Try putting them in a box with charcoal briquettes--like what is used on a charcoal grill. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As a public library, we have many patrons who smoke and read. Mostly we don't do anything about the problem. But you might contact a local car dealership that does a big business in used vehicles. There are machines that dealerships use to "de-smoke" vehicles. Perhaps they would discuss deoderizing books with you. Alternatively, ServiceMaster or other commercial cleaning services might be able to help. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I know this sounds funny, but there are two ways you can do this. Both need to have the books in a closed area , a small room, or if there are not too many in a plastic garbage bag. The first is to just place a bowl of cidar vinegar next to the books. The vinegar will draw the smell out of the books and into the bowl. The next is put a bowl of coffee grounds with an apple half on top (raw side down into the grounds) and put the bowl next to the books. (This is what used car dealers use in cars that have been owned by heavy smokers and it really does the trick). Remember though, both need to be done in a closed area so it draws the smell into the bowl. These work really well in your home, too, to get rid of odors. Don't do both the vinegar and the coffee grounds/apple at the same time, they will counteract. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I've heard of microwaving to get rid of musty smell. Maybe worth trying. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have air cleaner at home with a Hepa filter - if someone has one of those you could run it in an enclosed area with the books and it would pull the smoke out. Wall mart and others sell them. (air purifier) Also try calling the insurance company and see who does fire repairs - they might be able to tell you a better method. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Don't know if this will help, but I have washed out dresser drawers that had been used by mice with wood oil soap, aired them out, and the mouse odor was gone. Could you put them in a "nest" of cedar chips for a few days? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Harry Willems posted something several years ago that Febreze takes the smell of mold and mildew out of books, so you might try that! He might also reply to you with more detail. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't know if this will work, but you might try Fabreeze (spelling???). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our mender here at Manhattan Public Library places them in a Ziploc back with a plain charcoal briquette. This seems to draw most of the smell out. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I've heard that putting them in a bag of kitty litter for a while helps. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Try using an "ozoner"... Someone may have one... People who clean carpets or do fire restoration may have one (and might be willing to help out a public school!). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the past I was told you could put the books into a paper sack that contains crushed up newspapers for awhile. Supposedly the paper will absorb. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We had a fire at our school several years ago that did extensive smoke damage in our library. The fire restoration company took all the books away to expose them in an ozone chamber I think. They also brought in a product (again ozone based I think) in canisters that we set around in the library for magazines etc. that they did not physically remove from the library. You might contact a fire restoration company for advice on this. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't know if this would work with cigarette smoke or not, but several years ago my home suffered smoke damage as the result of a fire. Of course my personal library suffered from the smoke. Besides using old fashioned wallpaper cleaner (that pink stuff) to remove the soot, I fanned the pages, sprinkled in some baking soda and then put them in a plastic sack with a bunch of fabric softener sheets. I think I used bounce. Closed the sack and let them sit for about a month. That was decently effective. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Have her try putting the books in a wastebasket or garbage can with a layer of charcoal briquettes at the bottom. I've also heard that a layer of cat litter or any ground clay will absorb odors. I do know that
the charcoal briquettes can take of the smell of cat urine. She could get a milk crate to lay the books on (opened and even a pencil here and there to gap the pages. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kitty litter is best if dampness is part of the problem. Baking soda is effective on most odors if placed in a bag with the book, sealed, and allowed to absorb the odor for a couple of weeks. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Just to add to my response - we also experimented with some of the traditional deordorizers - baking soda, kitty litter, and sponges saturated with Simple Green as well as zeolite. The latter was in mesh bags. The others were placed in soap dishes on shrink-wrapped book trucks. We also tried some Conservation Resources Microchamber board, which contains some zeolite. The zeolite bags far outperformed the others. We used #104 Heavy Duty Odor Control 1 lb. bags from Zeolite Depot, but you can also buy Zeolite bags marketed by retailers like Bed and Bath. Smoke odors depend upon what is burned. In the case of "our fire," the smoke odor was particularly potent and zeolite performed best. We've added it to the supply list in our Disaster Plan. On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Gary Menges wrote: In last May's Urban Horticulture Center fire at the University of Washington we used zeolite bags to remove smoke odor from library books. Zeolite is a volcanic rock which is also man-made. It has multiple uses, one of which is to obsorb odors. After use, the bags can be put in the sun and the odor is released and the bags can be used again. You can get the bags from various vendors including Zeolite Depot ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The best thing I know for removing odors is using an ozone machine. You can see them on television or at product shows. The machine produces ozone, which can remove odors from almost anything. We had a huge donation of materials for a book sale that had been stored for a number of years and had both smoke and mildew. We ran an ozone machine in the room and completely eliminated the smell. The machine was made by Ecoquest, was about a foot square, and weighed about 10 pounds. There may be a distributor in your area that would be willing to help you out without charge. (It's good pr for them!) Put the machine in a closed room with the books (fan them for the best results), turn the machine on and leave for a couple hours. You don't want to be in the room with the ozone - it'll probably give you a headache. If the books are severely smoked, it might take more than one time, but believe me, it'll take the smell out. As a side effect, it will also improve the air quality of your entire library. It kills mildew spores, removes dust from the air, etc. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here is the Library disaster method for deodorizing smoke from books from my manual at work. Place charcoal briquettes and/or bowls of baking soda in a clean metal barbecue grill or similar container. Spread the briquettes or baking soda in the bottom and place the book on a rack over them. Close the lid and wait two or three days or until the smell can no longer be detected. If this doesn't work you might see if there is a preservation unit in a library near you. Many preservation units have access to a thymol chamber that can be used to remove smoke from books. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Have you tried spray Lysol? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We have had this happen and had pretty good luck putting pieces of newspaper between each page and changing the newspaper several times over a period of days. It doesn't eliminate the odor completely but it does help considerably. Good luck. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We had one that was under a student's couch at home for over a yr. There must have been a lot of smokers in the house as the book smelled very, very strong of smoke. We used febreze and let it air. Eventually the smell went down enough that we put it in circulation. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We have gotten smells out of books by putting them in a zip lock bag with a Bounce dryer sheet (other brands may work, too). You will need to check them every week or so to see if the smell is disappearing.