NEED HELP: removing perfumes & artifical fragrances?

[parthenia]

Like others have suggested, I'd advise kitty litter! It worked really well for a couple ponies I had with weird scents lol.

Also if you want to get into MLP, idk if gen 1 is for you if you're warry of scents. I'm someone who gets migraines from strong smells so I understand being a little apprehensive of smells. The general thing I've noticed with G1 ponies is that they typically will always smell like something. It's just kind of the way the plastic they were made with is? Like, I've seen descriptions of the scent vary a little between collectors, but the smell I'd describe it as is like a sweet scent with a bit of a spicy nip to the end if that makes sense? At least in my opinion that's how it smells.

Anyway, the point is I'm not sure if gen 1 would be the best for you to collect? Obviously, not all ponies will smell EXACTLY the same, however in my experience, all of my ponies have SOME scent. Whether that be a sweet scent, a smokier (but not cigarette) scent, a teakwood/cologne scent, or even just a strong plastic-ish scent. Depending on how I'm feeling that day, I have to be careful how much I handle the pony because the smell can sometimes transfer onto my hands! LOL

If you like the look of g1 I'd suggest the re-issues that are coming out by Basic Fun, even if they are a little hard to come by at the moment. Other than that I've noticed g2 ponies do not tend to have a scent at all, same with g3. G4-g5ish can be more hit or miss. A lot of my late-line G4-G4.5 ponies reek of a horrible plastic smell that makes it hard for me to even be around them.

Anyway I hope this helps. Good luck with scent removal!

thank you so much for the advice!  im going to be much more careful about purchasing going forward (it was 100% on me for being irresponsible and not remembering to check for my sensitivities- at least this is an issue that can be resolved with enough waiting). its really interesting to hear this about previous gen ponies too though i shouldn't be as surprised given their age/differences in manufacturing materials. i'm pretty excited about the basic run rereleases, i hope they make them more accessible

[starscout]

WaterDraw brought up a good point about G2s. I haven't noticed any sort of smell on mine, plus they look sorta similar to the Sweetheart Sister ponies. If you like them, maybe you should look into collecting G2s instead. They're very, very pretty.

[parthenia]

WaterDraw brought up a good point about G2s. I haven't noticed any sort of smell on mine, plus they look sorta similar to the Sweetheart Sister ponies. If you like them, maybe you should look into collecting G2s instead. They're very, very pretty.

i love g2s! its really reassuring to hear that they don't smell, so i'll definitely take a look at them

[Artemesia's Garden]

Yelp, shame about the hair. Does anyone know whether this set came scented originially? I would have thought not.

[kestral_kitsune]

Yelp, shame about the hair. Does anyone know whether this set came scented originally? I would have thought not.

I have a fancy flower and she doesn't have any smell to her, and none of the other sweethearts i have have a scent so I wonder what happened with this one?

[Snapdragon]

Oof, add me to the list of 'sad to hear about the hair getting chopped', but I'm glad to hear it was already trimmed! That said, you can also remove scent from hair, just like the rest of the plastic! (And if the hair was scented, the body plastic is also probably scented by now too, so it's no use cutting it off, as you saw!)

Nylon (which, if I recall correctly, is what the pony bodies are made out of) is considered a very 'thirsty' plastic, and will absorb just about anything put near it. Dye especially, but also scents! Unfortunately, possibly because of a mix of being very old and very soft plastic (which makes them absorb more I presume?), G1 ponies tend to pick up a LOT of scent in their travels! Some are unscented out of the factory, but mix them into a collection with scented ponies, and let them sit for 20 years in a hot attic ... EVERYONE starts smelling the same!

Another scent they can pick up is less floral - the scent of plastic degrading. It's not a "bad" smell per se, but it is pretty plasticky, or chemical-y smelling, if that's something that also triggers your nose. I totally understand having nose sensitivities, we use unscented laundry soap here too! I suspect, if you're in a no-scent household, you may even be picking up on the smell of someone's scented laundry detergent! That stuff is STRONG if you don't use it yourself, and you quickly become noseblind to it if you're wearing it every day. The seller might think 'this pony has no smell!' but once you open it up you're bowled over by flowers! If you're getting them secondhand from someone who thrifts, they may be picking up the overwhelming thrift smell, which seems to be a very strong detergent/floral scent. (I'd much rather they smell like flowers than, uh, other things! I'm not advocating for the thrift store to stop washing stuff, LOL!)

You've already got a lot of great advice for de-scenting future ponies, so I'm just chiming in to add that I agree! We have cats, so if I get REALLY bad cases I'll use kitty litter, especially the (unscented!) clay kind. Usually, leaving them in my backyard for a couple of weeks to 'air out' is often enough. Just put them somewhere safe where they won't be rained on, and let them enjoy the scenery! But like goddessofpeep said, sadly it's a protracted process!

I would also recommend you check out G3 ponies, because not all of them were scented; however, the ones that were scented were DOUSED with it, so I have many "unscented" G3 ponies in my personal collection that smell scented, due to sharing a box. G2 ponies have smaller, harder bodies, so it may be harder for them to absorb scent? I would hope! I also recommend the Basic Fun ponies, I think they are adorable and have quite a few of them!! The Rainbow ponies were the only line that came out with scents as I recall, but they also made an unscented re-release!

Anyway, this was a wall of text, but I hope you won't let a bit of a disappointing start sour you on ponies! They really are so much fun! If you like cute things, I especially recommend checking out G2 babies!! They're soooo small and so precious!

[Purpleglasses]

Hope I’m not derailing too much but @babysquirmy, aside from the ponies on the do not sun fade list, I’m very curious to hear more about why UV is bad for g1 ponies! I thought sun fading was a pretty accepted restoration technique these days? I haven’t heard that before and typing UV into the MLParena search bar doesn’t return any results on that particular issue. Is it more about known issues with UV exposure or uncertainty about the long term effects of sun on vinyl? Overall I’m fascinated by the subject of original vs restored ponies and their value to collectors. Thanks for the insight!

I must also back everyone up on the effectiveness of the baking soda litter de-stinking technique! The stuff I used had a scent already so the ponies came out smelling artificially flowery, but that scent fades very quickly (a matter of days/hours) and the original nasty smell never returns. I’ve even used it on an art toy that had a plastic smell I couldn’t be in the room with - one it came with from the factory, not a smell from exposure to anything - and it even tamed THAT, so it’s very effective. I believe you can get the same baking soda litter without the scent, too. Best of luck!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Hope I’m not derailing too much but @babysquirmy, aside from the ponies on the do not sun fade list, I’m very curious to hear more about why UV is bad for g1 ponies! I thought sun fading was a pretty accepted restoration technique these days? I haven’t heard that before and typing UV into the MLParena search bar doesn’t return any results on that particular issue. Is it more about known issues with UV exposure or uncertainty about the long term effects of sun on vinyl? Overall I’m fascinated by the subject of original vs restored ponies and their value to collectors. Thanks for the insight!

UV light destroys "fading pink" hair and can cause other colours to fade faster or discolour too.  Purples, blues, whites...  if your pony has any of these , you need to really really protect them if you are treating them.

[Artemesia's Garden]

Hope I’m not derailing too much but @babysquirmy, aside from the ponies on the do not sun fade list, I’m very curious to hear more about why UV is bad for g1 ponies! I thought sun fading was a pretty accepted restoration technique these days? I haven’t heard that before and typing UV into the MLParena search bar doesn’t return any results on that particular issue. Is it more about known issues with UV exposure or uncertainty about the long term effects of sun on vinyl? Overall I’m fascinated by the subject of original vs restored ponies and their value to collectors. Thanks for the insight!

UV light destroys "fading pink" hair and can cause other colours to fade faster or discolour too.  Purples, blues, whites...  if your pony has any of these , you need to really really protect them if you are treating them.

Over the years I found useful information by looking at how people look after vintage cars and boats. I also worked in museums for a while and found info from the V&A Museum of Childhood. If this helps: the pony's body is made of UPVC, the hair is nylon, the washer is iron (rusts) and the clamp is aluminium alloy (corrodes slightly in some cases but not usually). I only have experience with Euro, UK and USA ponies though. If you look up the effect of UV light on soft plastics you will see what we mean. Sunfading may break down a stain but this 'zapping power' will also affect the longer term condition of the pony as well.

[Purpleglasses]

Thank you both so much! I really appreciate this and I LOVE when people cross reference with other disciplines for their restoring knowledge. I’ll have to look into car stuff!

I know some ponies are sensitive to UV exposure, and about the pink hair, but those things certainly bear repeating! One other question - I would imagine the vinyl parts of a car that get UV damage get a lot more exposure due to being inside an object with windows that’s usually stored outside. My understanding of the average MLP sun fading/UV light box session is that that only takes a matter of hours/days. Wouldn’t shorter exposure time mean less potential for long term damage?

[Artemesia's Garden]

Thank you both so much! I really appreciate this and I LOVE when people cross reference with other disciplines for their restoring knowledge. I’ll have to look into car stuff!

I know some ponies are sensitive to UV exposure, and about the pink hair, but those things certainly bear repeating! One other question - I would imagine the vinyl parts of a car that get UV damage get a lot more exposure due to being inside an object with windows that’s usually stored outside. My understanding of the average MLP sun fading/UV light box session is that that only takes a matter of hours/days. Wouldn’t shorter exposure time mean less potential for long term damage?

My reference to car stuff was just to do with maintenance in general I guess. The damage from UV will be proportional to the length of exposure but no-one knows exactly what combination of and intensity of environmental triggers cause plastic breakdown to become noticeable. Symptoms are yellowing of iether or both head and body, stickiness which usually starts inside first, appearance of brown spots.

In general, it is thought best to keep soft plastic clean, dry, at a stable temperature and away from UV light. It is also though best to keep it away from other soft plastics such as plastic bags however this may be due to the increase in humidity rather than a chemical reaction between the different types of plastic. That said, the V&A museum keep two of each Barbie. One is kept intact the other has the parts separated to reduce any breakdown due to chemical reactions between the different materials.

With any restoration work it's entierly It's entirely "your pony, your choice" however I personally would not want to buy a pony if I knew it had been sunfaded. Some inks will disappear after just a few days of sunfading in which case you might think it's worth it. Some inks disappear after a few months. If you sunfade, maybe you will have a few years of pony looking good, but they will start to show visible plastic breakdown a few years earlier than they otherwise would.

I have a theory that a lot of the problems with yellowing and pony cancer etc. that we see in the community are made worse by collectors using harsh treatments like sunfading and peroxide etc. to get a short-term improvement in the pony's appearance. Unfortunately they are then sold to other collectors who don't realise what has been done to them, and then in a few years they start to yellow etc. This has happened to me with white, higher value ponies like June rose and Port-O-Bella, but of course it's impossible to prove. 

[Wardah]

Thank you both so much! I really appreciate this and I LOVE when people cross reference with other disciplines for their restoring knowledge. I’ll have to look into car stuff!

I know some ponies are sensitive to UV exposure, and about the pink hair, but those things certainly bear repeating! One other question - I would imagine the vinyl parts of a car that get UV damage get a lot more exposure due to being inside an object with windows that’s usually stored outside. My understanding of the average MLP sun fading/UV light box session is that that only takes a matter of hours/days. Wouldn’t shorter exposure time mean less potential for long term damage?

My reference to car stuff was just to do with maintenance in general I guess. The damage from UV will be proportional to the length of exposure but no-one knows exactly what combination of and intensity of environmental triggers cause plastic breakdown to become noticeable. Symptoms are yellowing of iether or both head and body, stickiness which usually starts inside first, appearance of brown spots.

In general, it is thought best to keep soft plastic clean, dry, at a stable temperature and away from UV light. It is also though best to keep it away from other soft plastics such as plastic bags however this may be due to the increase in humidity rather than a chemical reaction between the different types of plastic. That said, the V&A museum keep two of each Barbie. One is kept intact the other has the parts separated to reduce any breakdown due to chemical reactions between the different materials.

With any restoration work it's entierly It's entirely "your pony, your choice" however I personally would not want to buy a pony if I knew it had been sunfaded. Some inks will disappear after just a few days of sunfading in which case you might think it's worth it. Some inks disappear after a few months. If you sunfade, maybe you will have a few years of pony looking good, but they will start to show visible plastic breakdown a few years earlier than they otherwise would.

I have a theory that a lot of the problems with yellowing and pony cancer etc. that we see in the community are made worse by collectors using harsh treatments like sunfading and peroxide etc. to get a short-term improvement in the pony's appearance. Unfortunately they are then sold to other collectors who don't realise what has been done to them, and then in a few years they start to yellow etc. This has happened to me with white, higher value ponies like June rose and Port-O-Bella, but of course it's impossible to prove. 

So you feel that marks that can't be removed with a gentle wash should probably be accepted as a permanent part of the pony?

[Artemesia's Garden]

Thank you both so much! I really appreciate this and I LOVE when people cross reference with other disciplines for their restoring knowledge. I’ll have to look into car stuff!

I know some ponies are sensitive to UV exposure, and about the pink hair, but those things certainly bear repeating! One other question - I would imagine the vinyl parts of a car that get UV damage get a lot more exposure due to being inside an object with windows that’s usually stored outside. My understanding of the average MLP sun fading/UV light box session is that that only takes a matter of hours/days. Wouldn’t shorter exposure time mean less potential for long term damage?

My reference to car stuff was just to do with maintenance in general I guess. The damage from UV will be proportional to the length of exposure but no-one knows exactly what combination of and intensity of environmental triggers cause plastic breakdown to become noticeable. Symptoms are yellowing of iether or both head and body, stickiness which usually starts inside first, appearance of brown spots.

In general, it is thought best to keep soft plastic clean, dry, at a stable temperature and away from UV light. It is also though best to keep it away from other soft plastics such as plastic bags however this may be due to the increase in humidity rather than a chemical reaction between the different types of plastic. That said, the V&A museum keep two of each Barbie. One is kept intact the other has the parts separated to reduce any breakdown due to chemical reactions between the different materials.

With any restoration work it's entierly It's entirely "your pony, your choice" however I personally would not want to buy a pony if I knew it had been sunfaded. Some inks will disappear after just a few days of sunfading in which case you might think it's worth it. Some inks disappear after a few months. If you sunfade, maybe you will have a few years of pony looking good, but they will start to show visible plastic breakdown a few years earlier than they otherwise would.

I have a theory that a lot of the problems with yellowing and pony cancer etc. that we see in the community are made worse by collectors using harsh treatments like sunfading and peroxide etc. to get a short-term improvement in the pony's appearance. Unfortunately they are then sold to other collectors who don't realise what has been done to them, and then in a few years they start to yellow etc. This has happened to me with white, higher value ponies like June rose and Port-O-Bella, but of course it's impossible to prove. 

So you feel that marks that can't be removed with a gentle wash should probably be accepted as a permanent part of the pony?

Not necessarily, depending on what it is I might try acetone/magic erasor/mineral oil. If that doesn't work I might try sunfading for a couple of days just because some biro does disapear really fast. But I'd have to weigh it up. How about you?