ReccePhreak Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 I have never seen this subject discussed anywhere, so here it goes. I recently bought a 1/32 jet kit, and when it arrived, the box and all the parts bags reeked of tobacco smoke. The parts bags appear to still be sealed, so I don't know yet if the smell has gotten inside the bags. What can I use to remove the smell from the box & bags, without destroying them? If the plastic sprues are also contaminated, what can I use to remove the smell from them, without damaging the plastic parts? Larry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Seal inside a plastic bag with some baking soda, and leave for a day or so - the sodium bicarbonate should absorb the odour. If it doesn't completely eliminate it first time, 'rinse and repeat' - though without actually rinsing, of course! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ReccePhreak Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 3 minutes ago, andyf117 said: Seal inside a plastic bag with some baking soda, and leave for a day or so - the sodium bicarbonate should absorb the odour. If it doesn't completely eliminate it first time, 'rinse and repeat' - though without actually rinsing, of course! Thanks, I'll try that. I need to see if I can find a ziploc style bag big enough to hold the kit & box. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Put a couple of fabric softener sheets in the box and seal it tight. Leave for a few days. I had this problem once, only worse involving cats. Male ones at that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
echolmberg Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 I feel for ya. I once received a model kit that I had purchased online (second-hand). The moment I opened up the shipping box, woof! I felt like I had just smoked a carton of cigs in about two seconds! How on earth does a box get that permeated with cigarette smoke smell??? I can only imagine the guy would take a drag on his cigarette and blow the smoke directly into the box. In a perfect world, all my model boxes would smell like bacon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 3 hours ago, echolmberg said: In a perfect world, all my model boxes would smell like bacon. Or 20+ year old Scotch! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 On opening my 'big Boeing' boxes - the -135s, E-3s, etc - I'd like to get the waft of JP-4... ....and the scent of AVTUR from all the helicopter ones - for modelling with Smell-O-Vision! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Model-Junkie Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 I've had luck airing model kits outdoors in sunlight, or in my garage depending on weather, for a day or so for faint smells or anything that is not covered in nicotine residue. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spruemeister Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 I ended up scrubbing the sprues of a Monogram F-101B with a toothbrush and soapy water. The decals were so yellow they went in the trash with the box and instructions. It had to have been directly in the path of two tons of second hand nicotine. Sometimes it’s like that. Rick L. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skidbuggy Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Why not build it? That will ultimately remove the odour. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 (edited) I had cancer from smoking for 20 years , quit in the '90s, that smell makes me noxious. I throw away everything but the kit plastic and wash it then build it. Do NOT keep the box, decals or instructions unless you absolutely need them. Tried the dryer sheet thing..... nothing really works but tossing all the paper and cardboard stuff. jon Edited December 13, 2021 by jonwinn grammar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Sorry about the cancer. Not to be pedantic but I believe the noxious smell makes you nauseous.... My (ex) mother-in-law smoked, when we helped her move the smell of her clothes stunk up my car for weeks. I had 5 or 6 of those little tree shaped fresheners in there, still didn't cover the smell. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ReccePhreak Posted December 13, 2021 Author Share Posted December 13, 2021 8 hours ago, skidbuggy said: Why not build it? That will ultimately remove the odour. Because I am like jonwinn, in that the DISGUSTING tobacco smell makes me nauseous. And since the baking soda failed to remove the odor from the box & instructions (after a week), I will probably do like he says and throw out them, after photocopying the instructions. But if the "sealed" parts sprues still have the smell, they'll sit in my garage until the smell goes away (If ever). Larry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 (edited) My old great granny the schoolmarm would be turning in her grave, I meant the smell was obnoxious. jon Edited December 14, 2021 by jonwinn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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