How to get rid of the dusty smell?

Hi everyone!

Specially people who are used to old/used decks...

I just bought the "Tarocchi dell'Amore" from a secondhand bookshop. It's in very good condition, and it's not dirty, stained or anything... but it smells of dust.

I cleaned it, but the dusty smell remains. Both the cards and the book.

It's not awful, but annoying... does anyone know how to get rid of this deck without using products that could maim it?

Someone told me i should leave the cards in the sun, but wouldn't it leave them cockled?

Any help is welcome! Reading and sneezing at the same time is something that requires more skills than i have right now...

It might help to store them with a piece of incense for a while. I wouldn't recommend letting the incense touch them though, because it can make a grease stain. A little bunched up cloth between them will prevent this.

Hi girl, you can do several things.

My favorite : odor controlling cat litter!
Pour some cat litter into a plastic bin, put a paper towel on top, then spread the cards out. Seal the bin, leave for as long as needed.

Method #2: Baking Soda, it can be messy, though if it gets on the cards! You can seal a deck in a bin and take one of those paper cupcake holders or baking cups, and fill it with baking soda, place in the bin.

Method #3: store your deck with a laundry dryer sheet, but I wouldn't use any strong smelling dryer sheets, I personally loathe that fake smell.

When the smell is out, I usually try to get rid of the litter smell but it neutralizes fast. I have a potpourri that I make of rose buds, cedar, lavendar and other goodies that I put in an organza bag and store with by decks after the cat litter procedure.

Hope this helps!

photokat said:

Hi girl, you can do several things.

My favorite : odor controlling cat litter!
Pour some cat litter into a plastic bin, put a paper towel on top, then spread the cards out. Seal the bin, leave for as long as needed.

Click to expand...

Wow, i'd NEVER think of this!
Thank you so much for the idea! I'll try this one

pasara said:

It might help to store them with a piece of incense for a while. I wouldn't recommend letting the incense touch them though, because it can make a grease stain. A little bunched up cloth between them will prevent this.

Click to expand...

I usually leave one incense (inside it's box, so it won't stain the decks) in the drawers in which i store my deck, but while it leaves a pleasant scent on the un-scented decks, the ones that for some reason stink don't suffer anything. They just... keep smelling bad :/

But since i don't own a herbal potpourri to store the decks after the cat litter procedure, i might then leave them in the incense drawer

Thanks for the suggestions!

Marina said:

Wow, i'd NEVER think of this!
Thank you so much for the idea! I'll try this one

Click to expand...

Just make sure it has "Odor Control" stuff in it, usually baking soda - but I am not familiar with brazilian cat litter.

If you have a kitty, don't use this litter, though! It's bad for them. I only buy it for stinky tarot cards : )

I just remembered #4, which someone from AT had told me, but I've never tried it myself.

Supposedly you can remove the bad smell from decks if you file the edges with sand paper (very fine) - the odor is usually trapped right there. You can get the smell out in one shot by carefully sanding around the piled up deck of cards.

But like I said, I've never done it. I believe that it works, though!

Accidental discovery!

This may be of interest to you:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=161766

First I use baking soda, for a least a week or so, then I put them in a box with cedar chips and lavender that is in little fabric bags. Fresh air is good too, as long as there will be no moisture or direct sun.