Removing cigarette smoke smell from leather

[OcelotZ3]

Hi All,

I recently purchased a used BHP. It came with a hard case, soft case & leather holster & mag holster.

When I got them home I noticed that everything except the gun reeked of cigarette smoke (everything was put in my trunk right after picking them up in a FTF transaction). I'm allergic to smoke so it's especially important to me to get the smell out (and it's just disgusting anyway...).

I managed to get it out of the hard case & soft case, however the (black) leather holsters just don't want to let go of the stench. I've cleaned them a number of times with leather soap, treated them with neatsfoot oil, rinsed with vinegar, sprayed with Oust (it worked on the soft case), etc. The thing that seemed to help the best was to spray with WD40 and wipe them down, but the smell is still there (although diminished).

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[Logos]

You've done well. The smell will diminish with time. A good cleaning is important and it sounds like you've done it.

You can spray paper towels with Febreze and put them and the stinky holster in a plastic bag for a few days. That usually removes most smoke smells. You can do the same thing using Bounce dryer sheets.

Might have been better to do that BEFORE you added all the other strong smells, but you could still try it.

 

[Lurp]

I once found a leather belt that was in great condition, but reaked of cigarette smoke. I've had the leather belt for about a year and a half and even after washing the belt with everything I could find it still has a slight hint of cigarette smoke. I now use that belt as a spare for when I don't want to beat up my nice belt from The Belt Man. Not sure if their is anyway to totally remove the smell.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

soak it in hoppes no 9

 

[bellyup039]

http://www.lexol.com/

We (the wife and I) use nothing except LEXOL on all of our leather products.

Horse saddles, etc. Livingroom furnature etc.

Just buy the small container. You wont be sorry. EASY TO USE TOO.

 

[iiibdsiil]

You can pick up the Lexol at your local auto parts store.

 

[Oyeboten]

If you can get an amenible male Cat to 'spray' it...the Tobacco odor will diminish naturally into oblivian.

(Happened to me by accident...)

 

[Joe Demko]

If you have a patio or something, put it outside and let it air out for a week or so. Sun and fresh air work wonders. I've successfully done this with clothing and furniture that were impregnated with the stench of smoke. Best part is that it's free.

 

[Zach S]

Lexol is good stuff. We used to use it when I worked in leather.

Since I smoke, I don't know how well its gets the smell out (I don't "notice" the smell as a non-smoker would).

 

[alanjtc73n]

What about an ozone machine? We had some fire damage in our apartment when the neighbors left a candle lit and the restoration company used a couple ozone machines to get the smell out of everything. Even worked with the leather furniture. You can rent them at most equipment rental places.

 

[Tinpig]

Ozone's a good idea. I bought a used truck that stank of stale cigar. I bought a small can of "Ozium" and sprayed it in the cab with all the windows shut for several nights, then aired it out. Worked great.

When my son played hockey we used to spray his hockey bag and gear with Lysol. It was a disinfectant but also ate the revolting smell pretty well, too.

Tinpig

 

[OcelotZ3]

Ozone... Now that's interesting.

The leather cleaner I used *was* Lexol. I didn't try the protectant since the smell was still there.

I also put the holsters out in the yard, on the grass, for about 3 days (on/off due to sprinklers, etc.). That didn't help much. Perhaps leaving out for a few weeks might be better.

The male cat idea... One time I was working on my cars and a male cat wandered inside and sprayed one of my sleeping bags. Only a special dry-cleaning got *that* smell out!

We do have some bounce dryer sheets so I'll try that inside a bag.

Thanks for all the recommendations!

Scott

 

[easy]

To get the smoke smell out of a used car, a dealer will spread dryer sheets around under the seats and roll up the windows for a day or two. Try putting the offending items in a plastic bag with a few dryer sheets and see if it works. Cost is zero.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Saddle Soap

 

[goose2]

Burn it

 

[bellyup039]

OcelotZ3

Yes Ozone will work. I should have thought of that first. I happen to be a survior of my house fire. And as part of the professional cleaning, they take the smoky items and place them in a sealled OZONE room.

See if you can get a hold of a local Disaster restoration company, I used SERVPRO and they might be able to sneak it in the ozone room for ya.

 

[Avenger]

General Motors makes a leather cleaner for automotive use that does a GREAT job of eliminating smoke odor. I'm a Mopar guy, and I'll bear the shame of bringing my fine Dodge product onto a Chevy dealership lot to purchase the stuff, that's how good it is.

 

[janobles14]

take one part vinegar and one part water and one part alcohol. toss in a drop or two of dish soap and scrub. condition with conditioner of choice and you should be better off

 

[61chalk]

Spray skunk urine on it, bury it in a bag of walnut husks for 3 weeks.
But then you will have to start a thread in 3 weeks on how to get that smell out.

I'm sorry....I'm in need of moderator attention.

 

[MT GUNNY]

=)) lol

 

[Big_E]

+1 on the Lysol. When I was playing football that spray took out all the bag and locker stench. I even forced the other guys next to my locker to use it maily cause they smelled a lot worse after practice (really unbearable.)

Ozium also works wonders on smells.

 

[OcelotZ3]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I'll have to check out the GM leather cleaner, plus maybe check out Lysol in the future.

The two holsters have been sealed in a ziploc bag with a dryer sheet for a few days now. I'll take a sniff in a week or so...!