Smoky Records

tvham

tvham

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San Francisco, Ca
I purchased a couple of 80's records from a Discogs seller that look pristine but reek of cigarette smoke. A couple of passes through the Humminguru seems to have helped but the sleeves still smell. I found a video on youtube that recommended airing them out over a fan so I've been working with that the past couple of days, and they seem to have gotten somewhat better.

Two questions - how do you deal with smoky records/sleeves and what would you ask of the seller? Here's my interaction with them, note that I didn't ask for a partial refund though now I'm thinking I should have. I paid $37 shipped for the two records, about their market value:

  • Seller:
    Sorry about that. I didn't notice and other people haven't mentioned it.
  • tvham
    I just wanted to give a heads up that both of the records I received from you smell strongly of cigarette smoke. I've cleaned the actual records twice and they seem to be getting better but the sleeves might be a lost cause - currently airing them out over a fan so fingers crossed it actually helps.

    I'm not going to leave negative feedback as you might not have been aware but definitely wanted to give you a heads up.
 
Oof. Smoke is tough. Forget getting it out of covers. That’s soaked in and ain’t going anywhere. For the records, smoke leaves behind a sticky residue on surfaces that can be hard to get off. I’ve heard about using a 50/50 white vinegar/distilled water mix to clean then rinse in pure distilled, but vinegar can be corrosive so probably depends how valuable the records are and how risk averse you are.
 
I've not dealt with smoky, but musty, which I imagine is similar in that it is pervasive where the jackets are concerned. I don't know that you can be completely successful, but I recommend finding a way to prop the jackets open (stuff something inside them so their opening is widened), stand them up in a box or something you can fully enclose so it's an air-tight space. An open box of baking soda and/or fabric softener sheets in the box with the jackets. Leave them there for a long time and hope for the best. I've seen videos where people have purchased de-ionizer air purifiers and put jackets in a rubbermaid tub with lid, cut a hole for hose from the de-ionizer... blah blah. Too much expense and effort for me. Good luck!
 
the collection i got recently came from a smokers house too. besides running them through the HG , i also stored them together with some ground coffee, that should help a bit too. i dont think i can get rid of all the smell though .
 
Thank for all the suggestions - I currently have the two sleeves propped open on my air purifier. They actually smell at least 50% better, will keep at it to see if they get better than that. Otherwise, I'll store the records outside the sleeves moving forward.
 
tvham said:
Thank for all the suggestions - I currently have the two sleeves propped open on my air purifier. They actually smell at least 50% better, will keep at it to see if they get better than that. Otherwise, I'll store the records outside the sleeves moving forward.
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I store all my records in an inner outside the jacket. This does make me realize the purpose of those double pocket sleeves that vinyl storage solutions sells.
 
Lee Newman said:
I store all my records in an inner outside the jacket. This does make me realize the purpose of those double pocket sleeves that vinyl storage solutions sells.
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Oh I was saying if I can't get the smoke out of the sleeves I'll not use them at all, as I don't want them up against other records in my collection if they still stink.
 
My son came back home from college during summer break and borrowed Mom's car...which ended up badly reeking of an herbal smoke variety.

We used an auto-shocker on the interior and I cannot believe how well it worked to remove the scent of smoke.

I'm not sure how well it'll work on vinyl jackets, but might be worth throwing one in your car interior as a test...added bonus is the fresh interior.

Amazon product ASIN B001H8VLFC
 
I bought a used truck recently and despite my father-in-law (works at carmax, he can buy so many vehicles a year for cost when they come on the lot) and the stupid salesman thinking differently, my wife and I (both former smokers) knew it had belonged to a smoker. It had at least three hundred air freshener trees in it. (They thought it was too clean to be a smoker’s vehicle). After I finally found the last of them, they were hidden everywhere, and after about two weeks, I can say it does not smell like a smoker drove it.

So that’s an idea.
 
*update*

My records are smoke free! I saw a YouTube video of a guy placing a crate of records over a fan to air them out so decided to try something similar. I don't have a large fan but do have an air purifier so I propped the album covers open on top of them.

C7E7C7C2-639A-4742-A017-FFD8665809F8.jpeg
CBAC38C4-9D7C-4B1D-BEEF-81B136505371.jpeg

It took a week or so but the covers are now smoke free. I tossed the paper inners and cleaned the records a couple of times in the HumminGuru and now have clean records. Kind of a pain but worth a shot if you've happened upon some smoky records, too.
 
tvham said:
*update*

My records are smoke free! I saw a YouTube video of a guy placing a crate of records over a fan to air them out so decided to try something similar. I don't have a large fan but do have an air purifier so I propped the album covers open on top of them.

View attachment 157150
View attachment 157151

It took a week or so but the covers are now smoke free. I tossed the paper inners and cleaned the records a couple of times in the HumminGuru and now have clean records. Kind of a pain but worth a shot if you've happened upon some smoky records, too.
Click to expand...
I have about 200 of them , not sure i can do that . But good stuff
 
Dryer sheets will help as well for outer sleeves. We use them for smoky archival papers. Just use a sheet of parchment between the sleeve and the dryer sheet. Make sure to use scent free sheets. Takes a few days but works well.
 
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