Scrap Bag

Spray it with Lysol and set it outside in the wind to air clean it... might work?

I have a small problem...inside an awesome gift! I was given (hand-me-down) a Generations wheeled tote because she got a new one (and I've been talking about getting something like this but could never justify spending the money on myself, etc...) and it's in great shape and it looks like I am going to really be able to organize my tools and see things and ohhhhhhhhhhhh just feel good about things.

Except. I have one problem. She and her hubby smoke and the bag smells like smoke and before I put my paper and tools and *stuff* in it, I'd like to get the smell out. I've wiped it down with a wet cloth, sprayed Febreeze (then went back and wiped it clean after the spray) ....and am ready to try your suggestions now.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks! :-) Theresa in IL (the professional lurker)

Hi, I am a lurker, I just had to respond to this post. The best advice I can give you is to let it air out in the sun. It might take a couple of days, but well worth it. My mom was a smoker, and that was the best way I found to get the smell of smoke out of anything that couldn't be washed in the washing machine.

I hope this helps, Pamela in Texas

My sister is a heavy smoker. A couple of years ago she gave me one of those Remco Little Red Spinning Wheels still in it's original box she had found at a yard sale and saved until my birthday to give it to me. (my favorite toy when I was a kid) The cardboard box and plastic spinning wheel really reeked of smoke. I put it in a big garbage bag bag with a plastic container of charcoal for a few days. Then let it sit out in the sun on a breezy day. Worked great. Sandy

bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) absorbs odours including smoke... put an open container of bicarb inside the bag and if you can, put the whole bag into a larger closed box with a lot of bicarb. Check it after a week and change the bicarb if it still smells. It might take a month but it works.

What a bout Fabreese. Its by the air spray cleaners at the stores. It's supposed to take smells out of things.

Thanks for the suggestions! It's currently sitting outside on the front porch in the sun...after having been Febreeze'd. Tonight when I bring it in, I'll do the baking soda thing.

Thanks again! :-) Theresa in IL

I have a small problem...inside an awesome gift! I was given (hand-me-down) a Generations wheeled tote because she got a new one (and I've been talking about getting something like this but could never justify spending the money on myself, etc...) and it's in great shape and it looks like I am going to really be able to organize my tools and see things and ohhhhhhhhhhhh just feel good about things.

Except. I have one problem. She and her hubby smoke and the bag smells like smoke and before I put my paper and tools and *stuff* in it, I'd like to get the smell out. I've wiped it down with a wet cloth, sprayed Febreeze (then went back and wiped it clean after the spray) ....and am ready to try your suggestions now.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks! :-) Theresa in IL (the professional lurker)

I bought a game table at a yard sale years ago. Loaded it into my car. Less than a mile away the stale smoke smell became VERY prominate in the car. I had all the windows down and by the time I got home (5 miles) I thought I was going to vomit! It STUNK SO BAD! Anyhow I thought I had wasted my $25 and was so mad. I through it into my back yard about 2 weeks later it rained and I thought I better put that table into the garage if I want to see if I can save it. I didn't go into the garage the whole day in fear of "the smell." I forgot about it the next day and when I went to check the garage on day 3 it didn't smell! I braved it and brought the table into the house. No smell.

So, I think febreezing it and airying it out should help a lot. Getting it out of the smoking house has stopped it from getting worse. If you can set it outside for a while and let the fresh air circulate around it.

Try putting some Odorz Out in it and letting it sit outside for best ventillation for at least 3 days. It might take a couple of treatments but the smell will come out eventually. Good luck!

HI THERESA!!!!!

Set it outside in the SUN for a couple days. That will help freshen it up too.

If it will not hurt it to get wet, let it get rained on or soak it with a hose and dry out a couple times. I did that wth a handknotted rug a few years ago.

OKC Dave

I saw something similar to this in a "Hints from Heloise" article, and it said to put a few charcoal briquets in there for a few days and it would absorb the odors--not sure if this will work or not personally. You might check her website for more info.

Hope you get the smell out, sounds like otherwise a great gift! :-)

Carolyne in TX

ground coffee will also absorb the odor....as long as you don't mind the smell of coffee.

Azzy

Fresh ground coffee. Put some inside the bag and put the whole thing into a garbage bag and dump some more coffee into the garbage bag. You may need to remove the coffee and add fresh after a couple days. Once you got the smoke smell out air it some outside in the breeze.

My dad is a trucker and this is what they use to get the rotten smell out of trailers when a load of food starts to spoil. I've used this trick lots of times to get the stink out of stuff.

Don't know about the bag, but we use lemons in the fridge to get rid of bad odours. Maybe you can through a few into the bag and leave it in the sun for a day or two. Worth a shot :)

Judy, SA

Have you tried kitty litter. Lin

Celeste, that must have been one humongus garbage bag to be able to get a trailer into! LOL

Well, after 3 days in the scorching heat sitting in the sun outside (with a box of baking soda sitting inside it) it now smells *normal*. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So as soon as kids decide to take a nap, it's going to get wiped down and loaded up!

Thanks for all the suggestions! I filed them away for future reference whenever I have a similar problem. Having smokers in the family requires having these kinds of tips around.

Thanks again! :-) Theresa in IL