# How do you get cigarette smoke out of books?



## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

The title pretty much sums it up. 

My Mother has 6 or 7 of the "Foxfire" books that I bought her a long time ago. I mentioned buying a full set for myself and she offered these to me but, she's not just a smoker, she's a freight train! So, how do you get the cigarette smell out of books? or is it even feasible?


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Fabreeze?


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## Horrorshow (Aug 12, 2014)

There's a lot of good methods (dryer sheets, coffee grounds, etc), but the one I used when I was a book seller was to empty most of a bag of non-scented cat litter into a tote bucket. Place the books on top of the cat litter and empty the rest so the books are covered. Put the lid on and wait one week. Most or all of the smell will be gone. If there is some still you can gently clean the books from the cat litter dust, empty out the tote and clean it, put the book back in with an opened container of fresh coffee grounds, baking soda, or dryer sheets and seal/wait a week.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Thank you, 
I'd heard about baking soda but wasn't sure how much to use or how well it would work. 
Looks like cat litter would be the cheapest. I'll do some more investigating. Thanks again.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

I have put books in baking soda in a garbage bag when it has that musty smell. I get a lot of books from garage sales and flea markets. I use a box (the large one from walmart) of baking soda in garbage bag. Give it a shake and let it sit for a week and check, if needed another week.


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Charcoal, coffee grinds or cat litter.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Matches do wonders. As far as I know, books and curtains are the hardest things to get smoke out of. You can band-aid it and bailing wire it, but that smell will return.


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## N..R..A (Dec 24, 2014)

Ozone


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

If it smells, that means the smell is coming out 
of the book from just air, so removing the books from the source of the smell will eventually air them out.

All the ideas suggested will probably work, but give it some time as well.


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