Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

I have purchased numerous Xmas Ornaments within the past 2 months. Most are described as Victorian or Vintage. Some are made from fabric and others of a gold mesh. All have a very strong perfume odour. Initially I thought the sellers of these ornaments were spraying the items with something but each one smells the same. Can anyone explain what this odour is and if there is any way to get rid of it.

 

Thks, Donna MH

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

I'd lay odds that it is Febreeze.

Do you have a sheltered outdoor area? Perhaps the garage or a screened porch?

Best suggestion I have is to leave them outdoors to outgauss.

 

The ornaments may have had a musty, mildewed odour clinging from the old wrappings. Musty fades, mildew is a mould that will transfer to other items.

 

The next time you consider purchase, you could Contact the seller and ask if she used a 'deodorant' like Febreeze, before bidding.

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

I'd lay odds that it is Febreeze.

Do you have a sheltered outdoor area? Perhaps the garage or a screened porch?

Best suggestion I have is to leave them outdoors to outgauss.

 

The ornaments may have had a musty, mildewed odour clinging from the old wrappings. Musty fades, mildew is a mould that will transfer to other items.

 

The next time you consider purchase, you could Contact the seller and ask if she used a 'deodorant' like Febreeze, before bidding.

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

Good treatment for odors of all kinds:

 

-take a plastic box with a lid and put several inches of ordinary cat litter on the bottom

 

-put the items with odours into a smaller plastic box

 

-place the smaller box in the larger one on top of the kitty litter

 

-put the lid on and leave for 1 week

 

-check and if odours persist, close & leave for another week

 

This works for most materials including fabrics, paper, books.

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

But again NOT for mildew.

The odour of mildew is not the only problem.

 

DH has been known to take a seller of an estate collection right out of the shop and onto the outdoor mall, when opening the box gave off a stench of mildew.

 

If it's just smells the litter sounds like a good suggestion. Thanks!

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

The OP didn't write anything about seeing mould or mildew, only an odour was mentioned.  Mildew is visible - it leaves black or white spots on natural fibres, leather, wood and paper.  If left unchecked it can eat into the fabrics, which will rot and fall apart.  Mildewed items will always smell, but not all funky smells are mildew.  It's just a fungus in the air, much like yeast it's always around, and it may be very treatable, even on paper.  First, the conditions allowing mould/mildew growth need to be corrected, then the moisture/dampness in the offending object needs to be eliminated, and then the evidence of mildew can be treated - first by getting rid of the now-dead mildew spots, then by treating the odour.

 

Here is a good source of information about mildew:

 

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH5928

 

 

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

Thks very much for the info and I believe you may be right regarding the Febreez. In any case I will set the items out in a protected area of the garage and see what happens.

 

DonnaMH 

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

Why does the litter have to be put into plastic boxes?
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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

The odor is not from mold or mildew as it is a very strong perfume smell. I do believe it may be Febreeze.

 

Thks, DonnaMH

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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

Thks very much for the info and if setting out in the garage doesn't do the trick I will use your kittly litter idea.

Donna MH
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Perfume Odor Of Purchased Xmas Ornaments

A covered plastic box is good for minimizing the amount of air entering and leaving - a cardboard box doesn't isolate the smell.   Containing everything in a closed space lets the kitty litter to do its job of absorbing as much of the odour as possible.  The plastic will help in absorbing odours - anyone who has an indoor cat knows their kitty litter box smells after a while.  Also, it's just practical - a cheap plastic tote (not food grade) is easy to own, easy to move around, if you use clear plastic you can kind of see through it, so you're less likely to forget it.  You can stack several boxes with little risk of spills and mess.  If you do a lot of rescue and rehabilitation of vintage and antique stuff, you can have your own odour-removing factory in a tiny space for a few dollars.  You can re-use the kitty litter until it loses its effectiveness, then scatter it around slippery outdoor places to reduce the risk of winter falls - or use it for your cat if you have one. 

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