Before you buy a bag always ask the seller whether it has any smells. If it is mildew smell walk away.
How to get a smell out of a bag
- Thread starter valby
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Hello, it´s a Rebecca Minkoff which I was told is not copied that much and fakes are rare, I am also quite sure that its genuine leather and I had the bag authenticated here on tpf.. I am not sure if its something that that was used on the leather or maybe if it can be caused by storing the bag in the dustbag for a long time. I just washed the dustbag yesterday and its like new, so I´m 100% sure it comes from the leather (the interior doesn´t smell at all). First I wrapped it in newspaper, helped a bit but not completely. Then I left it outside on fresh air for about three days, still the smell persists. Yesterday I put it into a plastic bag with an open can of baking soda and I really do hope that its gonna help. As its from ebay there aren´t many ways how to return it and I dont really want to.
Yup, next time will definitely ask for odors, however seller replied that she hasn´t noticed any...
So after a treatment with baking soda (left in a plastic bag with the can open for about two days) its better but not completely gone (again). I am not giving up though, just purchased another can of baking soda and put it inside a plastic bag with the handbag in my office..
Active charcoal is usually found in the laundry section or wherever you find mothballs. It looks like a bag of gravel. You are correct, the briquettes are not quite the same.
Sorry, I am not laughing at you. That is totally something I would do.
When I went hunting for charcoal a few years ago, I couldn't find any at Bed Bath & Beyond, the pet store, Target, etc. I decided to live on the edge and use the powder inside activated charcoal pills, which you can find in the herbal/supplement section at Whole Foods. It will stain so you have to be careful but it works if you can't find the gravel type charcoal.
I very slowly and carefully pulled the pills apart and poured the powder into a paper cup which I then put inside the smelly purse. You might want to use a crumpled up tissue or paper towel to nestle the cup in so that it won't tip over and spill. If you want to be even safer, you could put a square of cheesecloth on top of the paper cup and secure it with a rubber band. You could also put it inside a sachet or bouquet garni bag. I made sure to put my bag in a safe place where it wouldn't accidentally get knocked over. After a few days, the smell was gone.
Activated charcoal pills absorb odors but they also absorb yukky stuff in your stomach so they're great to have around in case of food poisoning or other stomach bugs. It's what they use for drug overdoses in ERs so it's really effective.
Good advice. I've been buying on ebay for years but learnt this lesson only recently when I bought a fantastic looking vintage Chanel that smelled like an ashtray. I had to return it to the seller who hadn't disclosed the obvious odor issue in the listing.
it has diminished again however its still noticeable. Looks like im gonna need new cans of baking sodaI bought little Dior bag from the thrift store that reeked of smoke in Dec. last year, I cleaned it with Febreze, let it sit outside in fresh air for long time but no changes. Then I stuffed it with very strong smelling dryer sheets and let it sit like this for months, result was mixed smell. Put it outside few days ago and forgot about it, so it got wet in rain. Smelled it after it dried and now it smells like dryer sheets. Still not good but better than ashtray stink.
Can I use the charcoal that that we use to grill with? Lol. Is that something totally different?