How To Remove Mildew Smell From Postcards Stamps And Other Paper Items.

Recently purchased a large amount of paper items including postcards and some have a mildew smell. Does anyone have a good method to remove mildew Smell from postcards and other paper items?

This is what works for me, almost every time.

1. Place the entire item in a trash bag that also has an open container of ordinary baking soda in it.

2. Seal the trash bag so that no air can get in. Lay it off to the side on the floor or wherever.

3. Wait a couple of weeks. Open it. If no more odor, throw away the trash bag and baking soda. If there is still odor, repeat steps 1 - 3 with new materials.

John

Over the years, the banter I have read,
Moth Balls (Napthalene)
Place a few in a cardboard box, away from stamps paper etc
Close up and leave for a week or so.

Remove, and the odour both of the mildew / cigarette smoke disappears. (along with the napthalene)

Bona fides unknown

Cat litter is also often recommended (don't insert cat with cards).

You can build a positive pressure filtering cardboard box by using a muffin fan and a cat box activated carbon filter.

12 Volt muffin fan = $8.00


Activated carbon filter (cat box) = $1.50 each


Mount filter in side of box, place album, in box, mount fan on other side of box. Seal box well to prevent air flow from anywhere but the carbon filter. Use 12V power supply (any old 12V supply will work) or battery pack to power fan.
Takes about 48 hours to remove all smells.

Don

I have not heard the term muffin fan in a while.

Angore, you must not have eaten any muffins in a while!


Peter

I read this tip, tried it, and can report that it works:

Get a large plastic box with air-tight lid. Scrunch up newspaper sheets into balls and place inside. Put your mildew-affected items in among the newspaper balls and fix the lid on the box. Leave for a day or so.

When they come out they may smell strongly of newspapers, but that soon goes. In my experience, the mildew smell never returned. Don't ask me how, but it worked.

johnsim03's advice has worked for me many times in the past.

Rather than a trash bag, I'd have the offending items in a large plastic box, with the open tub of baking soda sitting in that, with the lid closed.

Baking soda is known as bicarbonate of soda in Australia, just in case anyone needed to know!

Thank you all for your ideas and hints. I will give them a try. I know the balled up newspaper works for removing odors from a freezer that went out with food inside. Not a pleasant aroma.