You can sure get some good deals online, when it comes to buying used items, but often, when you receive an item, it smells like cigarette smoke or even mildew. Not such a bargain now, is it? Many things can be cleaned – like clothing and linens – so that they no longer have any odor. Something like a book, though, isn’t so easy. You can’t launder it, you can’t wipe the pages off with a wet cloth, how can you possibly get out the odor? And how can you enjoy the book when it smells? There is a simple way to make a smelly book much more pleasant but it will take a week or so. You’ll just have to work a couple of minutes, though.
Use a zipper-lock bag to renew the book. The bag should be large enough so that you can open the book and lay it inside. Gallon-size freezer bags work for most books but for a really large book you can use a plastic, garment storage bag. Once the book is in place you should still have plenty of room to put a small, shallow dish inside the bag. Open the book about halfway and place it inside the bag to begin.
Dryer sheets work well to give the book a new smell. Stack two or three sheets and slide them under the book, inside the bag. If you want the dryer sheets to give the book just a slight aroma, use only one. In addition to the dryer sheets you’ll need some baking soda and charcoal. Use a small, shallow dish to hold them. If you don’t have one, just tear a piece of foil, fold up the edges, and make a shallow pan like that. Sprinkle three or four tablespoons of baking soda in the chosen pan. Set several briquettes of charcoal in the dish as well. Place the dish in the bag, on top of the open book.
Baking soda and charcoal both work to absorb odors. The dryer sheets give the book a totally new aroma. When you combine all of the elements, you end up with a much nicer smelling book. However, it takes a little time. If the book has a really bad odor it could take weeks. But if there’s just a slight smell of cigarette smoke, you could have to leave the book enclosed in the bag for just a week or so. After a few days, lift the dish, remove the book, and see if it’s much better. If you can still smell an odor, place it back in the bag again, but if not, sit back, relax, and read your new book.