Help with bad smelling plastic.

[putrid]

Does anybody know how to get rid of the stale smell of old plastic? I have a couple of old plastic wreaths and some matching garland that stinks bad of rancid plastic. Haven't tried anything yet. Been afraid of damaging them.
Thanks

Going to post pictures on my site in hopes that someone will be able to help me with how old they are.

[putrid]

OK, pictures of these can be seen at

http://home.earthlink.net/~jazzfusion/id19.html

[Mummy deer-est]

The only thing I can think of is Febreeze, but I don't know if it works on plastic -- I doubt it. Sorry!

[putrid]

wonder if I can get that stuff in 5 gal buckets...LOL I'll give that a try. Thanks for the idea Mummy deer-est.

[Sickie Ickie]

As for the yellowing, Krylon makes plastic paint in spray cans. Use it direct from teh spray can, or spray in a disposable bowl and use with a brush for touch ups. :)

[putrid]

but I like the yellowing. Kinda has that 'yellow snow' look to it. Frank Zappa fan here. LOL
"Watch out where those huskys go. Don't you eat that yellow snow".

[Sickie Ickie]

What?!? That's not lemon flavoring? :eek:

[putrid]

I'm not eating snow cones at your house Sickie Ickie. JK LOL

[CandyCane]

Hey putrid, if they smell that bad, why not just toss 'em? Maybe you could try soaking them in a very mild bleach solution. Or, get some PineSol and soak them in that. Good luck!

[Mummy deer-est]

Ewww...yellow snow, bleh!
Did anything work, putrid?

[putrid]

Mummy deer-est. Haven't tried anything yet. They're in a box deep in the basement where I can't smell them. Out of nose out of mind. LOL Will have to work on them soon or deal with it next year so I can kick myself and say, "I should of did this last year." Was thinking about a bleach and soap solution but it's the plastic itself that stinks. No mold, dirt or mildew that I can see.

CandyCane, me? throw anything away??? LOL I have over 300 toilet paper roles saved up for a Santa project that I still have no clue as to how I'm going to make. But I have plenty to work with till then LOL. As they are the wreaths are real ugly. But cut apart they could be used in other projects. Some of the other plastic objects in the box are older and worth keeping.

[CaptnJackSparrow]

Dont they make that Pine Smell spray to put on fake trees? Other option would be to soak it in PineSol for a few minutes..

[putrid]

OK, soaked in the bath tub with Pine Sol for about 4 hours. Now it smells like pine sol and bad plastic. LOL Still wet but still stinks. Filling the bath tub up now with a strong bleach solution. ( yes I thoroughly rinsed off the plastic ) I'll either kill the smell or melt the plastic. LOL

[bethene]

If the bleach doesn't kill them first, try vinager. that's what Heloise uses for almost everything LOL! I would think the bleach would work, but seriously, vinager does get smells out, soak it it vinager water like the bleach, or actually pour some on. Then when they are dry, put them in a plastic bag with lots of baking soda , that will absorb odor while they are packed away. Actually, what I would do, even if the smell gets better is in the summer, pull them out of storage, take out side, shake the baking soda off and leave outdoors of a couple of days, cleaning with vinager again, then after a few days outside, re-bag up with fresh baking soda.Maybe spray them with Febreeze while out there also, can't hurt So (if you are like me,because you will forget!) make yourself a big note to put somewhere- maybe with your halloween prop stuff, so you remember to do it, If those things don't work, I don't think any thing will. Good luck!!

[putrid]

Great idea Bethene. I've used vineger to get a bad smell out of my washing machine. Worked great. Right now it smells good. The bleach might be doing the trick. Or it's mixing with the pine sol residue and forming a hollucinogenic gas and I only think it's working. LOL Either way right now it smells nice in the bathroom.

[Mummy deer-est]

LOL, putrid....are you to revisiting the hippie days with your halucinogins?!

Hope you continue to smell good....hahaha.....:D

[Sickie Ickie]

"...Or it's mixing with the pine sol residue and forming a hollucinogenic gas and I only think it's working"

LMAO!!!!!

[putrid]

LMAO Mummy deer-est and Sickie Ickie.

After two soakings in bleach and dish soap and one in Pine Sol they don't smell bad anymore! I used a toilet plunger to stir them around the tub. This leaves me to believe that it's not the plastic it was the environment. Rancid tobacco smoke. You could smell this plastic stuff form across the room. Have to be right up against it to smell it now. Hopefully it'll air out fresh. Think it's time for that Fabreez. I've only done the white stuff. The yellowing is still there. All the pine cones have closed up tight. Must of been all the hours under water. LOL
Bought me a really cheap dollar store wreath I'm going to fill up with this plastic. Figured it's stained and the garland was in three pieces when I bought it. Not really worth saving as it is.

[bethene]

Glad it smells better Putrid. I still might pack it away with baking soda, and try to remember to take it out next summer or fall to air outside for a while, good idea to use the cheap wreath, add to it and make it better!

[Sickie Ickie]

Putrid, you are definitely creative enough to make it work!

[Nancj]

sorry I was late to the party. I was going to also suggest baking soda and I've also heard you can put items in a cardboard box with a couple of cut up lemons and store in a dark room for a couple of days, but I've never actually tried it myself so I don't know if it works, or by the time you buy all the supplies try out all the cooky ideas and find out it still stinks you could have probably went to the dollar store bought a couple of new wreaths and adorned them with the items from the old wreath. But thats just me:)

[putrid]

I might just do that Bethene. No sense in making things that stink before I start. LOL Thanks for the compliment Sickie Ickie. My creativity has been a learning experience. When it comes right down to it I cheat. I look at pictures of other wreaths and try to mimic what was done with what I have on hand. I couldn't put together an arraingment to save my life. LOL
Nancj, late for the party? Not by any means. LOL This thing goes on 24/7/365 and I'm always glad to get more advice. Not sure in this instants the lemons would have worked. Possibly a way to mask the stale smell of stored but already clean items.

[Sickie Ickie]

or add the smell of mold! LOL