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Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: lochnessmomster on July 08, 2012, 06:24:58 PM

Title: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: lochnessmomster on July 08, 2012, 06:24:58 PM
Several weeks ago I received some G2s and a G1 from a seller who neglected to mention that the ponies they were selling smelled as if they had been marinating in an ashtray.  For at least two weeks, these ponies (which were washed and dried well) have been sitting in bags filled with baking soda.  I finally took them out today and they STILL smell like they've been bathing in ashes.  Any ideas?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: FairyDust on July 08, 2012, 06:30:31 PM
I don't know the best way lol, but what I've done with mine is a bit weird but works 90% or better (and I'm allergic and very sensative to smells).  What I do is get a big heavy plastic bag, dump pony or doll into bag, dump a good amount of baking soda and baby powder in there, close bag so only the nozzle of my room freshener febreeze can get into the bag and spray the "fresh linen" scent in there for about 8 seconds.  Then leave to marinate for 2 months of the back of your bathroom closet and then take out and wash the powders off them.  It isn't 100% but it sure is a lot better then when they arrived lol.  Good luck to your stinky ponies. :)
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Sarahlacewing on July 08, 2012, 06:33:36 PM
Plastic absorbs smells really readily.  So I would say packaging them up with other materials that soak up smells will help.  But unfortunately most people recommend newspaper, charcoal, or coffee grounds, vinegar to combat smells but some of these will damage your poor ponies. A search threw out odeban but it seems too harsh for ponies, a few people complaint about discoloration on their items.

I've also seen sunbathing helps odors but it can fade out a pony.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: reanna-mator on July 08, 2012, 06:38:02 PM
I gotta do this. I don't know if it's smoke but I have a Cherry Treats that has this really faint but unpleasant smell. Perhaps if I work hard enough I can get a little of her original scent to come through... :(
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: CrystalCrown on July 08, 2012, 06:40:18 PM
Put the ponies in a plastic baggie with some baking soda and some dryer sheets and keep it in there for a few weeks. But you might not want to do this with a pony with colored tinsel, because when I did this with my Princess Serena all the metallic coating on the tinsel flaked off and all that was left was ugly mustard-colored strands of plastic.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: babylicketysplit on July 08, 2012, 07:08:30 PM
dryer sheets and seal them with the pony in a ziploc bag. leave alone for a few weeks.  ;)   worked for me
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: StarDragon on July 08, 2012, 08:33:14 PM
I have a Seashell who had severe smoke-smell when she arrived. I stuck her in my drawer with some Dove Soap for a couple days and she came out smelling perfectly fine after that. It's been five years and the smell never came back.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: kittybethy on July 08, 2012, 08:46:05 PM
dryer sheets and seal them with the pony in a ziploc bag. leave alone for a few weeks.  ;)   worked for me

 This works for me too!
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: keikokukien on July 08, 2012, 08:51:21 PM
I'm mildly allergic to smoke, but mine is kind of more of...an intolerance? My mother and father smoke, but since I no longer live there, scents affect me much more potently than they did before. Unfortunately, at the fair, I was overwhelmed (plus a little congested because of the pillows--gotta love those allergies /sarcasm) and didn't realize one of my purchases stinks to high heaven like an ashtray. In the seller's defense, I got her from one of the many bait bins for like $1-2 or something, so...

If the other suggestions don't get rid of all the smell, you could try conditioning her hair with a scented conditioner (I use VO5 vanilla scent and most of my ponies smell like vanilla  :lol: ). I'm definitely stalking this thread for more odor ridding tips though because there are alot of stinky ponies out there. :/
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: glory78 on July 08, 2012, 09:02:18 PM
Best thing I've found is mint denture cleaner.  Get some hot water (not boiling) and put in 3-5 denture cleaner tabs (generic brand works just as well).  Remove ponies after an hour or so and repeat as needed.  Allow to dry and you should have a greatly improved pony.  I've done this a number of times and have never had a problem with symbols but obviously, your mileage may vary.

glory78
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: RAMChYLD on July 08, 2012, 09:13:37 PM
Hmm, try enclosing them in ziploc bags with dried tea leaves. Or in a tupperware with a rag cloth soaked with Lysol. Just don't let the cloth touch the pony- Lysol may be harmful to the paint.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: butterflybuttons on July 08, 2012, 09:22:43 PM
Fresh air works well too.

I got a vinyl doll that absolutely stank of cigarettes, and I just left her hanging in the shade outside for a month, then cleaned her. Now she smells as good as the vintage vinyl will allow. 
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: baby_yoyo on July 09, 2012, 07:34:27 AM
I have had this problem and have 3 solutions!

1. I found a Parasol which reeked of smoke, so in the washing machine she went inside a pillowcase on a gentle wash with plenty of fabric softener, came out squeaky cleand and smelt lovely

2. I adore Lush products and I have a box which a gift set came in, Ive plonked ponies in there for a few days and they smell wonderful

3. By far the most weirdist! The family doggy Lottie has cancer  :( so when taking her to the vets I noticed designer dry dog shampoo by 'Pet Head'.. which is blueberry muffin scented, the dog now smells devine and works a treat on ponies! Just liberally spray them, leave for a few mins and rub away with a towel and voila! Blueberry ponies!
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Loona on July 09, 2012, 11:51:05 AM
Put the ponies in a plastic baggie with some baking soda and some dryer sheets and keep it in there for a few weeks. But you might not want to do this with a pony with colored tinsel, because when I did this with my Princess Serena all the metallic coating on the tinsel flaked off and all that was left was ugly mustard-colored strands of plastic.
awww, good thing I read your post before blindly trying out the baking soda - I just bought some for other purposes last week, and was close to try it out this way too! thankfully only close to...

I also have this problem, heavy smell of smoke (and I'm also allergic to it :( awww, how the hell sellers forget to mention something like this? :huh: :mad: ), but not on a pony, but a Furby. sadly enough it's a Crystal baby, which is one of the few Furbies that has tinsel in its fur. is there a way other than baking soda that might work without hurting the tinsel? I already tried airing and surface washing (which will obviously not work, as the electronics must also smell of it, and I can't wash that :/ )... I also read about kitty litter doing a nice work absorbing smells, but I didn't try it out yet - but now as you mentioned tinsel I became a bit worried... how does that work with tinsel? is there anyone who has experience regarding this?
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: hathorcat on July 09, 2012, 12:04:47 PM
Kitty litter!! [good quality cat litter]

Baking soda neutralises smells but kitty litter absorbs it...I honestly have found much more success with cat litter over time...you do have to change the litter occasionally and it is always best to cycle the ponies in and out. So leave them in a sealed Tupperware beside a tray of litter for a week, then put the pony somewhere they will get fresh air, then back in the Tupperware. I have found over time this gradually gets rid of most smoky smells! Sometimes it does take a significant amount of time however.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: CrystalCrown on July 09, 2012, 12:28:35 PM
I also have this problem, heavy smell of smoke (and I'm also allergic to it :( awww, how the hell sellers forget to mention something like this? :huh: :mad: ), but not on a pony, but a Furby. sadly enough it's a Crystal baby, which is one of the few Furbies that has tinsel in its fur. is there a way other than baking soda that might work without hurting the tinsel? I already tried airing and surface washing (which will obviously not work, as the electronics must also smell of it, and I can't wash that :/ )... I also read about kitty litter doing a nice work absorbing smells, but I didn't try it out yet - but now as you mentioned tinsel I became a bit worried... how does that work with tinsel? is there anyone who has experience regarding this?

I honestly don't know much about furbies so I might not be very helpful here. But I do know that the fabric "skin" on a furby can be removed, so maybe you can just take the skin off and throw it in the washing machine, or spray it down with febreeze or odo-ban? Thats all I can really suggest right now, but one of my friends collects and restores furbies so I can ask her and see what she can suggest :)
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Loona on July 10, 2012, 12:27:47 AM
I honestly don't know much about furbies so I might not be very helpful here. But I do know that the fabric "skin" on a furby can be removed, so maybe you can just take the skin off and throw it in the washing machine, or spray it down with febreeze or odo-ban? Thats all I can really suggest right now, but one of my friends collects and restores furbies so I can ask her and see what she can suggest :)
thanks!
I know it can be removed, but putting it back on (since it's sometimes glued and all that) may not result in a same-looking Furby in the end, so I don't like to remove skins unless it is absolutely necessary (a broken sensor that needs to be fixed or something like this). and I'm afraid it wouldn't work now, because I suspect it's not only the fur that reeks of the smell, but also its plastic inside parts, and that I can't wash, so it would soon give the smell back to the washed fur :/
oh, that could be a huge help! I've been dealing with several issues with Furbs already, but sure haven't seen everything, so the help of someone who has more experience is always much appreciated :)

when baby_yoyo mentioned Lush products I realised I have a box full of little soap bars (I love tiny, shaped soaps, I don't collect them, it's just that if I see one I like I usually buy them. I use them in the end, but I use them much slower than I find them XD ), and I checked if there's enough space left in the box to fit the furball in, and there was! ^^ so it put it in, and I'm going to forget about it for at least a week. I'll see what happens.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Sonata on July 10, 2012, 01:54:12 AM
I got a few ponies like that a while ago and all I did was let them stay put in a shelf. Since I open the windows everyday, eventually the smoke smell disappeared. I even sold those ponies already and I got no complaints from the sellers.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: lochnessmomster on July 28, 2012, 02:55:02 PM
Thanks for the tips, everyone... ponies have been sleeping in ziploc baggies with dryer sheet blankets for maybe a couple weeks.  I will check on them in another week or so and see how they're doing.  ^.^
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Loona on July 31, 2012, 10:41:29 AM
now that this thread got bumped I remembered I quite forgot about my Furby sitting in the box of soap bars :blush: I checked upon her: now she smells heavily like soap :D but there's still a little smoke "afterscent"  :huh: so I'll leave her there for a little more. even if there will be a little smoke smell left I'm still happy about this too, at least like this I will be able to put her out (and who knows, with being out maybe more of the smell might disappear) and she won't have to live in a bag put away in a dark drawer ^^
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: hathorcat on July 31, 2012, 01:12:30 PM
now that this thread got bumped I remembered I quite forgot about my Furby sitting in the box of soap bars :blush: I checked upon her: now she smells heavily like soap :D but there's still a little smoke "afterscent"  :huh: so I'll leave her there for a little more. even if there will be a little smoke smell left I'm still happy about this too, at least like this I will be able to put her out (and who knows, with being out maybe more of the smell might disappear) and she won't have to live in a bag put away in a dark drawer ^^

The soap like conditioner sheets will really only cover the smell - you should put him in a bag with baking soda or kitty litter first and then when the smell is pretty much gone pop them in a box with something smelly :)
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: lochnessmomster on July 31, 2012, 05:43:11 PM
now that this thread got bumped I remembered I quite forgot about my Furby sitting in the box of soap bars :blush: I checked upon her: now she smells heavily like soap :D but there's still a little smoke "afterscent"  :huh: so I'll leave her there for a little more. even if there will be a little smoke smell left I'm still happy about this too, at least like this I will be able to put her out (and who knows, with being out maybe more of the smell might disappear) and she won't have to live in a bag put away in a dark drawer ^^

The soap like conditioner sheets will really only cover the smell - you should put him in a bag with baking soda or kitty litter first and then when the smell is pretty much gone pop them in a box with something smelly :)

If the dryer sheets don't work, I guess the next thing I'll try is the kitty litter.  I had the ponies in bags w/ baking soda for at least two weeks and the smoke smell hadn't remotely dissipated. :/ Maybe I just didn't give it long enough.  Or I could do all three at once, lol.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: hathorcat on August 01, 2012, 02:21:00 AM
Everything is worth a shot to get rid of yucky smokey smell :) I have been there and done that...anything to hand :)
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Loona on August 01, 2012, 08:19:25 AM
now that this thread got bumped I remembered I quite forgot about my Furby sitting in the box of soap bars :blush: I checked upon her: now she smells heavily like soap :D but there's still a little smoke "afterscent"  :huh: so I'll leave her there for a little more. even if there will be a little smoke smell left I'm still happy about this too, at least like this I will be able to put her out (and who knows, with being out maybe more of the smell might disappear) and she won't have to live in a bag put away in a dark drawer ^^

The soap like conditioner sheets will really only cover the smell - you should put him in a bag with baking soda or kitty litter first and then when the smell is pretty much gone pop them in a box with something smelly :)
I wouldn't dare try baking soda, as sometime earlier in this thread it wasn mentioned that it might not be friends with tinsel :S but I will definitely try kitty litter, it's just that so far I was just too lazy to get a bag of it (and walk home with that heavy bag. why, why don't they sell smaller amounts? -.-; ), and as I have no cats (nor my close friends do) I couldn't borrow any either.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: hathorcat on August 01, 2012, 12:18:15 PM
now that this thread got bumped I remembered I quite forgot about my Furby sitting in the box of soap bars :blush: I checked upon her: now she smells heavily like soap :D but there's still a little smoke "afterscent"  :huh: so I'll leave her there for a little more. even if there will be a little smoke smell left I'm still happy about this too, at least like this I will be able to put her out (and who knows, with being out maybe more of the smell might disappear) and she won't have to live in a bag put away in a dark drawer ^^

The soap like conditioner sheets will really only cover the smell - you should put him in a bag with baking soda or kitty litter first and then when the smell is pretty much gone pop them in a box with something smelly :)
I wouldn't dare try baking soda, as sometime earlier in this thread it wasn mentioned that it might not be friends with tinsel :S but I will definitely try kitty litter, it's just that so far I was just too lazy to get a bag of it (and walk home with that heavy bag. why, why don't they sell smaller amounts? -.-; ), and as I have no cats (nor my close friends do) I couldn't borrow any either.

You dont actually put the baking powder on the pony...you simply set them together in a sealed container and the baking powder neutralises the nicotine smell.

It doesnt make any difference to put the baking soda on the pony other than that its more to clean up :)
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: lochnessmomster on August 01, 2012, 01:32:29 PM
You dont actually put the baking powder on the pony...you simply set them together in a sealed container and the baking powder neutralises the nicotine smell.

It doesnt make any difference to put the baking soda on the pony other than that its more to clean up :)

Oops.  LOL.  But actually, I would be rewashing them with a blend of baking (bicarbonate of) soda and water any, so it's really no big deal.  Good to know for future, though. :)
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Loona on August 04, 2012, 06:38:46 AM
You dont actually put the baking powder on the pony...you simply set them together in a sealed container and the baking powder neutralises the nicotine smell.

It doesnt make any difference to put the baking soda on the pony other than that its more to clean up :)
I didn't want to, I even wanted to put something between them not to even touch, but when I read Behemoth's post I assumed the effect it had on the tinsel wasn't becasue of direct contact between tinsel and baking soda, but happened because, as it got sealed, the circumstances of the air that was left in the bag changed (pH and such) and some chemical reaction took place in the air in the bag which killed the tinsel :P
I re-read the post now and she didn't mention whether there was contact or not though, so it may have only been my thought that there wasn't.
Title: Re: Tips for removing smoke smell from ponies?
Post by: Lorelei Redfern on August 04, 2012, 07:00:46 AM
not sure if it'll help..  but  i got  many smells out of  many plush  ponys with this.   and a lot of other htings  never tried it on a plastic  pony but i'm sure it'll work.  try  some White vinegar. put it into a spray bottle  and  just spray  the pony  down until its  completly soaked. and  then let it dry.  outside  works the best. i'd say if you had a clothes line hang it int he clothesline if not hang it in your tub.  once it drys if its  still not out of say the hair   resoak the hair.

good luck!  as i said..  i'venever tried this on ponys but it works wodners on plush!
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