Cigarette Smoke on Leather

How do I get the smell of cigarette smoke out of a corduroy/suede purse? I don't think I can wash it, because of the suede and the metal fixtures, and I haven't got a way to hang it on a clothesline.

Xena from London

Answers:

Cigarette Smoke on Leather

Just some advice. Do not use saddle soap on your handbags. It is much too alkaline and will cause pH damage. Lysol spray is a great smoke odor remover for handbags. As mentioned above, if your leather is finished, a water/vinegar solution is good and the baking soda can help.

If you have a designer bag that stains with water, do not use any liquid type of cleaner. Lovin My Bags Cleaner is non-darkening and has a wonderful aromatic scent that can camouflage the smoke odor nicely. (01/12/2007)

By Barbara

Cigarette Smoke on Leather

I bought a designer leather jacket on eBay and it reeked of cigarette smoke. Here's what I did after reading the many posts on this forum and others:

• Turned inside-out and sprayed lining with Febreze.
• Put in dryer (no heat) for 30 minutes with 6 fabric softener sheets and a baby tube sock filled with baking soda.
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• Hung outside overnight.
• Repeated above 3 days in a row.
  
• Wiped leather with cloth soaked in solution of 50/50 vinegar and water. Did this just once.
• Hung outside overnight again.
  
• Wiped leather with neets foot oil.
• Allowed to dry for 24 hours and hung outside overnight.
• Repeated above twice.

This finally got rid of the smoke odor and I now have a beautiful leather jacket that I paid $60 for. Good luck. (07/29/2007)

By David

Cigarette Smoke on Leather

I bought a leather cue case on eBay that smelled really bad. A few days worth of online research revealed next to no solution. I ended up calling a 5 star hotel in New York (for free long distance on cell phones), asked to be connected to housekeeping, and I asked what they use to clean rooms when "guests" smoke in non smoking rooms. It is a product called Airlift (Spartan Airlift Smoke and Odor Eliminator).

I tested for color fastness and then applied all over. The smoke odor was almost completely neutralized, all that was left was the light fragrance from the cleaner (it deodorizes, it's not just a cover-up). I let it air out for a day and then applied a leather conditioner that restores the "quality leather smell". Worked like a charm. (12/20/2007)

By Jason

Cigarette Smoke on Leather

I have a concoction that takes smoke out. It works, I smoke and when it came time for me to sell my car it wreaked of smoke. I used it and the smell came right out. It's worth a try.
You need:

• Oxi clean granulated 1/2 a spoonful (one should come in the container)
• 1 capful of your favorite fabric softener
• 6 cups of water
• 1/2 capful of color safe bleach.

This works on just about any type of fabric/carpet/upholstery. I even noticed when I was cleaning my car, I used a white rag, and the nicotine stains were coming out onto the rag. (10/17/2008)

By Charity

Cigarette Smoke on Leather

I found this solution online:

The product "Ozium", as aerosol found in grocery and hardware/home stores is great to get rid of smoke odors. It will not hurt the fabric or leather. I would also get some "natural" charcoal (found in pet stores in the fish dept) and put the charcoal pieces into an old nylon stocking and tie the top in a knot.

Spray the inside and outside of the pocketbook with the Ozium (more on the inside if it's fabric) and slip it inside a large plastic bag with the pouch of charcoal and twist-tie the top and let set. Check it after a day, you may have to redo this several times. Leaving it out in the sun after spraying it with Ozium would also be another step to insert. If the leather needs a little perking up-use "Leather CPR".

Source:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Stains-Mopping-Wiping-2505/2008/7/smoke-smell-leather-purse.htm (11/23/2008)

By Rev

Cigarette Smoke on Leather

Smoke odors can be hard to remove. A thorough cleaning may be necessary by someone familiar with fire restoration. A "professional leather cleaning process" is strongly recommended. The jacket may have some residual odors after fully dried. In most cases, through ozone technology, the residual odor can be removed. (06/23/2009)

By Brian Monk