Hi,

I recently purchased a second-hand Miu Miu Vitello Lux Bow Bag and when it arrived, it smelled horribly: the only thing what you can smell if you're close to it, it the smell of smoke. I really want to get rid of that smell as I'm getting quite sick of it, but I don't want to damage the bag using a strong cleanser or baking soda (as that damages the leather). At this time my bag is inside a plastic bag with some coffee powder (which is in a cup) and it does help a little bit on the inside, but the outside of the bag still smells the same. Have you got an idea how to 'clean' my bag without damaging the leather or the fabric inside?

I do not know if you want to attempt this, but it seems like you will need to wipe down the leather several times to remove most of the smell. I suspect it is on the surface and also within the leather. I don't think coffee powder will remove the smell if it is intense to you. I tried the baking soda and all sorts of spray on my vintage Chanel and nothing worked, not even a bag spa. I had to start wiping my Chanel down gently with a barely moist wet wipe several times and then followed by many applications of leather conditioner over many weeks (not all at once!). Eventually all the dark weird stuff (tar? sweat?) lifted off my bag.

I don't think your bag is to that extent, do you feel you could do a wipe down of the leather, or will it stain it?

I purchased a suede fringe little dress for Halloween that just reeked of smoke. I aired it out outside, I steamed it in the bathroom, to no avail. Finally I bought a new box of baking soda and put the opened box in a cardboard box with the dress and voila. The smell came out just in time. Make sure you have a brand new box of baking soda. You don't have to put it on the purse at all.

I have a Marc Jacobs Shifty bag, which has a weird odour.. Bought it from Ebay, and have tried every trick suitable and found either here or googling.. :/ still smells, and it annoys me so much.

Btw has anyone tried putting a leather bag to freezer, if that would help? And would it affect the leather? My sister said this would help but I'm scared of trying

Originally Posted by Nani_F

Btw has anyone tried putting a leather bag to freezer, if that would help? And would it affect the leather? My sister said this would help but I'm scared of trying

Just purchases a bag off the bon, properly disclosed that the owner was a smoker. After trying many methods, this is the one that worked for me -

If you have a shoe rack for your dryer, place the bag on the shoe rack and place 6 - 10 dryer sheets in the dryer. run the dryer on low setting for a cycle. You may have to repeat for several cycles - it took four for me to eliminate the musty-smoky odor from the bag.

Fabreze, baking soda and light vinegar rubs did not work for me, nor did saddle soap.

I got this type from a motorcycle site of all things - how to remove the smoke smell from leather jackets.

good luck!

Originally Posted by cfalsc

Just purchases a bag off the bon, properly disclosed that the owner was a smoker. After trying many methods, this is the one that worked for me - If you have a shoe rack for your dryer, place the bag on the shoe rack and place 6 - 10 dryer sheets in the dryer. run the dryer on low setting for a cycle. You may have to repeat for several cycles - it took four for me to eliminate the musty-smoky odor from the bag. Fabreze, baking soda and light vinegar rubs did not work for me, nor did saddle soap. I got this type from a motorcycle site of all things - how to remove the smoke smell from leather jackets. good luck!

Hi,
This is amazing. I recently purchased a bag and opened it in the car I was so excited. Out came tons of cigarette odor :-( I would like to use this bag and get the smell out. Could you be more specific as to what you did exactly. I am known for ruining my stuff!!
Thanks!
Monique

Originally Posted by Monique777

Hi, This is amazing. I recently purchased a bag and opened it in the car I was so excited. Out came tons of cigarette odor :-( I would like to use this bag and get the smell out. Could you be more specific as to what you did exactly. I am known for ruining my stuff!! Thanks! Monique

Has anyone ever used cat liter to remove smoke/odor? A woman told me she puts her handbag in an open bag and lays it on top of cat liter in an enclosed container. She leaves it for a week and says all odors are gone. I'm too afraid to try myself so am wondering if anyone has ever done this?
Thanks!

Originally Posted by Monique777

Hi, This is amazing. I recently purchased a bag and opened it in the car I was so excited. Out came tons of cigarette odor :-( I would like to use this bag and get the smell out. Could you be more specific as to what you did exactly. I am known for ruining my stuff!! Thanks! Monique

Hi Monique -

I have a shoe rack that fits inside my dryer that allows air to circulate around rack without the shoes being tumbled. The instructions I received said to put six dryer sheets in with a couple of tennis balls and then tumble the jacket (the instructions were for a leather jacket), but my bag has gold handles and wouldn't take to "tumbling". Instead I put the shoe rack in and placed the bag on the rack, and then put about ten dryer sheets in. I put the dryer on gentle heat, and then ran it through a cycle. it's a good idea to check frequently as the dryer sheets ended up on the shelf as well and not tumbling, so I had to move them around frequently. I ended up running the dryer for about four or five cycles before I had made enough progress to touch the bag without smelling smoke on my hands. You can't detect the smoke at all now on the leather, and the bag I purchased had a strong musty cigarette smell.

At Target in the baby section where the disposable diaper bags are they have little arm and hammor baking soda plastic pods that people put in diaper bags - basically it's a little contained unit of baking soda. I have two of these zipped inside the purse now and they are making good progress - better than dryer sheets inside the bag.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by cfalsc

Hi Monique - I have a shoe rack that fits inside my dryer that allows air to circulate around rack without the shoes being tumbled. The instructions I received said to put six dryer sheets in with a couple of tennis balls and then tumble the jacket (the instructions were for a leather jacket), but my bag has gold handles and wouldn't take to "tumbling". Instead I put the shoe rack in and placed the bag on the rack, and then put about ten dryer sheets in. I put the dryer on gentle heat, and then ran it through a cycle. it's a good idea to check frequently as the dryer sheets ended up on the shelf as well and not tumbling, so I had to move them around frequently. I ended up running the dryer for about four or five cycles before I had made enough progress to touch the bag without smelling smoke on my hands. You can't detect the smoke at all now on the leather, and the bag I purchased had a strong musty cigarette smell. At Target in the baby section where the disposable diaper bags are they have little arm and hammor baking soda plastic pods that people put in diaper bags - basically it's a little contained unit of baking soda. I have two of these zipped inside the purse now and they are making good progress - better than dryer sheets inside the bag. Good luck!

Thank you so much for being specific. I must hunt for a shoe rack that goes in my dryer. The cigarette smell is overpowering-not just slight. This is giving me hope I'll be able to carry this beautiful handbag!

Originally Posted by Monique777

Thank you so much for being specific. I must hunt for a shoe rack that goes in my dryer. The cigarette smell is overpowering-not just slight. This is giving me hope I'll be able to carry this beautiful handbag!

Mine was bad enough that it clung to my hands whenever I picked up the bag!

I was gifted a very nice briefcase bag that was handmade in Holland, but it smells a bit like cattle. Farm fresh might be a better term to describe it. I've been looking for a new work bag for awhile, but I can't use it when it smells like this. Does anyone have any suggestions as to removing the smell? Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by cfalsc

Just purchases a bag off the bon, properly disclosed that the owner was a smoker. After trying many methods, this is the one that worked for me - If you have a shoe rack for your dryer, place the bag on the shoe rack and place 6 - 10 dryer sheets in the dryer. run the dryer on low setting for a cycle. You may have to repeat for several cycles - it took four for me to eliminate the musty-smoky odor from the bag. Fabreze, baking soda and light vinegar rubs did not work for me, nor did saddle soap. I got this type from a motorcycle site of all things - how to remove the smoke smell from leather jackets. good luck!

I also bought one from the Bay recently that had a smokey odor. I used a charcoal odor remover. It's basically a cardboard container with holes. Inside, there are packets of charcoal and it sucks out the odor. I think the concept is similar to baking soda, which I may try on another bag I purchased that has a spicy scent, if the charcoal doesn't work.

The charcoal container has been inside the bag for about a week. Along with sitting next to an open window, the odor seems to be subsiding!

I found the charcoal odor remover at Marshall's for my kid's room (pre-teen smelly socks, etc...)

had the same issue a month ago. i tried putting in odor removal packets made of charcoal, but got a little impatient with the results. (this usually worked for some bags i got online that had that musty old smell. took more than a month to eliminate the smell.) i decided to take it to a professional cleaner (not sure if this is an economical choice depending on where you live though). there was still a very faint smell after i got it, but at least the cigarette smell was greatly diminished. now giving it a little charcoal therapy to see if it will do the trick.

i saw previous posts for other bags about wiping it down with vinegar and water, but i was hesitant to try it on the bag.

Originally Posted by dstalksalot

Jesus Freak..... first of all... fun name, mine is a reference to DC TALK who had one of the best albums ever in this century AKA Jesus Freak.......Any who...sorry to digress. I am wondering if the short term owner of the bag is not selling it because of the smell. There are techniques that can rid the bag of the odor, but it takes a super long time from what I hear. I am sure some one will come along and share the secrets. I am assuming it has something to do with baking soda…… I am curious to read the replies.

baking soda worked