Smoke-smell-complaint-amp-return-2-items/td-p/2837892...