Stinky Suds!

[reanna-mator]

So, um... some of you may know that I adore scented ponies. For a pony that's meant to be scented, whether or not they actually have their smell is a make-or-break thing on a sale for me. But I have a Sweet Suds with very little scent. So I decided to try the "in a plastic bag in the sun" trick. I didn't overdo it, bringing her back in late in the afternoon after spending several hours in the sun.

And after a cursory sniff, her mane smelled awful! I couldn't quite place it but it was sort of wet dog-ish. She definitely didn't smell like that before. Did I do something wrong, or was there just some latent old smell that the heat brought out of the plastic? Perhaps before I try again I should let her air out?

Help my Sudsy!

(Oddly enough, occasionally I've found that after receiving a pony with very little scent, just letting them sit with her sisters seems to bring a faint sweet scent back. This seems to have happened with Swirly Whirly)

[Rachel-Eyes]

Wow, that is very bizarre indeed! The only thing that I can think of is that maybe she came from a family that owned a lot of dogs, if she smells kind of dog-ish. But I'm curious to hear other theories as well!

[Marlin]

How curious!  Did she have moisture still inside, perhaps? (was she fresh from a wash?)

I'd never heard of the bag in the sun trick before. I enjoyed reading your post - *imagines reanna-mator carefully picking up a pony and giving a cautionary sniff and re-coiling!*  Hope you can improve her - I love the scents of the perfume puffs

[Starfall]

The bag in the sun is new to me too. can you tell us a bit more about it, or is it as easy as it sounds?

[reanna-mator]

Supposedly, putting a scented pony in the sun will help bring its scent back. The scent is inside the plastic, and a lot of times heat can expand the plastic enough for some of that old scent to come back. I thought I'd give it a go. I'll put her out again today, but without a bag in the hopes that she airs out some.

[Eldarwen]

Thats weird! When I got my Sweet Lily, she didnt smell at all. But after I gave her a really good bath and scrub, the scent came back. I can sometimes smell her from another room! Its so strong.

[tulagirl]

Yes I can see why this would happen.  Heat always makes things smell more.  Like for example when you heat up food you smell it more intensely then you would if it came from the fridge.  I agree that the pony lived in a dog owners home.  That smell is deep in the vinyl of your sweet suds. When you put her in the heat of the sun, instead of bringing out her sweet smell you enhanced the smell from her original owner's environment.  This has happened to me before.  Its kind of the same thing as a dog leaves the inside of the house smelling fine and comes in 5 minutes later to stink like he$$.  You may not be able to get Suds magical MLP scent back, but that smell should fade over time.

[rybett]

Huh.  Wonder if putting my 2 Cocoanut Grove's in a bag with I forget which pony will transfer scent around. 

[mlp4me]

Hmm... did you wash out the insides? I just wonder if there's something funky going on in there...

[hathorcat]

Did you give her a good scrub inside and out and wash her hair before?

I am always worried about this technique - mainly as plastic sweats terribly in plastic bags which will also simply build condensation when exposed to the sun - but I know people who have had success with it.

I agree with taking her apart to make sure there is nothing inside - and then trying again if you wish. Often the problem with scent is that it is masked by other smells or by oil and dirt rather than simple gone. Fingers crossed it works for you!