Help! My Ebay Samantha smells!!

[DScully717]

Hey everyone, I need some advice on how to de-scent my new PM Samantha. I got her cheap off Ebay and the seller said she had hair issues, which was fine. Well, when I got her, her hair was actually not that bad but she REEKS of cigarette smoke!

Is there an easy way to get rid of the smell without washing her entire body? I washed and Downey-dunked her hair, so that smells ok, but her cloth body is still stinky. Any ideas?

[Bean Bunny]

Someone around here said they un-stunk a Molly by putting her in a bag with some baking soda and leaving her a while ... I think it was a few days.

[DScully717]

Awesome! I will definitely try that, I think I have some baking soda around her somewhere . . .

[3castles]

Okay. This has worked for me in the past for getting out even rotten egg smell!!! Crumpled up Newspaper!!! MAKE SURE that the newspaper DOES NOT touch the doll. The newsprint WILL come off on her!!!!! HOWEVER...if you wrap the doll in some type of cheap muslin FIRST then loosely pack the newsprint around her this will keep her nice and clean. Be sure to completely cover the doll so that no areas are exposed. You know how easily newsprint comes off on your hands!!! This will get out the nastiest smells usually. May take several days. This also works in kitchen cabinets, and have even used it on a stinky rotten shrimp smelling refrig. at the beach and it worked!! (took about 3 days and crammed it FULL of newspaper!) I've used this method many times on dolls purchased from ebay, yard sales, etc. Hope this helps!!!

[DScully717]

Thanks for the idea! I will definitely try that one out, too!

[brazilian_girl]

Well, the baking soda trick helped me. Molly, ops, *Laura*, still is a little smelly, but nothing like before. I also put her body (not the head) to take early morning sun (here in Brazil it's summer and it's very hot). I've put Molly inside a big box with lot of baking soda on opened little boxes and left her there for about 14 days.

[robin0850]

I laid my still-smelly doll in a clear plastic leaf bag with an opened box of baking soda (laid down on its back, with the "front" torn off), and kind of "blew up" the bag a little, and tied a knot in it.

Left her in there for ten days (using clear plastic makes it easier to wait, since you can see how she's doing [img]smile.gif[/img] )---when I took her out, she smelled clean and fresh!

Baking soda's odor-absorbent properties are almost magical---also, if any gets on her, just use it to clean her vinyl! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

Good luck with your Samantha!

P.S. If you're in more of a hurry, you can unstuff her, and thoroughly Febreze her stuffing and her hair, "skin", and body, top to toe (being sure to protect her eyes, of course!). Make sure the stuffing and cloth body are thoroughly dry before re-stuffing. And voila! Sweet-smelling Samantha! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[MollyGirl]

Hi, I got a doll that smelled also. First I stripped her and washed the clothes that I could. I put dryer sheets on and under the doll, shoes, purse and let lay there for a week or so. It worked.

[img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img]

[DScully717]

Wow! Thanks for all the ideas everyone! I am sure Sam will be smellin' fresh and clean as soon as I start working on her. I think I might do a double whammy on her-use dryer sheets and the baking soda together. I've used the dryer sheets before (worked pretty darn well I must say) but then she smelled like Bounce for about 3 months. I'll let you all know how it works out! (And hopefully post some pics of my dollies too!)

[EmilyMarie]

I'd remove her stuffing, febreeze the body fabric & put NEW polyfiberfill back in. Good luck!