How to get a smell out of a bag

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#377
I purchased a beautiful Burberry bag from Japan, pristine except the interior smell, it had been in storage. The smell was so strong I could not even carry the bag.

I tried pulling the lining out and washing it in oxy clean, borax and washing soda....several times. The water turned grungy with dirt, but the smell remained. I tried febreeze, vinegar, fabric softener sheets, baking soda and left it outside in the sun to air out....the smell remained. Not quite as strong, but enough to keep me from carrying the bag.

I finally saw where someone recommended Meguiar's Odor Eliminator, which can be purchased at auto stores. I researched price, ordered it off eBay for $11 with free shipping (it sells for $16 at auto stores).

After spraying the interior lining one time and letting it air day...95% of the smell was gone. After a second application the entire musty and mildewy odor was gone. The lining has a fresh scent now and I can finally carry my new handbag!

I would never bother with anything but Meguiar's Odor Eliminator in the future. :tup:
 
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#378
I second that! Meguiar's Odor Eliminator does an awesome job of getting rid of any odors from my pre-loved Chanel bags. The best thing is that it is easy and convenient to use and produced great results without having to sun the bag.
 
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#379
A well-meaning friend gave me a bag with a smell most vile reminiscent of... wet ferret? I knew I had to get that smell out because she was watching whether or not I was using the bag. Baking soda did not work. Charcoal did not work. Unloading entire bottles of Febreze and Zero Odor on it did not work. What finally happened to work was scooping a cheap canister of coffee grounds into panty hose, tying closed the panty hose, and leaving the coffee snake in the bag for days, then airing out.
 
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#381
Old thread but I thought I would share my weird method that worked for me. I bought a vintage Louis Vuitton alma pm on eBay and it smelled mildew-ish (more like the humid smell in warmer climates) basically I used my steamer, added a few drops of my favorite oils and held my bag up close to the steam. I let the stream go inside and outside of the bag. After a few minutes I wiped down the canvas and leather with a non alcohol wipe then I waited for it to dry, stuck it in a drawer with a bowl of baking soda and left it for a day. The inside smell is completely gone but the outside of the bag had a hint of the smell still so I tried it again. Now I'm waiting for it to completely disappear but I will post my update here when I find out the results.
 
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#382
I recently put 3 drops of Purification oil (from Young Living) on a paper towel and tucked it in a used Coach bag I bought off ebay. The inside was fabric, the outside was patent leather. It just smelled... not fresh. No particular odor, just like it had been stored. I left it for a week, then moved the paper towel to the inside pocket for another week. I had nothing else in the bag and left it on a shelf in my closet. After two weeks, it smelled like nothing. Which is just what I wanted!
 
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#383
I bought a pre-loved Alma on eBay. The bag had a faint smoke and a sour smell. I tried everything that everyone recommends. Charcoal, coffee beans, baking sofa (left the bag closed up for weeks), sunlight, dryer sheets, sprays (just masks the smells), etc. Nothing works. Sorry, I think we're all living in a fantasy world to think anything will really fully get another person's nastiness out of a handbag. The smell is always there. I ended up selling the bag (full disclosure). I just bought another pre-loved Speedy B 25 in Damier Ebene. Not a smoke smell but the inside had some minor spills (not stains) and, again, had a sour smell. Ugh! I turned the bag inside out and used a soft bristle scrub brush, Dial antibacterial soap and warm water (did not over wet the lining). Rinsed by going back over with scrub brush and clear water. Again, light on the water. Smells and looks clean now. No more sour smell. Just a basic good old soap cleaning did the trick. But, of course, other bags might not be as easy to clean.
 
#384
i've tried Meguiar's Odor Eliminator on my LV canvas. First spritzing it on a cloth and then running that on the canvas. It seemed to work but a couple days later, the smell came back (maybe a bit more faint). Gonna try it again and see if it works.

Baking soda, newspaper, dryer sheets have all failed for me
 
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#385
cgsprings said:
OMG!!! SEND THEM BACK!!! It's sounds like they are TOXIC!!!! Can you contact the seller and let them know that the bags are sickening and are being returned? How can they refuse to credit you?? That surely wasn't part of the description of the bags when you purchased them. Good Luck and I'm anxious to hear how it is resolved......:throwup:
Click to expand...
I had bought some bags and they really smelled of cigs. I found a spray on line the when sprayed on the bag bonded to smoke and made it disappear but that was several years ago but I swear by it and i wonder if anyone else knows the name of this amazing product. It has been 7 or 8 yrs. Has anyone else heard of this spray?
 
#386
I first clean the LV canvas with light soapy water n fabric foam for the interior. Then I used 2 baking powder packs inside and outside the bag and then put the bag on a black trash bag, tied it up for almost 2 week. The cigarettes smell is gone. I then clean the interior with fabric foam and let it air dry again. Smell fresh :) Patience is the virtue. Hope this help.
 
#387
I like saddle soap for leather (get in there with a toothbrush and start scrubbing). For fabric, carpet cleaning shampoo will do the trick (again, more, but gentle, scrubbing). Then try to extract the liquid with a vacuum.
 
#388
Hi ladies,

Can you please tell me how you would use Meguiar's Odor Eliminator in a speedy bag? Do you just spray inside and air dry? And how do you use it on the outside canvas? Does the spray itself have a smell? I just want no smell in my bags. Thanks
 
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#390
I recently got a Givenchy Pandora bag that reeked of strong perfume. What I did was spray Febreeze then expose the lining to the sun. It took a couple of days but the smell is now gone from the lining.
 
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