On another thread someone recommended Papier d'Armenie (sorry, can't remember where I saw it). It's basically little strips of paper that you tear out of a little booklet,
I put just one strip in with a deck that had a very smoky smell and within days it was beautifully scented. I'm now totally hooked and keep a piece in with decks even when they don't smell of anything. Wonderful stuff - I bought it through Ebay from a seller in France, only cost a few pounds including postage.
It is true that Papier d'Arménie will cover most smells, it is VERY strong. Actually it might be the only thing capable of masking that cigarette smoke smell ! It is capable of masking the smell of cat pee.
But, be warned that it has a very strong, heavy scent itself, and that, while some people like it, many other (me included) just cannot stand it. And the scent is very, very tenacious. Once you put a strip of Papier d'Arménie between the pages of a book, the book will keep the scent FOREVER and EVER, the smell will likely never go away, and no amount of charcoal or cat litter will clear it !
If you leave a pack on a shelve, it will scent the whole room. It will strongly scent a cabinet if you put a strip inside. If you want a stronger smell for a whole room, burn the strip as incense in a saucer.
But beware that if you just use it as unburnt paper, it can stain a little., especially under hot weather. The scent is made with benjoin, waxes and oils on a paper base, and if you put the strip between the pages of a book, they can be stained after a while. If a tarot deck is laminated, it probably should be ok though I would not give it a try, but I would not advise to use it on matte cardstock.
If you want to scent your deck, you can just put a strip in the tarot pouch, not in direct contact with the cards, and it will work.
It used to be burnt, in France, long times ago, to clear up the air in sickrooms. And indeed, it is strong enough to cover the gangrene stink in a hospital hall full of wounded soldiers from the first world war, or to mask the smell of plague in other centuries hospices.
I personnaly cannot stand that scent, it makes me gag. I love benjoin, but I cant stand Papier d'Arménie. I hate it so much that it gives me a Pavlov reflex : when I remotely smell the scent it repulses me, really. I would much prefer a deck that smells of cigarette smoke, anytime (and that is saying something, because I would really not like that).
But I know people who are addicted to it, they like it so much. It is one of these scents that will not leave you indifferent, you will either like it or hate it.
If you like the scent, then it is worth a try because it is indeed very pungent and will cover up anything.
The packs are very cheep, and you get a lot for your money because a little goes a long way. And each strip of paper will keep its smell for ages (honestly, they can keep their smell for 20 years, no kidding. It is that strong !)
Papier d'Arménie comes in the traditional scent, and for the last few years it had also come in rose scent. Be warned, the rose scent is even stronger than the traditional, if possible (and does not smell like rose at all IMO, but I have yet to find a rose incense that smells like rose, and that is another story)
See if you like it, and good luck in your fight against bad smells !