Barbie REEKS of cigarette smoke, ideas?

[EmBee]

I purchased yesterday what was quite possibly my favorite Barbie doll growing up, Glitter Beach Barbie, at a thrift store.  I noticed immediately that she smelled badly of smoke.  "No problem," I thought, "I'll just have to soak and wash her a few times."

These have only had a moderate improvement on the doll:
   - About 10 lathers and rinses with dawn soup.
   - Soaked in strong water/vinegar mix for 1 hour.
   - Two more lathers of soap.

I soaked her swimsuit in the water/vinegar mix for 30 minutes to an hour, then washed it with laundry detergent.  Same result.

Does anyone have any good remedies for this?!  Is it impossible?  I mean, before I washed her, you could smell her a good 2-3 ft away.  Whatever she has been near now smells some too.  It's as if someone held her for 10 years and blew smoke on her.    Other than that, she is in beautiful condition.

Any information is very appreciated.
-Em

[jenniferf82]

You've had a good start on her, now you basically have to let time get the rest of it.

If you have an air purifier or ionizer, putting her right in front of it for a few days may do the trick. If you don't have one of those, putting her in a rubbermaid tote with baking soda for a few weeks may work too.
Some have said that coffee grounds (dry and unused of course!) can also work like the baking soda.
Baking Soda can only absorb so much odor, so once it has sat for a few days replace the baking soda with fresh and seal it back up. You don't need to have her sitting right in the baking soda, just in the same container is fine.

I have an ionizer/air purifer in my room and usually after a couple weeks around it the smell is gone.

[EricaVee]

I second the baking soda. I've heard that activated charcoal is even more odor-absorbent than baking soda but I've never tried it myself--you can buy it at pet stores.

[EmBee]

Thank you both for your input.  I have placed her in a plastic container with a small bowl of baking soda.  If all else fails I may try the charcoal thing.  We'll see what happens!

-Em

[EmBee]

So.. I checked and refilled her tub with a new container with fresh baking soda, and oh my god, it smelled WORSE!  Lol!!  I guess because of the lack of air circulation.  This is some powerful stuff.  o.o;;;....!!

._.
-Em

[EricaVee]

Are you putting her directly in the baking soda? You might have to, although that might take a lot of baking soda! Yikes.

[EmBee]

Haha!  No, she's in a small plastic bin with a glass bowl of baking soda in it, lid on bin closed.  I may have to try that soon.  u_u..;;

Thanks.
-Em

[BattySparkles]

Funnily enough. I just so happened to read this thread and the very next day receive a tea set I'd ordered only to discover it reeks of smoke. So I washed up the actual tea set and that seemed to have worked for the most part, aside from the tea pot and sugar bowl. They still stunk, so I filled them with baking soda and they are sitting.
The main issue is the box. It smells awful. For now I have set it out in the garage to air out and I put a bit of baking soda in it, but I think I should put a lot more.. Anyone know if it will actually work on a box though?

[EmBee]

Now I do not know if this website has safe instructions for the box, but I found it while looking for help for my Barbie doll.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5225459_clean-smells-like-cigarette-smoke.html

Good luck!  I am so sorry that happened. 
-Em

[BattySparkles]

Thanks em. I'll have to try that. Seems like it should work!
I'm also sorry that your doll smells. Good luck to you too. Ugh. The smell gives me a gigantic headache! But I guess we all have our addictions.

[EmBee]

You're welcome, hope it works out.  Yeah, that smell can be pretty foul depending.  That's true.    But for heaven's sake I think I'd put my valuables away in an airtight tub or something!  Idk.

-Em

[EmBee]

Okay, so round two of the baking soda experiment is over.  Again, hardly any noteworthy progress. 

This is pretty discouraging.  Agh, will it ever ever come out??
-Em

[EmBee]

Well... she still smells terrible after leaving her idle in the container for over a month with another baking soda dose.  ._.

Sigh... anyone?

-Em

[BattySparkles]

You could try using those fabric sheets in the link you showed me. That worked pretty well with my box actually. Maybe seal her up with a bunch of those. Don't be stingy with em if you try it. The more the better I think. She might smell like flower afterward.. which is better than smoke.

[princess_lucy]

You could try seeing if Neutradol do any products for clothes or something similar, nothing would get rid of the doggy smell in my car except a Neutradol air freshener lol it actually gets rid of the smell instead of covering it up, they're awesome.

http://www.neutradol.com/