Pony Find and a Question!

[Silverflame]

While browsing my local collectibles shop today, I stumbled across a mail order Star Hopper and grabbed her immediately! I'm so happy, I love this pony, but she sells higher than I can afford without stalking the auctions that come up.

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Happily, she's in pretty great shape aside from a bit of pink nail polish on the bottoms of her feet, something rattling around inside (but no tail rust I can see), and...she smells like DEATH.

I don't know where she was stored but oh my god, she smells horrible, like must and mothballs and dead rats. Does anyone have any tips to deal with this? I've never washed a pony and I'm kind of afraid to, given I don't want to ruin her tinsel hair, but I'll try if if someone can give me tips!

[Leave a Whisper]

While browsing my local collectibles shop today, I stumbled across a mail order Star Hopper and grabbed her immediately! I'm so happy, I love this pony, but she sells higher than I can afford without stalking the auctions that come up.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Happily, she's in pretty great shape aside from a bit of pink nail polish on the bottoms of her feet, something rattling around inside (but no tail rust I can see), and...she smells like DEATH.

I don't know where she was stored but oh my god, she smells horrible, like must and mothballs and dead rats. Does anyone have any tips to deal with this? I've never washed a pony and I'm kind of afraid to, given I don't want to ruin her tinsel hair, but I'll try if if someone can give me tips!

Give her a good wash with dawn and air her out for a long time.  Congratulations on such a stunning girl. MO Starhopper is an amazing pony.

[LadyAmalthea]

I'd do what LaW said, and then after airing her out, put her in a bag with some baking soda to absorb the stench. That worked with a handbag I bought on Ebay that reeked of cigarette smoke so badly I could smell it before I even opened the box. (I still didn't keep it though...I couldn't get it out of my head that it had once smelled like that!)

It's funny...I've been watching the show 'Hoarders' today, and you see all the stuff they pull out of these homes contaminated by mouse/rat poop and urine, where dead rats are in there. It makes me think of all the stuff that I just blindly buy on Ebay, having no idea if it came from a house like that...most of these people think there's nothing wrong with the stuff in their homes and that it still has value...kinda scary, huh? 

[starscout]

Oh, she is beautiful! I've not yet stumbled upon a smelly pony, but I have heard from others that kitty litter works wonders to eliminate foul odors from ponies.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Wonderful get! You have a lot of smelly pony advice, if you poke around you could find some more, too. That's such a peculiar stench.

[Ponybookworm]

Pony is adorable looking!!! I'm sure a good clean & an air will get the smell sorted, plus you have plenty of tips here

[Silverflame]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, everyone!! Going to try to get this girl cleaned up this weekend.

[ChocolateStarfire]

I would say the following things work well on combat against stank, including what's been mentioned here (for reference I live in an apartment that has second/thirdhand smoke smell in the entryway-oof-I use vinegar and baking soda every week, along with a HEPA filter to remove the smell. I purchased Tex off ebay not realizing he came from a smoker's home):

1-Bathe the entire pony in Dawn and hot water, scrub down with a soft-bristled toothbrush. If the offending smell is transferable to your skin, you might want to wear gloves. You might want the pony to become Star Hopper soup for a while and repeat this step a couple of times.
2-After the initial wash, use OxyClean and wash again with hot water. Scrub and soak as needed.
3-Wash out the mane/tail using gentle shampoo/conditioner. I tend to use Head n Shoulders or Pert Plus-my go to shampoos. Comb through gently and be patient with the tangles.
4-Leave the pony to air dry for at least 8-12 hours (so its mane/tail is dry).
5-Put the dry pony in a Ziploc bag with an airtight seal. The bag needs to have at least 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda in it if the smell is still there (vinyl in ponies is great at soaking up odors, sadly). If you have lots of sunlight in your place, set the pony in the sun to help with the smell also.
6-Leave the pony in the bag for at least one full week. Check on it. If the pony still smells, dump the baking soda, replace, and retreat for another week (I had to do that with Tex).

I hope the smell goes away-congrats on the great find!

[Silverflame]

I would say the following things work well on combat against stank, including what's been mentioned here (for reference I live in an apartment that has second/thirdhand smoke smell in the entryway-oof-I use vinegar and baking soda every week, along with a HEPA filter to remove the smell. I purchased Tex off ebay not realizing he came from a smoker's home):

1-Bathe the entire pony in Dawn and hot water, scrub down with a soft-bristled toothbrush. If the offending smell is transferable to your skin, you might want to wear gloves. You might want the pony to become Star Hopper soup for a while and repeat this step a couple of times.
2-After the initial wash, use OxyClean and wash again with hot water. Scrub and soak as needed.
3-Wash out the mane/tail using gentle shampoo/conditioner. I tend to use Head n Shoulders or Pert Plus-my go to shampoos. Comb through gently and be patient with the tangles.
4-Leave the pony to air dry for at least 8-12 hours (so its mane/tail is dry).
5-Put the dry pony in a Ziploc bag with an airtight seal. The bag needs to have at least 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda in it if the smell is still there (vinyl in ponies is great at soaking up odors, sadly). If you have lots of sunlight in your place, set the pony in the sun to help with the smell also.
6-Leave the pony in the bag for at least one full week. Check on it. If the pony still smells, dump the baking soda, replace, and retreat for another week (I had to do that with Tex).

I hope the smell goes away-congrats on the great find!

Aaaahhh this step-by-step is so helpful, thank you so much!!!

[ChocolateStarfire]

You're welcome! 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Oxi clean CAN damage tinsel so I feel there's no need to jump to that. Use regular liquid dishwashing soap and a good brush.

[ChocolateStarfire]

Ah thanks for pointing that out, lovesbabysquirmy! I wasn't aware that could happen.