Can this be fixed?
 

I recently purchased a used machine. It works great but apparently the previous owner was a smoker. I'm not, and the smoke smell is rather strong. I have wiped it down with a Clorox wipe, but it still smells like stale cigarettes. Is there anything else I can do to remove the smoke smell?

Maybe you could sit it outside for a few hours. A smoker donated a quilt for a fund raiser and it smelled so bad not very many people wanted it. Too bad it was very pretty. No one wanted to buy it. It's like smoking around little children, they come to school smelling of smoke.

Do you have someplace out of the weather you can just open it up and let it air? smells don't usually stick to metal or plastic like they do to fabric. Maybe a garage or storage shed, You could try wiping it down with Frebreze for pets. I have used denatured alcohol on a couple of old machines that were covered with built up grime. it worked well for that. Maybe call your local repairman, LQS, or try a guild near you they may be able to help you if you don't find the answer here. Good luck, and keep us posted.

I wonder if it would help to put it in a box with some activated charcoal or maybe baking soda and/or vinegar. Newspaper is supposed to absorb odor too. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke so I feel your pain.

Try wiping it with a cloth dampened with vinegar ( vinegar is a natural deodorizer)

It was mentioned that plastic does not retain odours, but it has been my experience that they do. Just think of when you leave onions in a tupperware container! Many of today's machines have a lot of plastic, so yes, it could be holding the smell there.

I too was thinking of the case as the problem. I'd remove it from the case and work on the two separately, and in different locations. Give the whole machine a good wipe down and not put it back in the case, til I see how it is.

If the smell is that bad, it could be that the odour is now hanging in the room where you have been keeping it. So better get that air cleared out, or else you might have the machine issue solved, but be thinking it is still a problem, when it is really the residual.

A product I might try for odour removal would be Murphy's Cleaner with Orange Oil. Read the label first, to make sure it is OK for how you will be using it.

If it is the plastic I don't know how well the baking soda, coffee grounds, vinegar, orange oil or other natural deodorizers will work. I'm still trying to get an odor out of a cell phone case that had a mishap back in the summer.

Also be careful with orange oil cleaners and plastic, as they can etch the surface.

............which was why I said to read the label to ensure the intended use was OK.

I would make sure that there isn't lint or thread still on it... good luck... I HATE the smell of stale cigarettes... amazing how my my hair can smell when we go out somewhere and there isn't even smoking allowed inside, but it clings to those who do...

You might also want to try getting some aquarium charcoal, put the machine in a large plastic bag. Slit open the bag of charcoal, set it in the bag with the machine and seal it up completely. Leave it for a day or two. Might help, might not.

Bounce dryer sheets will absorb smells. We used to use them at the car dealership when a smoker's vehicle was traded in. Leave one or two in or on the machine and in the case for a few days.

Keep us posted. I am very curious to see what works, and surely several of these ideas will.

Dina

I would place the machine (and case, if there is one) inside a large garbage bag along with a pair of OdorEaters shoe inserts -- the ones with charcoal in them. Two pair if you can afford it. Tie the bag and leave it for two weeks. Charcoal absorbs odors, and this is a non-messy way to use it.

Edit: I should add this is how I got rid of the musty smell in my featherweight's case -- after trying many other methods. I keep one of the OdorEaters in there all the time now, as it also cushions the foot from the rest of the machine.

All good ideas. Thanks!!!!! I'm not sure which one I will try first, but they all sound good. I'll probably try the Bounce idea first because I have one of those handy. I'll let you know what works.

It's the built up tar that is smelling. It's inside the machine, coating the parts. Remove the housing as much as you can and clean the parts you can reach. I doubt you will ever get the smell out but it will lessen over time.

I agree, clean everthing you can get to. Over time the smell should get less and less.

may be worth it to take it to a repair person for a complete cleaning and explain the problem. I'd rather pay once and get it done than have to put up with something like this for an extended time.

It's been my experience that vinegar works great in removing odors.
If you can place the machine (assuming it's a portable and not in a stand-alone wood cabinet) in a plastic garbage bag along with an open dish of vinegar... leave it for days. Then see if it's better.

I bought a small wood secretary years ago. Once I got it home, I realized it smelled of smoke. After wipeing it down with vinegar (inside the drawers) and setting it outside for a week, it was much better.

Hope you are able to remove the odor. And enjoy your machine.

wow so many good suggestions! I have a travel case that I bought from a lady cheap - it came with a musty smell and it drives me nuts when ever I use it. Tried the bounce sheets - smelt great as long as they were fresh and left in there. Think I will have to try one of these charcoal products - maybe the odor eaters. Always great information available on this board!

I'm guessing the smell is on the plastic parts ... don't know if your machine has plastic parts, but I'll assume it does. Unfortunately, plastic is one of the materials that really absorbs odors - especially smoke :(

Wash the plastic all over using a mixture of 3 Tbs baking soda to a quart of water. Then, leave a baking soda paste all over the plastic parts as much as you can for at least 20-40 minutes. Put the machine in the bag with crumpled newspapers and some loose activated charcoal, close the bag and leave it for a few days. The charcoal and newspaper will absorb a lot of the odor. It may take several treatments....

I had the same problem with a used machine. In fact, when I called the lady who sold me the machine, she told me that the owner was a heavy smoker...she was selling the machine for the lady's husband, because the owner died from lung cancer. So sad.....I used a soft cloth with febreeze on it. Set it in the garage for a few days, used febreeze again, I got rid of the plastic bags that they sent with the extra feet, threw away all the thread she sent, and cut all the thread from the bobbins.....anything that would hold an odor. BTW Plastic does absorb odors. I put the machine box in the attic after I light sprayed it with the Febreeze. I wiped down every inch of the machine and all of the feet...everything.
I was surprised at the nicotine that was wiped off the machine, I could see it on the clean cloth. It worked on my machine hope you get rid of your smell too.

We found lots of solutions that might work.
Murphy's Oil Soap
Soda
Vinegar
Odor Eaters
Charcoal
Newspaper
Soap and water
Leave it outside
Coffee grounds
And if none of these is actually working, put it in the FREEZER! When our Tupperware was holding a smell, we were told to stuff it with crumpled BLACK AND WHITE newspaper and put it in the freezer. It worked. The thing that did the job was the black ink. I hope someone has room in a big chest freezer for this. I would leave it in the freezer for a week or two. Just do the clean up job first as much as possible to get off the tar still clinging to it.

Activated charcoal in a case helps but if there is no case I agree with setting it outside in the sun for a few days the sun really does help deodorize a lot of different materials! I'm not sure about the freezer suggestion, I'd worry moisture would collect on internal parts. All the rest are great! Even vinegar left in an open dish is supposed to help take odors out of air!

You might check with the Fire Dept---they may know of something to deodorize smoke---if you can get rid of that you can get rid of almost any odor---also your insurance agent may know of a deodorizer---my DH was in insurance and he had a a jell something that took out fire smoke smell---been out of that business for a long time

Try putting the machine and case in a plastic bag with Irish Spring soap bar and let it set for a day or two. That was suggested in a Featherweight class I took.

I know this may sound crazy but try the Goo B Gone. Another thing try wiping down with Dawn dish soap and baking soda. Others on the board I'm sure will have other suggestions. Just sitting outside won't get rid of the smell. You have to wipe the residue off.

All the suggestions are ok. But masking the smell only works for a short time. You have to get rid of the tar residue. If you don't you will continually catch a whiff of the smoke. It will find a place on you sewing project. People with sensitive noses will smell it.

I had a case like that. I pitched it. Bought a new one.

Smells stick to plastic, rubber etc. You can try crumpling up newspaper into a large garbage bag. Put the sewing machine in and surround it with crumpled newspaper, close the bag and leave 24 hrs. Repeat it necessary. I use this trick in my microwave when my Son burns popcorn.

I would try kitty litter and Febreeze. Also, Odorban might help. Good luck. I have also used crumpled newspaper.

I have had great success eliminating smells/odors with a small dish of plain ammonia. You might try tenting the machine in plastic with a small dish of ammonia and see if that works. I eliminated the smell of an old oil cloth tent that had been rolled up in an attic for 30 years by setting it up with a dish of ammonia inside.

I would open everything up, set it out in the sun on a nice sunny day and let the fresh air and sun do their work.. It may take a couple days, but the sun will fix it up.... We all feel better with a day of relaxing, sitting out in the sun and watching the world go bye...

Depending on the type of surface you're dealing with I've had good luck with a cup Peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and a tiny bit of liquid hand soap.

The original directions were to put it in a spray bottle and spray it on then let it dry, then wipe it off with a clean wet (not dripping) cloth.

I prefer to liberally wet (not dripping) a rag and wipe it down. I would do this on one of the Singers with the baked enamel finishes (The 401/500/301 etc) for instance, I would think a plastic machine would be OK too. Don't do it to a shellac finished machine though (ie one of the old Black Singers - other than the 301)

The gotcha is you must be very careful that it doesn't get on anything that is unpainted metal. It won't damage it other than introducing moisture, which is bad.

I did this to rid a machine of cat urine and a few machines that reaked of cigarette smoke and not just the nicotine type.

The main thing I've learned in this discussion is to give any machine I'm thinking of buying a good "Sniff" before bringing it home. Getting rid of the odor sounds like a lot of work. Hope you are successful. I'm looking forward to your solution.

Is it a Featherweight? It could be the box causing it. I used a Bounce dryer sheet to get rid of the odor that was not cig smoke but just "OLD SMELL". It works. Maybe it just needs cleaning inside the machine. Dust can hold the bad smell. Good luck.

In case it saves someone time and effort, I want to mention that I tried a number of things to get rid of the musty smell in my featherweight case that did not work for my -- perhaps because the musty smell was so bad and/or because I am so sensitive to odors. I tried the bar of soap, Bounce sheet, and leaving open out in the sun for a couple of days (and probably some others I don't remember). None of these were enough for my case. It wasn't until I stuck the charcoal OdorEaters shoe inserts in there and left it for a couple of weeks that the odor was truly gone.

I too acquired a machine that smelt strongly of smoke. I used about half a packet of baby wipes and cleaned the outside thoroughly. That seemed to work and don't notice the smell now. You should have seen the colour of the first few wipes!

Good luck. My eyes swell and have even swollen nearly shut when around smoke. Since the machine works well, i hope you find a good solution.