smelly decks?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Dec 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

destinyawaitsme	26 Dec 2003
I jsut got back from spending X-mas with my mother. (She smokes, and I don't.) And of course I had to bring my favorite tarot deck. But now that I'm back, I've noticed that the deck smells like smoke. NOw everytime I shuffle I get a big whiff of that stale cigarette smell,a nd it's kinda gross. Is there any way to fix this? Do I just let them air out?

Le_Corsair	26 Dec 2003
Sure, put them on a blanket outside, preferably not in bright sunlight; be sure to include the box. Something else you can do is store them in an airtight box with an attractive scent; I use a mesh bag of whole cloves. The box is going to retain more of the smell than the cards, because the cards are coated, and the inside of the box usually isn't. That's why it's important to get the smell out of the box, as well. Bob :THERM

cjtarot	26 Dec 2003
Hi, I agree, air the cards out. THEN After you air out the cards, you may want to smudge them. I run the cards over burning incense (one of my favorites..I can't handle sage). Make sure you smudge the sides of the cards..where the cardboard is exposed let the GOOD scent sink in. Good luck from someone who knows your pain, my mom smokes and when my girls and I come home all I smell is smoke (and she doesnt even smoke around us,,it's in the air). CJ

lunalafey	26 Dec 2003
everyone else gave my suggestions.... so all that's left.... put them in a ziplock bag with a dryer sheet......

Rhiannon	28 Dec 2003
Hey, I did the dryer sheet thing too, but it didn't work for one of the decks I had. I had tried covering them with baking soda, and all sorts of other things! I finally had to put them into one of those zipper bags you can get for your "unmentionables" and put them in the dryer. The dryer sheet in with them in the dryer actually worked. No more smell. It also loosened them up a bit and they are now easier to shuffle as well. I would suggest LOW heat, though. R :)

Majecot	28 Dec 2003
That's cool, something for me to keep in mind.. I never thought about it but I smoke.. I guess that would make my cards stinky.

Cerulean	28 Dec 2003
I had a Buckland Romany deck that arrived with a smoky smell--I was able to get rid of the smoky smell by adding cornstarch, than adding rosemary. I aired the deck out in two shoeboxes and lids for three days (divided the deck into quarters with cornstarch at the bottom of the shoeboxes and lids. The rosemary sprigs (about three each) were on top of the cards. I covered the cards with a dishcloth so they wouldn't blow away and checked them every morning. By the third day they smelled of rosemary. Then I shipped them off in a trade. Mari H.

lark	28 Dec 2003
I once bought some books that smelled musty and like smoke. I put them in a bag with kitty litter. (please use fresh :D) The kind with those odor absorbing blue pellets. Left them in there for a few days. That did the trick, smell gone.

Hermgirl	29 Dec 2003
My dad brought home an old Rider Waite from the second hand store. I put it in a box (it was a box I had used to put my crystals and runes, etc.) and dumped a container of sea salt on it. Let it sit overnight, boom, cleared enough for my purposes. It is now my main deck and I am lovin' it.

Kiama	30 Dec 2003
Rhiannon mentions putting the deck in the dryer, but I am a little confused: do you mean a tumble dryer? (I'm in the UK, so maybe we have different words for what you're talking about.) And what is a dryer sheet? My Robin Wood deck has been everywhere with me for over 3 years now, so it's starting to smell quite musty and old. I've been considering just passing it through Nag Champa incense alot, but I'm worried that it will still smell a bit smokey. (I don't smoke but I've often read in smokey pubs.) Kiama

Sulis	30 Dec 2003
Kiama, I use incense on the decks I read with and although there is a 'smoky' smell it's very different from the smoky smell you get with cigarette smoke. I've used nag champa on my Morgan Greer deck and it smells gorgeous. I sometimes put a couple of lumps of frankincense into the velvet bag I store my deck in too, a piece of sandalwood gives a lovely smell as well. Love and light Sulis xx

Aerten	07 Jan 2004
Hallo Destiny, I rub a cotton ball dipped in my favourite scented oil along the edges of the cards of my deck... due to the intensity of the fragrance they smell quite yummy! I'm not sure if adding another scent to the cigarette smoke would really just make for an unpleasant combination, though :rolleyes:

Mojo	07 Jan 2004
Baby wipes.

Rhiannon	07 Jan 2004
Mojo, I assume you mean clean baby wipes, of course. }) Kiama, I do mean a tumble dryer. The kind you put your clothes in after washing. A dryer sheet here is a fabric softener sheet. It goes in the dryer with the clothes to prevent static cling and make everything smell nice. Sorry for the confusion, I often forget that expressions are different over there! R :)

The smelly decks? thread was originally posted on 26 Dec 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.