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Anyone deal with musty smelling figures?

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  • jimbutsu
    Memory *is* RAM!
    • Apr 11, 2002
    • 4158

    Anyone deal with musty smelling figures?

    Just pulled a bunch of my WGSH out of mothballs(*) to put in a display, and to my great chagrin, several are oddly stinky/musty. No visible mold growth or funk or anything, just kind of that combination of old mildewy-ish clothes and aging vinyl. I think some containers were just a little too airtight and tuff needs to breathe. Anyone dealt with this, and what did you do?

    (*) - Not literally in mothballs, just stored away. I might have been better off if they had been in mothballs.
    "If you take a dog which is starving and feed him and make him prosperous, that dog will not bite you. This is the primary difference between a dog and a man."

    - Mark Twain
  • sprytel
    Talkative Member
    • Jun 26, 2009
    • 6539

    #2
    I think I have seen it suggested before that you can throw it in a ziplock or sealed container with a dryer sheet or two... and then leave it for several days.

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    • generic
      Persistent Member
      • Jun 25, 2009
      • 1237

      #3
      Originally posted by sprytel
      I think I have seen it suggested before that you can throw it in a ziplock or sealed container with a dryer sheet or two... and then leave it for several days.
      I second Sprytel's suggestion. I've done the dryer sheet / ziplock bag thing and thrown it in the freezer for a while. It's worked with old, smokey smelling non-sport cards / stickers, Super Powers mini-comics that smelled like an ashtray, and action figures that stank of mildew.

      Also, I've found that just leaving toys outside (assuming it's not too hot, too cold, or wet) helps much more than you might think. I have a screen porch, so I can leave stuff outside to air out without worrying about the sun, animals, or curious neighbors, so I realize this isn't an ideal suggestion for everyone. However, it really helped with a particularly stinky lot that I picked up last winter. I'm in Georgia, so it doesn't get TOO cold down here.
      Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be.

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      • comicmike
        Persistent Member
        • Sep 22, 2009
        • 1824

        #4
        I fully wash any 'ripe' figures (I recently had to get some out of a not-ideal storage area; or whenever I get them from 'the wild'): i use mild Soap and Water,all the way; if required, a bit of Javex on the bodies& accessories, but not the clothes. I dip the bodies and accessories in and out of hot water (careful not too boiling hot to shrink/warp them) then let them drip dry. I wash them inside, even inside the rubber heads, because I want that goodness-kniws-what smell *gone*. Rubbing alcohol can also be helpful. Often, I rinse the bodies and clothes down with Spray ' n Wash pump spray, and turn the costumes inside out to wash them (unless they have their original paper tags inside: I always try to keep those perfect,so I'll wash those costumes from the outside).
        If something's too delicate, I have used '(2x) Febreze Air Freshener Heavy Duty Crisp Clean' (that stuff's heavy duty; smells like peach candies, IMO). I have also had good results with cut-up Irish Spring soap sealed with the figures in a bag, over a week or more. The Irish Spring works well with paper, too (I loosely wrapped some shavings in small balls of Kleenex tissue with elastic, so the soap wouldn't actually touch the paper & risk leaving soap-grease marks).
        If I get figures from the wild, I clean them as best as I can. Ya just never know (!), I tell myself. Yeah, I'm crazy. I admit it.
        Last edited by comicmike; Aug 21, '18, 8:46 PM.

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        • PNGwynne
          Master of Fowl Play
          • Jun 5, 2008
          • 19444

          #5
          Diluted white vinegar is also useful for hand-washing figures and outfits. It has a deodorizing effect. I use about one tablespoon to about a quart of tepid water.
          WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

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          • Capt_Kirk
            Career Member
            • Nov 22, 2011
            • 614

            #6
            I've bought cigarette and mold scented figures on eBay. "Nasty" I soak them for 3 days in thick baking soda and water in a sealed zip lock baggie. Sometimes I have to do it two or three times. It takes out the mold smell and 90% of the cigarette smell but, if it's really bad it won't come all the way out.
            "May fortune favor the foolish"

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            • generic
              Persistent Member
              • Jun 25, 2009
              • 1237

              #7
              Originally posted by Capt_Kirk
              ...It takes out the mold smell and 90% of the cigarette smell but, if it's really bad it won't come all the way out.
              You may want to try throwing them in a ziplock bag with a dryer sheet for about a week. I've gotten some pretty horrible smoke smells out with that method.
              Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be.

              Comment

              • Capt_Kirk
                Career Member
                • Nov 22, 2011
                • 614

                #8
                Originally posted by generic
                You may want to try throwing them in a ziplock bag with a dryer sheet for about a week. I've gotten some pretty horrible smoke smells out with that method.
                presses "like" button if we had one.
                "May fortune favor the foolish"

                Comment

                • dr_cyclops
                  One eyed, wonder
                  • Dec 17, 2009
                  • 2138

                  #9
                  delete please.
                  Last edited by dr_cyclops; Sep 2, '18, 8:39 PM. Reason: missed part of thread.

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