How to remove scents from a deck of tarot cards

[Luna]

I am not sure if this is in the right place or not, but I am at my wits end with trying to remove the heavy scent on a beautiful deck of tarot cards that I was gifted years ago.  Literally YEARS--we are talking 2017 or 18, I think!  I LOVE the cards, but I cannot use them due to my allergies and asthma.  So, I did buy charcoal in bags that was recommended to me by one other friendly tarot reader and I put the tarot cards in various plastic bags with all the charcoal bags that I had to purchase (so not 1 bag to 78 cards--more like 5 cards per bag with one charcoal bag--so I have a LOT of charcoal bags now...)  I checked  it every month for awhile and after 3 mos you couldn't really tell a difference.  I also had to "recharge" these charcoal bags out in the sunlight every 3 mos--so I'd do that....Still after nearly 1 year, NO DIFFERENCE....So....onto year #2 and a half, I tired another recommended option:

 

 Baking soda.   I removed all the charcoal bags and bought some baking soda, coating each card and sealing them up into the same ziplock bags and waited literally MANY MONTHS.  Like maybe 6?  Checked them...not quite as bad, but STILL TOO SMELLY, so let them go another few months checking them often.  Did this for about another year, give or take, honestly.  So we are into year 3 of me owning these cards and not being able to use them. 😞

 

Onto a 3rd option of the recommended kitty litter.  So I bought the kitty litter and lined a few plastic containers with the litter, added about 7 cards on top all the way across and more kitty litter on top of a 2nd layer of 7 cards.  Many plastic containers with the shut tight lid.  I put these plastic containers under my bed--and would pull them out once in awhile, give each box a good shake as recommended to me, and then stick them back under the bed again.  I did this for 2 years....  SURELY this should work!

 

NO.  😞

 

I hate to get rid of them...not even sure WHO to give them to.  I would prefer to keep them, BUT....I cannot use them with this heavily scented smell on them.  Can anyone give me a tip as to what to do to remove the smell? 

 

Also, while I know a LOT of people do like to scent their tarot cards, I would recommend if you do, PLEASE make sure you're going to keep those cards for yourself FOREVER.  If you're not so sure....maybe DON'T SCENT THEM.  I'm not even sure I can give them away to my tarot reading friends as they also feel it is too heavily scented and I will not throw them out.  I'm tempted to put up a clothes line outside and clothes pin them to the line in hopes that they will FINALLY air out!  

 

I'm telling you, even just me touching one card, I come away - smelling like this scent to the point that people coming close to me or shaking my hand will ask, "Oh, what's that scent you're wearing?!"  😞

 

TY for any ideas!

 

[FindYourSovereignty]

I have had a few decks arrive to me this way and it is very difficult to use the decs. One I just had to release. It sounds like, from the number of years and your consistent effort, this deck is too special to release. I completely understand.

 

As I was reading your post, the section during the baking soda, my immediate thought was, did the baking soda get swapped out every 3 months? Like, after the scent is absorbed into the baking soda, it needs to be replaced for round two and again for round three, etc. until the scent is gone. Was this the approach? If not, maybe try it. Especially since this was the only one that even slightly made a difference. 
 

Hope this helps and look forward to hearing the ideas of others.

[Raggydoll]

I absolutely know what you mean. I’m super sensitive to smells, and I was so sad the day I had to give up on saving one of my dream decks (a vintage university books RWS). I had tried EVERYTHING. Literally. And I gave it several years. But in the end, I had to sell it. I could not handle the cards without my eyes itching and my nose getting stuffed. I don’t think there is anything that can fix the problem well enough for a super sensitive person. The smell can be lessened slightly but I sadly do not believe it is possible to remove it altogether 😔

[Luna]

Thank you  both, FIndYourSovereignty and Raggydoll for your responses.

 

FindYourSovereignty, I honestly cannot recall if I did swap out the baking soda now.....I will guess and say no.  Baking soda is thankfully cheap---so I will try that again and this time swap it out before I try anything else!  TY!

 

Raggydoll, Yes, I fear that I may have to do the same.  *sigh*  Sadly when I got this deck too, it did not come in the original box, but instead a beautiful bag with a tie that the friend who gifted it to me put it in.  I really prefer to keep the original box - but the bag was very nice too.   My second issue is finding what this deck is!  lol.  Hopefully google photos can help me there, and I will just buy the deck brand new and give this deck away to someone.  🙂  TY again too.

 

[akiva]

I bought a deck off of etsy that was coated. Not sure what with but the chemical smell makes me feel dizzy and nauseous! That smell won't go either, though spreading the deck out and airing it did reduce it a bit. Have you tried that? All of the options you've tried have kept the decks in closed spaces, so leaving it somewhere away from you and spread out for a while could work?

 

Another option could be rice, I know it absorbs moisture, maybe it could also absorb smells? Silica crystals may also be an option... 🤔

[Misterei]

@Luna Is the issue chemical smell on a new deck?

 

The only method I've found successful [which is space-consuming] is to spread the deck out in open air for a month or longer. One deck took 3-4 months. Sometimes I make 9 piles and keep rotating the piles if I don't have room to spread-out the whole deck.

 

Open air seems to be the key. The chemicals must off-gas.

I've also had to do this with yoga mats.

[Luna]

31 minutes ago, akiva said:

I bought a deck off of etsy that was coated. Not sure what with but the chemical smell makes me feel dizzy and nauseous! That smell won't go either, though spreading the deck out and airing it did reduce it a bit. Have you tried that? All of the options you've tried have kept the decks in closed spaces, so leaving it somewhere away from you and spread out for a while could work?

 

Another option could be rice, I know it absorbs moisture, maybe it could also absorb smells? Silica crystals may also be an option... 🤔

  TY Akiva.  Yes, I have and am thinking of trying this.  In fact, I found some very small clothespins (I actually bought some of them for my little granddaughter to play with) and went back to the store to buy more for myself.  I don't have a clothes line in our yard, but we do have a dog runner for when the grand dog or dog nephews visit.  lol.  But that line is so thick, I fear it will damage the cards more.  So I plan to buy a smaller line or trying cooking twine and setting it out.  Right now we are getting snow and rain, so will wait for spring to come in w/o the rain (or snow) before doing that I think.  Yes, rice is a good option too---I know that was also recommended to me once and I think I did try that too--can't remember now........I bought a HUGE bag of rice rather cheaply and still have a lot left in that bag---but we rarely eat regular rice, preferring a different type.... which makes me think I must have done it with rice before too.   Maybe I should try that again though.  TY!

[Luna]

19 minutes ago, Misterei said:

@Luna Is the issue chemical smell on a new deck?

 

The only method I've found successful [which is space-consuming] is to spread the deck out in open air for a month or longer. One deck took 3-4 months. Sometimes I make 9 piles and keep rotating the piles if I don't have room to spread-out the whole deck.

 

Open air seems to be the key. The chemicals must off-gas.

I've also had to do this with yoga mats.

 

Yes, TY, Misterei.  I think I am going to try this.  I'm going to head soon to Walmart in search of a lot of kitchen cooking twine.....and see if that might work.  I may also hang it in our garage for the time being (something that just came to me after my above answer).  I am hopeful the fresh air WILL help.  🤞 

 

I will update here after I hang them outside....or in my garage.  I will try a few cards at first and check on them each week to see how well it works.  If it works well, then I can get some more done and FINALLY use the deck!  lol.  

[akiva]

8 minutes ago, Luna said:

TY Akiva.  Yes, I have and am thinking of trying this.  In fact, I found some very small clothespins (I actually bought some of them for my little granddaughter to play with) and went back to the store to buy more for myself.  I don't have a clothes line in our yard, but we do have a dog runner for when the grand dog or dog nephews visit.  lol.  But that line is so thick, I fear it will damage the cards more.  So I plan to buy a smaller line or trying cooking twine and setting it out.  Right now we are getting snow and rain, so will wait for spring to come in w/o the rain (or snow) before doing that I think.

Could you not lay them out somewhere flat? Might be easier than pegging them to a clothesline outdoors 😆 

[Madame Squee]

What I have come to realize is that some people (including my own family members who live in the same house with me) don't notice an odor that knocks me out. 

 

Mostly I use lavender buds to deal with smelly tarot decks.  I close them up together and check in every once in awhile. When the lavender fades, I refresh it. Eventually, it works even if it takes 10 years. (I'm not kidding.) 

 

I've also washed and/or tea-stained decks with pretty good results. I did the entire tea-staining routine with a particularly smelly Victoria Regina. After spreading and drying the cards in the sun, I popped the deck into a big old jar with lavender buds. That way, I was able to enjoy it while the process worked. The deck is fine now, but I still like it on display. 

 

Edited February 4, 2024 by Madame Squee
add more info

[gregory]

Baking soda and cat litter (as long as it is fuller's earth, not the paper sort or the grassy ones)  have worked for me - but for the WORST one I had, I found the solution was weeks in a large box (100) of lavender scented candles (the tall sort you put in candlesticks, not dear little things in glass jars.)

 

And yes, it takes a LOT of baking soda....

[Raggydoll]

For a person, like myself, who suffers from fragrance sensitivity, masking one scent with another does not solve anything. It actually makes it worse. So I guess it comes down to whether you just dislike the smell or whether you have a reaction to it.
 

I get itchy and runny eyes, clogged nose, irritation in my lungs and sometimes I’ll also start to cough if I am exposed to certain scents. So I genuinely can’t work with a smelly deck and I will continue to react to residues on my hands afterwards. 😞  

[Nemia]

I had this problem with some of my second-hand decks. What worked best: I spread the cards on a high shelf and simply let them air out. After a week or two, the smell was gone. 

 

Only one deck nearly beat me: it had come to me from a chain smoker household. I wiped them with alcoholic wipes, immediately drying them afterwards, and again, let them dry out. I repeated that for a number of times, and after a while, the smell had disappeared. 

 

I keep my decks with incense because I love the scent. I also burn incense regularly. My favourite incense is the Japanese kind, without wood, just aromatic herbs. But I can totally understand if people don't like that. Fresh air helps better than anything else in my experience. 

[gregory]

I take your point, Raggydoll, but with that particular deck (while I actually like the smell of lavender, and done that way it does go in time) the stench was so vile, I'd otherwias have had to bin it - it was so foul I couldn't even in conscience have passed it on !

[Misterei]

16 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

For a person, like myself, who suffers from fragrance sensitivity, masking one scent with another does not solve anything. ... it comes down to whether you just dislike the smell or whether you have a reaction to it.

Yep. Like you, I actually get physical symptoms from some chemicals ... which is why I let the deck off-gas in open air.

Any sort of container or closure traps the gasses.

So far I don't think I've ever had to get rid of a deck ... but Keymaster took 3-4 months to fully off-gas. LONG wait for that one. Others have taken 1-2 months.

Edited February 6, 2024 by Misterei

[Raggydoll]

6 hours ago, Misterei said:

Yep. Like you, I actually get physical symptoms from some chemicals ... which is why I let the deck off-gas in open air.

Any sort of container or closure traps the gasses.

So far I don't think I've ever had to get rid of a deck ... but Keymaster took 3-4 months to fully off-gas. LONG wait for that one. Others have taken 1-2 months.

If there is incense smell then it doesn’t matter for me if it lays in the open for months. I tried that with a deck for almost a year and it didn’t work. Wiping or treating the surface also didn’t work (although it did lessen the initial intensity of the smell) but the unlaminated sides of the deck had absorbed the particles into the cardstock. As soon as I handled the deck, my symptoms returned. It’s worth mentioning that fragrance sensitivity is a neurological response that occur when small particles are absorbed into your lungs. That’s why it’s not about which scent my nose can identify (so masking a smell is no use). Lung tissues can react to very small amounts of irritation molecules.
 

For a person who does not have this condition, there are probably several solutions that might help with their smelly deck. 

[Laura Borealis]

I wonder if edging/gilding the deck would help seal it in?

[Raggydoll]

4 minutes ago, Laura Borealis said:

I wonder if edging/gilding the deck would help seal it in?

Maybe, I guess anything is worth a shot!

[Misterei]

On 2/6/2024 at 9:23 PM, Raggydoll said:

... Lung tissues can react to very small amounts of irritation molecules.
... For a person who does not have this condition, there are probably several solutions that might help with their smelly deck. 

Exactly. For me it's certain volatile hydrocarbons which are sadly used in some cardstock finishes. I got many years' exposure to paints, varnish, and solvents in my work rehabbing old houses ... it took a toll. Even a tiny amount of chemicals in that family now makes me a bit sick. Likely some of the card coatings are chemically related to varnish [?]

 

For regular disagreeable smells I would CLOSE the deck up in a closet and burn a whole bunch of frankinsense. Natural scents like frankinsence etc. don't bother me ... even tho some ppl react to insence. Or do as @Madame Squee does with the lavender. In that case, you DONT want off-gassing b/c you WANT the cards to absorb the new smell.

[Luna]

On 2/4/2024 at 3:24 PM, akiva said:

Could you not lay them out somewhere flat? Might be easier than pegging them to a clothesline outdoors 😆 

Sorry for a late reply---its been busy here of late and I haven't had the chance to get on here.  Our home is small and we have a lot of *stuff* already everywhere, so no-where to really lay them out (even to put them under the bed!)--plus you can still smell that scent and so I definitely don't want to have to smell it continuously while we are sleeping!  lol.  It is pretty windy and cold here where we are currently, so I have decided to wait until spring arrives and try it then.  TY for your post.

 

[Luna]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:02 PM, Madame Squee said:

What I have come to realize is that some people (including my own family members who live in the same house with me) don't notice an odor that knocks me out. 

 

Mostly I use lavender buds to deal with smelly tarot decks.  I close them up together and check in every once in awhile. When the lavender fades, I refresh it. Eventually, it works even if it takes 10 years. (I'm not kidding.) 

 

I've also washed and/or tea-stained decks with pretty good results. I did the entire tea-staining routine with a particularly smelly Victoria Regina. After spreading and drying the cards in the sun, I popped the deck into a big old jar with lavender buds. That way, I was able to enjoy it while the process worked. The deck is fine now, but I still like it on display. 

 

 

This is a great idea too!  We do currently have many mason jars left over in all sizes, so I may try that for awhile.  Perhaps even sitting it outside in the fresh air w/the lid off for awhile each day will help too.  We even grow lavender--I didn't really want to mix the scents and I'm not sure what this deck was scented with now.  But I'm willing to try it!  Good idea!  I also have a question for you about tea staining decks.  I can't imagine doing that--doesn't ruin the cards or did you just pain brush the tea water onto the cards lightly and allow it to dry.  Even still I'm having a difficult time thinking it doesn't ruin the card--but it does sound interesting!

 

[Luna]

On 2/5/2024 at 5:07 PM, gregory said:

Baking soda and cat litter (as long as it is fuller's earth, not the paper sort or the grassy ones)  have worked for me - but for the WORST one I had, I found the solution was weeks in a large box (100) of lavender scented candles (the tall sort you put in candlesticks, not dear little things in glass jars.)

 

And yes, it takes a LOT of baking soda....

 

AH! Gregory-- this is something I could do a bit easier right now and leave it in our garage for awhile.  I will try the baking soda and kitty litter, (I forget the name of it but it is more a natural clay litter if I remember properly.  Someone else on here I think?  recommended it and I went out and bought some immediately.  It did help a lot ,but not 100%).  The lavendar candle thing is a good idea too.  I did get a gift from someone who gifted me a basket of lavender scented things--soap, lotion, bath bombs and I believe there is a candle in it too but sadly it is the type of candle you'd put into a dish to burn...but I can try it.  Can't hurt--I've tried everything else I can think of!  T.Y.!

[Luna]

On 2/6/2024 at 12:48 AM, Raggydoll said:

For a person, like myself, who suffers from fragrance sensitivity, masking one scent with another does not solve anything. It actually makes it worse. So I guess it comes down to whether you just dislike the smell or whether you have a reaction to it.
 

I get itchy and runny eyes, clogged nose, irritation in my lungs and sometimes I’ll also start to cough if I am exposed to certain scents. So I genuinely can’t work with a smelly deck and I will continue to react to residues on my hands afterwards. 😞  

 

Yes, it might bother me too.  I don't really burn candles - it is a very RARE event if I do so---but I'm willing to put the candle I received recently into a box with these cards to try it out.  My husabnd and I both are sensitive to smelly things--due to our allergies and asthma both.  I will probably put the candle into a small dish and hte cards around it adn move the cards around every few days - just to see if it helps.  TY for your response.

 

[Luna]

On 2/6/2024 at 3:17 AM, gregory said:

I take your point, Raggydoll, but with that particular deck (while I actually like the smell of lavender, and done that way it does go in time) the stench was so vile, I'd otherwias have had to bin it - it was so foul I couldn't even in conscience have passed it on !

That is where I'm at with this deck myself.  I love the artwork in this deck though and would hate to have to pass it on and just re-buy a new one.  But it I cannot get rid of the scent I'm going to do that now.  I've been working at this literally for YEARS to get rid of the aroma.  😞  

 

[Luna]

On 2/6/2024 at 2:52 AM, Nemia said:

I had this problem with some of my second-hand decks. What worked best: I spread the cards on a high shelf and simply let them air out. After a week or two, the smell was gone. 

 

Only one deck nearly beat me: it had come to me from a chain smoker household. I wiped them with alcoholic wipes, immediately drying them afterwards, and again, let them dry out. I repeated that for a number of times, and after a while, the smell had disappeared. 

 

I keep my decks with incense because I love the scent. I also burn incense regularly. My favourite incense is the Japanese kind, without wood, just aromatic herbs. But I can totally understand if people don't like that. Fresh air helps better than anything else in my experience. 

Sadly, I don't have the room anywhere in our home to spread them out unless I only did a few like 5 to maybe 8 at a time---and I don't really want to do that either.  *sigh*  We do have family and friends who are chain smokers and whenever they give us anything we also need to sit it out in the garage or on our porch to air out for days on end or weeks.