Originally Posted by drgranny

I had a really dear friend who was very prolific in making quilt tops. Then she would send them to her 100 yr old mother to quilt them. (that info. is really beside the point, but) When my friend passed, her DIL took a lot of her quilt tops and finished squares to her home. She called me one day and asked if I would be interested in buying some of the blocks. I went to her home and it absolutely reeked!! I did buy a whole quilt worth of Sunbonnet Sue and a Whole double wedding ring. They too reeked. I took them home and put several fabric softener sheets in with them and left them for a while. I would check them every so often and the smell finally left them. I also bought a pair of cowboy boots off e-bay and they reeked of smoke. I put fabric softner sheets inside the boots and finally the smell dissapated. I can now wear the boots with smelling the smoke.

Originally Posted by ladyshuffler

Try this....lay them on a cookie sheet , they can overlap. Put them in the freezer for 3 days, check for smell, they should be good. I have heard this used for books as well.

Originally Posted by DeniseP

You can also try putting them in a ziplock bag with borax sprinkled in it. Borax is a natural deodorizer.

Originally Posted by Chele

Try the freezer. If that doesn't work, maybe some fresh air and sunshine? You could spritz with a little Fabreze to be able to work with them. Once you're done with the project a good wash with detergent and vinegar should kill the cigarette stench.

I find it hilarious everyone is so "allergic" to smoke odors now. Am I the only one who walked among smokers in my lifetime? Or went to restaurants and bars that allowed smokers inside the stinkin' building? There were smoking areas at my high school! Thankfully, all that has changed.

I'm happy we're all anti-smoking, but there are worse odors. Think about it. Personally, I'd rather smell cigarette smoke than fried grease or rank trash odors. It's a smelly world. Maybe one day we'll quit frying foods, smoking cigarettes, use deodorant and soap and take the trash out in a timely manner.

Originally Posted by Quiltgranny

Same thing happened to me recently.

The person posting these scraps for sale did not mention any smokers, and in my excitement of finding something I wanted, I forgot to ask. :cry: Well, I've since learned my lesson, too. The good news is all the smell DID come out and my scraps now seem to be fine. Best of luck to you.