Dealing with Smoky Tarot Cards!

[MacMorrighan]

Hey guys, I was recently gifted a Thoth tarot deck, but the previous owners were apparently heavy smokers, causing this deck to wreak. I have had the cards layered in a shallow box between a layer of baking soda between each card for about 48 hours. Has anyone dealt with this before and successfully resolved it? How long might it take for the baking soda to neutralize the unpleasant aroma? I know that books from an occult shop typically smell of delightful incense for a week or more! How long might this unpleasant aroma linger? I am a non-smoker and would hate to have to throw them away since I have wanted a copy of this deck for a while! Incidentally, a fellow reader I know was telling me that all of the readers he knows who own a copy of the Thoth deck were each gifted a copy!

~Wade

 

[MissNine]

Get a big ziplock freezer bag. Put some baby powder in it. I use Johnson and Johnson Magnolia scent. You can find different scents in the baby section of any store. Put all or some cards at a time in there. Make sure to move cards around to get them all in the powder. I would leave them overnight or for a week if the cards smell smokey. Take them out and with a DRY cloth, wipe off powder on them one card at a time.

 

[Padma]

Dryer anti-static sheets work well, as does baking soda.

 

[MissNine]

Dryer anti-static sheets work well, as does baking soda.

Ooo... Good call, Padma! I was wondering if baking soda would be corrosive on certain surfaces or finishes. Answers my question!

 

[MacMorrighan]

Ooo... Good call, Padma! I was wondering if baking soda would be corrosive on certain surfaces or finishes. Answers my question!

Well, it's super-soft like a very fine powder, so I wouldn't imagine so. I'm not exactly rubbing the card with it, LOL! I've just sprinkled it onto the cards. I also had no idea that baby powder came in a variety of scents! I've never seen it sold in other scents here in Iowa. However, that wouldn't surprise me since I've noticed that Iowa is becoming much more generic as time passes, yet....when I was in Chicago even the TINY grocery stores had a HUGE variety from which to choose--brands that I've NEVER seen for sale here in Iowa. That's one reason why I dislike my home state.

 

[MacMorrighan]

Dryer anti-static sheets work well, as does baking soda.

If I may ask, how long did it take for the baking soda to neutralize the scent of cigarette smoke?

 

[MissNine]

Well, it's super-soft like a very fine powder, so I wouldn't imagine so. I'm not exactly rubbing the card with it, LOL! I've just sprinkled it onto the cards.

I am crappy with chemistry so I had to look it up. Baking soda is an acid neutralizing agent. People use it to clean battery terminals, whiten teeth, make fireworks (who knew?) and cure upset stomach, among other things. It's also corrosive to some metals, so as long as there's no metal siding or gilding on those cards, it sounds like a safe bet!

I also had no idea that baby powder came in a variety of scents! I've never seen it sold in other scents here in Iowa. However, that wouldn't surprise me since I've noticed that Iowa is becoming much more generic as time passes, yet....when I was in Chicago even the TINY grocery stores had a HUGE variety from which to choose--brands that I've NEVER seen for sale here in Iowa. That's one reason why I dislike my home state.

I got mine in Target's baby section. Stinks you have slim pickings out there! At least there's amazon, right?

 

[MacMorrighan]

I got mine in Target's baby section. Stinks you have slim pickings out there! At least there's amazon, right?

Wow, and Target is often where we bye baby powder! Just another reason why Iowa is soooo lame!!!

 

[Padma]

If I may ask, how long did it take for the baking soda to neutralize the scent of cigarette smoke?

It can take up to a month, I believe, from what I have heard.

Another member here, Gregory, who is a long-time expert collector, always suggests putting the cards in a drawer with lavender scented candles. I suppose you could choose your own preferred scent! She swears by the lavender, however.

 

[Zephyros]

In my opinion it really isn't worth it. Were it any other deck I would understand but the Thoth is cheap and mass-produced and almost any store that sells Tarot decks would have it in stock. It's probably part of the basic package USG offers stores. Maybe it isn't as cheap as an RWS, but the same general price range.