Smelly Chanel 2.0 - Let's get physical

EmilyK

Somewhat in control
Jan 7, 2007
2,393
1
Backstory: I have a black cambon tote that smells of smoke. Strongly.

So far, I have:
-Scrubbed the inside with Woolite (worked well - the inside smells a lot better)
-Let the bag sit overnight in a plastic bag with baking soda (didn't do much)
-Let the bag air out for several days (I'm sure it's working, slowly.. but nothing amazing yet).

I have LovinMyBags odor-eating bag candies on the way, but I'm thinking I really need to physically clean the outside of the bag to help get rid of the smell and grime.

I'm thinking of LovinMyBags Luxury Cleanser - has anyone used it? Any other products you've used that worked well?

I'm trying to remain calm and remind myself that the smell with eventually come out...

I would have added this to my previous thread, but I can't find it manually and my search function isn't working atm...sorry!
 
I have used apple guarde leather conditioner on my cambon leather and worked fine. Don't know if it will remove the smokey smell, but it won't hurt to try.
 
You could try putting it in the bathroom on a table, lighting some incense, and turning the hot water in the shower on so the room gets steamy. It sounds weird, but the incense smell will get into the leather. Obviously your goal here isn't to get the bag wet, so don't put it in the water lol.
 
Has any of what you tried actually helped? Or does it still have an overpowering smell of smoke? I had a bag like that. I'd get a headache anytime I carried it. I couldn take it.
 
^^ Does anyone else put those dryer sheets inside to keep it smelling nice? Is that a good or bad idea? I've done it... don't know if I should though.
 
You could also try a sachet or something to that effect ... I usually buy scented soaps, wrap them in paper after the soaps are completely hard - and use them ... Or you could use those cedar balls for closets ...
 
Well here is what I did with my smelly bag. I had a nice blue lambskin classic. It was a vintage piece. It smelled like smoke really bad. My son was born about the time I got it (8 mos ago) so I had his Mustela baby bodywash. It smells soooooo good, (and its FRENCH)!!! I figured it was gentle enough for his skin and his eyes, plus he's a baby (lambskin is delicate) soooooo why not. Well it worked great! I used a soft cloth and I lathered that thing up and it smelled MUCH better on the outside and I bet it was smellier than yours because Cambon has not been out long enough to have penetrated as deep as a vintage bag can get. Imagine 10 or so years of heavy smoke! Anyway, it worked out really well and smelled fresher. Oh and I repeated the process 2 to 3 times. It even gave it a nice sheen.
 
A couple time I purchased item from eBay or consignment, I got this smelly smoke ordor. I aired it out outside of the house. I picked a nice warm day to do this. I placed item on table from indirect light (under an umbrella). I took it in when get in the evening. I did this for 2 days & worked for me.
 
I always use the little 'DO NOT EAT' bags you get when you purchase something new. (I hope you know what I mean, they're tiny and come in shoeboxes, electronics etc.) I save em all up and when I have a 'smelly' bag I leave them in for a while. They usually get most of the smell out. I think have some sort of moist and dirt absorption grains/granules in them...
 
I have used dryer sheets too. I inherited a vintage tote that smelled like mothballs. I put a dryer sheet in the bag for a couple of nights and it really helped.