Tips on protecting ponies in a home with smokers??

[pinkiemoose]

i hope this post doesn't keep anyone from wanting to trade with me, my ponies are currently in a sealed tub.

but i recently moved home to my parents' house and my dad is a constant smoker. everything in our house is kind of tinged yellow, especially some of my old vinyl fakies that have been in this house for years. we also have a propane gas heater (idk if that could cause yellowing too?)

i really want to display my ponies, obviously, but i don't want them to get ruined ): does anyone know any ways to protect ponies from smoke stain? i thought of maybe buying a nice air-purifier for my room and keeping the door closed mostly? but we have central air, so...

i would appreciate any tips! thanks. c:

[ponyqueen]

Uh, ...

I would store my ponies off-site until there was no smoke anywhere in the house (rather, until I was in a different house).

I grew up in a smoking house, and so did my childhood ponies. I guess no, they don't smell like smoke now, but some are yellower than they should be. I might be sensitive and biased, but I would steer clear.

[FantasticFirefly]

Store them off site, also anything else that would be heartbreaking to see yellowed and smelly.

Sadly, Odds are you can vacuum seal the entire tub and the contents would still absorb the scent..... Simply in the tub, yes, they will smell like smoke, and quickly. I've thrown out things I lent out before due to it picking up smoking smell, and some of this stuff was borrowed very short term. When I was little my parents smoked, the gimmicks don't work, my mom thought they did (air cleaners in kids rooms, keeping kids doors closed etc)

[Stormness_1]

Yep, my mum smokes like a chimney, and yes, everything in that house STINKS. I no longer live in a smoking household, and I don't like bringing stuff home from my old room until I absolutely have to - that stuff stinks like crazy. The only things I've kept are ponies, books, cd's/dvd's, and my plushies, which all had to be washed.  The other stuff has to be aired out in the garage until the smell goes away before I bring it into the house. The yellowing will be a problem, too. My barbie horses all went yellowed, as did a few fakies, thankfully most of my MLP's were spared, as they were packed away - they still stunk though! I would definitely get a storage unit, or leave them with someone you trust until you can move out again.

[Wardah]

Try to get him to use the ecigs?

[Falconaitae]

The only way: keep them closed tight in something, that is hermetic, and never put out. My grandparents were heavy smokers, and when we had to clear their house, we discovered, that smoke residues were even inside a photo camera, that was closed in a locker! It was a pity, because the residues were so heavy, that they sticked to the shutter, and made it inoperable... so yeah, there's no way to protect stuff against a heavy smoker, except sealing it tight.

[Jinxxy]

That's awful man I'm a non smoker, but second hand smoke doesn't bug me unless it's in a sealed car or something. I am a very picky collector, and I painstakingly search out the mintest of ponies. That being said I want smoke nowhere near my bright white ponies that have taken me so long to find! Yuck!

Once I gave a white pony to a chainsmoking friend of mine to see what wouldnhappen. It was a G3 (Not usually as prone to yellowing) and she kept it by an open window. A few weeks later the pony was very yellow and the staining would not wash off even with magic eraser! Get a very sealed tub for them and don't let them out!

[Whippycorn]

Do you have a dry garage or shed you can store them in? I think they are at risk, even being in a sealed tub, so i definitely wouldn't put them on display until you move out again.

[hathorcat]

Unfortunately I agree with others comments. In a smoking house, especially if smoking is out with more than one room and heavy smoking, the odds are that some of that smell is going to get to everything. Cigarette smoke is one of the most pervasive smells out there; it seeps into every little nook and cranny no matter how hard you try to guard against it.

I would try to store them off site - they run less risk of damage being stored securely in a dry and secure garage than the do in a smoking household. Depressing but true

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I agree - in a smoking residence, no matter the "gimmick" to block the smell, tobacco & nicotine are just slow-moving but very invasive tars that get dissipated throughout the home as they build up over time.  Find a way to store  your ponies off-site! 

[Shenanigans]

Store them at a friend's house or if you can afford it, rent a storage room. Keep the ponies away from the smoke

Just being honest, but I would not buy ponies that have been in contact with smoke so this may affect your sales. A lot of people are allergic to even the slightest smell of smoke I would fear the smoke smell would seep into the tubs. You may not notice if they have a slight smell because of living around the smoke. I would absolutely keep them out of the house

[Sprinklecupcake]

Tell them to smoke outside from now on and keep your ponies someqhere safe like at a trusted friends house!! I like the ecig idea! It could help to keep the tub in your closet and put each pony it its own baggie with fabric softener sheets for now but try to get them out of the house asap! Smoke smell stains stuff terribly fast! I absolutley hate when toys smell like cigarette smoke! I had this problem with my mom growing up OMG its terrible!!! TERRIBLE!

[pinkiemoose]

my boyfriend swears that if i get an air purifier good enough for asthma (keep it near the door), and get good filters for the central air, AND keep my door shut-- it will be enough to display them. but i'm still iffy about getting them out.

i'm sad to see that no one has ANY ideas for me other than moving them off-site. i thought you guys would have a solution for everything pony-related

also no one know anything about the gas heater and if it has anything to do with the yellowing??

[SpookyTrees]

As someone who has spent the last month with smokey ponies in ziplocs with baking soda trying to get the smoke smell out, def do not display them. If you can, store them elsewhere. It absolutely permeates the plastic!

[Navi]

Even if you buy filters and use an air-purifier, the room still wouldn't be air tight, and the smoke will still leech in. Not to mention that after years of being in a smoking house, the room probably already smells like cigarettes, and it's in the carpet/curtains/etc.

Unfortunately, I think all the other commenters are right - the only way to keep your ponies smoke-free is to keep them somewhere else  Soft plastic toys like ponies pick up that smoke smell like nobodys business.