Secondhand deck stinks of tobacco smoke

Looking for practical advice here.

Just bought a lovely Tarot of The Cat People off eBay and it's unbelievably whiffy.

I have no axe to grind with smokers - only a year ago I was a smoker too - but now that my sense of smell has returned I'm finding this deck hard to work with not least because I feel like nipping off for a ciggie each time I read.

Most internet advice is for getting smoky smell out of textiles and books, not these lovely cards which i will not be smothering with bicarbonate of soda or hanging out in the sun. What should I do?

If you've got a shelf or a table that doesn't see a lot of traffic, spread them out and just let them sit in fresh air for a couple of days.

Baking soda is your friend. You can always put the deck in a shoebox with one or more of those baking soda fridge packs that open on the sides. They have mesh on them so the baking soda can absorb odors but not spill everywhere. They're great for getting rid of pet odors, too.

I wouldn't leave them out in the sun. The UV can fade the ink.

Thanks for this. I never needed to de-stink anything before because I just couldn't smell it, lol.

I do love the smell of a new deck (or book). I bet I'm not the only one here who sniffs a deck before looking at it.

I never could quite understand how something like that happens. I smoke myself, both tobacco and, er, other things, but my decks don't smell. I guess if people shuffle while holding a cigarette that could happen, but it sounds so impossibly impractical that it really is a mystery to me.

On the other hand, I'm a freak for fresh, moving air, using a fan to clear the air even in winter. I simply must have an open window at all times with fresh air coming in. I guess if someone doesn't do that, their rooms become stinking boxes of smoke and decks and other things absorb it.

NightVision said:

Thanks for this. I never needed to de-stink anything before because I just couldn't smell it, lol.

I do love the smell of a new deck (or book). I bet I'm not the only one here who sniffs a deck before looking at it.

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Heh, I'm the opposite. When my allergies flare, like now because of humidity and rain, my sense of smell is pretty much normal. When my nose isn't stuffy and I can breathe normally, my sense of smell is probably easily double that of most people. So I pick up on things like that almost immediately.

I'm not a smoker but I do like incense. The smell does get into things. It's still very pleasant to pull a sweater out of the back of my closet that I haven't worn in six months and have it smell like sandalwood. I just have to be careful because asthma. :/

Some new decks and books reek of chemicals and plastic. I'll air those out as quickly as I can. Otherwise they'll make everything around them reek too. Used books often smell like the shop they come from, which is awesome. They also often smell like their previous owners which can be a crapshoot. I found this one astrology book once, and when I was flipping through it at the store, the cigarette smell was so strong my friend could actually smell it about ten feet away at the end of the aisle. I bought the book anyway as it's really comprehensive, but it sat out on the kitchen table for about a week to air out. :/ YMMV.

Put the deck of cards in a closed box with an unscented fabric softener dryer sheet. The fabric softener sheet will absorb the smell. I do this all the time with silk scarves that I buy secondhand. It may take several weeks to work.

Good luck!

BrownBear said:

Put the deck of cards in a closed box with an unscented fabric softener dryer sheet. The fabric softener sheet will absorb the smell. I do this all the time with silk scarves that I buy secondhand. It may take several weeks to work.

Good luck!

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Don't let the cards touch the sheet though. There is JUST enough oil in them to mark the cards. Trust me, I know this

Me I use a HUGE box of lavender scented candles. But not a lot of people have boxes of 100 candles... !

Baking soda ( you don't need to put the cards in it) in a bag worked for me. I've also heard of putting in a sealed box with an open container of vinegar, which worked with a smelly book for me, but I've not done with cards for fear of spilling.

closrapexa said:

I never could quite understand how something like that happens. I smoke myself, both tobacco and, er, other things, but my decks don't smell.....

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It's the people who use their cards to make roaches for the 3-skinners who are nasty.

Maybe the user of the deck had the smoke smell ingrained in the skin of their fingers and did not bother to wash hands before using the cards.
l store my cards in a large wooden box with paper sachets of lavender and lilac, which can be bought most places.
So air your cards as much as possible and then get yourself some sachets of your favourite scents.
Love opening my box and smelling the scents that waft out. Anyway good luck with whatever method you use, poor old cat people must be gasping