How Can I "Deordorize" An Old Album?

Recalling my undergraduate Chemistry major days...

Sodium hypochlorite (Bleach) reacts with hydrogen peroxide and gives off molecular oxygen...

NaClO + H2O2 reacts to form H2O + NaCl + O2(gas)

Not poisonous, but don't light a match.

I purchased 70 different PNC3s(mostly Transportation) at ebay from a seller and when they arrived I opened the glassine envelopes I began smelling cigarette smoke, laid them out on a table and the cigarette
smoke smell was/is so strong my eyes burned and I broke out in a rash. I read thru the above to get some ideas to get rid of this irritating smell. I was thinking if I got a commercial O3 (Ozone) generator and place the stamps and generator in a small unoccupied room detached from my home behind closed doors (not safe to breath O3) would that work much better. I understand car dealers put them in used cars and all odors are eliminated including heavy smoke and I am told others have used the generators to eliminate virtually (so claimed by mfg) ANY mal-odors from mold, cigarette/cigar smoke, pet odors, paint/cleaning fumes, dust, water damage, smoke damage, cooking odors, and other airborne irritants, and they help to eliminate and retard mold, mildew, and fungus growth....all types of smells. I am told an Ozone generator works on a different principal than an air freshener which is what others seem to be suggesting. I have been told when contaminants such as odors, bacteria or viruses make contact with ozone, they are destroyed completely by oxidation. In so doing, that extra atom of oxygen is consumed and there is nothing left...no odor...no bacteria...no extra atom, only oxygen, so I am told. Ozone reverts back to oxygen after it is used. Of course one has to follow the FDA guidelines and this would not be safe to use in living space. Has anyone tried this method?

With a stamp storage experiment I discovered that the stamps that were sealed tightly in a thick plastic bag, with totally no air circulation had that bad smell. I think it was over about 2 or 3 years.

Yes it did spread to other stamps.

After about 3 months now of using vanilla essence the stamps smell like you can eat them. One tub is free of smell but it was the good stamps mixed into the ones with the smell.

Just topped up the plastic containers with more vanilla essence. I believe the smell will go but it is going to take a long time. Maybe as long as it took to make the smell.

Very interesting topic

I've had this problem with numerous collections that I've purchased over the years. What I do is the baking soda solution. Take a garbage bag, place an open container of baking soda (or two, or four containers of baking soda) inside, place the collection in the middle, seal the bag, and let it sit for a month or longer, according to the strength of the disagreeable smell. This works particularly well with the mothball smell...

John

Hi,
I'm the OP on this thread, and I tried most everything to solve my problem. Some things helped, but not to my total satisfaction. Eventually, I just bit the bullet and got rid of all the album pages and replaced them with "new" ones. Many of the stamps had to be soaked, and of course that worked just fine.

That was about a year ago, and the end result has been well worth the trouble.

If "Febreeze does not mask odors, it eliminates them", then all you would need to do is spritz.

Q/ How do they get away with this nonsense?

Thought experiment: put the management of Febreeze in a room, arm them with cans of Febreeze, and add nerve gas.

Q/ Which odor would be eliminated? The nerve gas? Or the smell of bullpucky from them & their ads?

Acanalizo's ozone would attack the airborne particles, but some of it would also reach (and attack) the surface of the stamps; since the stamps are relatively (~infinitely) bulky compared to the bits of mold (etc), this ought to work really well, as long as you don't leave the stamps in the ozone chamber for more than, say, five or ten years.

Nice one!

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

From what I understand, it just takes a few hours using an ozone generator to eliminate most smoke odors. Wouldn't store it in an ozone environment. I am unsure about archival chemical effects of Febreze type products on the stamps and think possibly ozone gererator would be safer. There are those who say the smoke odor is part of the history of the stamp and leave it along- but I would like look at and enjoy them once and a while and not have them further contaminate my albums. Just have to make sure it is a really an industrial quality type handled in a safe way and not just a gimmick type. I am looking into it and if I decide to purchase one I will report results after trying.
Standard Operating Procedures:
http://www.chemistry.ucla.edu/sites...enerator.pdf