HOW TO REMOVE A HEAVY SMOKE ODOR FROM A DOLL

[TJ_Foxx]

Did the odor lessen in any way

Yes it did Samara, though after a while it seems to sneak back, almost as if it is oozing up from within. I did forget to mention that I gave her 2 tea tree oil massages in among the dozen or so washes as you had recommended. The tea tree oil seemed to help, but the odor came back within a day each time. I will say 3-4 weeks later, it is not as pronounced as it was. At first, you could smell smoke before I opened the door to the room. Now you pretty much have to walk up and sniff her. Which makes cuddling with her, awkard. Kind of like, "Umm, sweetie have you been in a bar?" I do have 2 odor absorber/deodorizers in the room as well.

I also sprayed her down a couple of times with Febreeze.

On the bright side, Gina and I are enjoying the time getting to know each other better. She isn't complaining about the massages or the bathing.

[mi6c]

Just about a month ago, I received a doll (Real Doll Body A) that had been exposed to heavy smoke. Like timetraveller, I have no interest in dissing the gent whom she used to live with. He is a great guy.

1) I have triend washing her over a dozen times with hot water, baking soda, vinegar dish and laundry detergent in every possible proportion.
2) Used straight vinegar and rinsed
3) Also used dilluted an dstraghrt Mrs Myers natural citrus cleaner.
4) I made a paste of baking soda, vinegar and hot water, left it on her for 1.5 days to draw out the smoke molecules. Rinsed with water and vinegar.
5) Washed her with straight Odoban. Rinsed with water.

I can still detect smoke odor on her.

I am going to try the dryer sheets and an ozone generator. I shall keep everyone posted.

G'day.
Very similar to the first sentence, I got a silicone head a little while ago, not with a really heavy but certainly very noticeable smoke smell and likewise from a nice person I do not want to blame.
I did try washing with a bit of vinegar and a vinegar/water mixture first - result close to zero.
I then went and obtained a household cleaning fluid based purely on soda, diluted that with water as specified and then soaked a towel completely with it and wrapped the head into it, letting it sit like that for a while( forgot how long, think maybe an hour).
Unwrapped the towel, and wrung it out - resulting in a very yellowish fluid down the drain.
Re-soaked the towel, re-wrapped it around the head, did so again ... I think three or four times.
I recall I poured a bit of the soda-water over the towel-led head once it was sitting there wrapped once or twice, maybe even on that first attempt.
From the second time wringing out the towel the yellow was hard to make out, so at least the first appliance must have done some work.
As a result the scent went from very noticeable not to zero, but to short distance little bit - unfortunately still along the lines with "have you been in a bar, sweetie?".

I let it be like that for a week or two, then decided to give it another go.

Used a 10l bucket, filled it with the same soda/water mix and forcefully submerged the head totally under the surface - let it stand like that for half a day to a day iirc.
I think I dropped one or two drops of lavender essential oil in as well.
Please note that I would not recommend doing this unless you know your heads construction exactly( as I did thanks to Sandro once having taken apart one and shown me) and even I was slightly surprised how long it takes for the fluid to actually leave the head again once done.
Once done, the head smelled a tiny little bit like lavender and faintly still a bit like smoke.

Having let it be again since then, by now the smoke is no longer noticeable - I just tried directly on the head and it has been in a different room for half a day.
Your results may vary, as I do not have the best sense of smell to begin with or my body may by now have blended-out a still faintly there odor or yours may just be more thoroughly contaminated.
Even if I do not recommend following my "submerge" approach as you may well ruin the item in question it does show that it may in the end just be a matter of "enough" cleaning agent getting into contact for an again "enough" length of time - though the "submerge" approach may give it the additional chance to work on stuff inside.

I did not try the "freshly ground coffee" approach as I drink tea and so didn't have that available, but from what I have read across the net bringing an item and said coffee together in a closed compartment( just next to each other with as much surface area as possible) for an extended period of time should help as well.

I'll be interested what you find out and wish you all the best.

[samara78]

By "soda" what do you mean mi6c? Baking soda?

[mi6c]

Good question - I actually had to look it up to make sure, so here goes:
Not "baking soda" = NaHCO3 but "washing soda" = Na2CO3 - in my case already liquid in a bottle, meant to be diluted by lots of water ~1:133 before use.
Hope it helps.

[TJ_Foxx]

I like the wrap idea. I will try that with Dryer sheets too. I am thinking damp dryer sheets with a damp towel wrapped over them.

Good ideas! Thank you!
TJ

[TTNLBTPD]

I don't think anything is going to be a permeant fix except for time. The smell will go away eventually but it will take a while. Until then you will only be able to mask it. The only thing I can think that may help it along is frequent bathing's with an Oxy-based cleaner.

[Mongoose]

Hi ctalon,

[quote="ctalon"]Ozone generators work very good as well. I posted some time ago here about it.

Yes, they are awesome and absolute.

However, if I may .....
I ran my ozone generator on a piece of sample TPE
and the TPE was sticky and gooey when done, and it
stayed sticky, like glue. i had bought the sample TPE
from one of the major doll vendors.

[Mongoose]

Hi Timetraveler1,

This might be worth a try.

A while back a passenger smoked up the inside of my car
really bad. Upon advice from a friend, i filled the car
with wadded up newspapers, rolled up the windows
and let it sit that way overnight. Next morning, no more smoke
smell, all gone.

Off topic:
in Hawaii, i had bought a used 86 chevy for $200,
all was good until i started getting stung in the ass.
There was an ant bed and centipedes living
in the seat. I had to roll up the windows and fumigate
it overnight.

[jpcbird]

I would be concerned about ozone cracking the TPE or even Silicone, if untested

I know when they did a rental property I had they removed and or bagged a lot of items to protect them from ozone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_cracking

[TJ_Foxx]

I would be concerned about ozone cracking the TPE or even Silicone, if untested

I know when they did a rental property I had they removed and or bagged a lot of items to protect them from ozone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_cracking

Ozone-resistant elastomers include EPDM, fluoroelastomers like Viton and polychloroprene rubbers like Neoprene. Attack is less likely because double bonds form a very small proportion of the chains, and with the latter, the chlorination reduces the electron density in the double bonds, therefore lowering their propensity to react with ozone. Silicone rubber, Hypalon and polyurethanes are also ozone-resistant.

Wouldn't the cracking be a result after continuous, prolonged exposure rather than short term expsoure in a room which is then vented?

[mi6c]

The issue you're having with ozone - or hydrogen peroxide( for blonde hair) - is with the exposure of your item to an extremely potent oxidizing agent. The amount of damage done - both to the germs or mold or stench molecules but just as well to your item depend on intensity and time of exposure. The intensity of exposure will in turn depend on the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide or the capability of the ozone generator. It stands to reason that converting your hair to be blonde doesn't instantly kill you with proper application of a reasonable dose of hydrogen peroxide, whereas entering a room with a pure ozone atmosphere most likely will.
The problem here is that you have no empirical data of what concentrations will produce what results over what time.
And by the way - materials labeled resistant will break down as well, just a little slower.
There are very few materials that will actually survive unscathed such as those already highly oxidized by fluorine ... say Teflon.

To sum it up: Since you have no clue, be careful and report results.

Kind regards.

[jpcbird]

The issue you're having with ozone - or hydrogen peroxide( for blonde hair) - is with the exposure of your item to an extremely potent oxidizing agent. The amount of damage done - both to the germs or mold or stench molecules but just as well to your item depend on intensity and time of exposure. The intensity of exposure will in turn depend on the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide or the capability of the ozone generator. It stands to reason that converting your hair to be blonde doesn't instantly kill you with proper application of a reasonable dose of hydrogen peroxide, whereas entering a room with a pure ozone atmosphere most likely will.
The problem here is that you have no empirical data of what concentrations will produce what results over what time.
And by the way - materials labeled resistant will break down as well, just a little slower.
There are very few materials that will actually survive unscathed such as those already highly oxidized by fluorine ... say Teflon.

To sum it up: Since you have no clue, be careful and report results.

Kind regards.

Well said, I have learned enough lessons in life the hard way.
I think this is one of those areas that the results may not be known until irreparable damage has already been done.
Too many variables in exposure limits and material blends, to be certain enough for me to recommend this method.

[mi6c]

Uhm, need to make a minor correction here, sorry.
So, after coming home yesterday, just having ended a nice meal in an Italian restaurant with not one but two double espressi I was gonna give a goodnight kiss and *sniff* - oh, well, there still is a faint smoke odor - *sniff*
What I am saying is - not a total cure after all - just very good reduction.
Soo, if anyone finds a better way to get rid of that last faint bit - other than "time" - that'd be nice.

Hmm, I wonder if the solution is just to keep my bad sense if smell and avoid coffee.

Kind regards

[samara78]

Lmao. I wish there were a way to get rid of odors period.

I guess it will be a wait and see type of thing. Just hang a strong air freshener like for your car around her neck. That should help

[TJ_Foxx]

Update.

Since my last post. I wrapped her in dryer sheets moistened with Febreeze, left them on almost 24 hours. peeled the dryer sheets off, wiped off resdiue. Still some odor.

Used Ozone generator 3 different times. 20 minutes, 40 minutes and 60 minutes, Doll was on stand and unity was placed directly in fornt of her on a bar stool. Still slight odor.

Gave her a wash down with Baking soda, odoban tide laundry detergent and HOT water. As usual also applied shaving cream with a paint brush, which helps lift dirt, dust and lint off the siliocne and keep it off when rinsing. It looks sexy as hell too.

Two days later there is still the faint odor. However my Doll Studo, which is in my basemen,t has never been this fresh since I first painted and put the new floor down.

You do have to be clsoe to her her to smell it now. I have convinced time is a significant factor but these efforts have all helped to minimize the odor.