Reading mode: Light Dark

Stinky Camera

Go to last post
S

Skunk

Active member
Messages
62
Reaction score
0
Location
US
I need your help!!
I won an auction on Ebay for a 30d with lens.
Camera is absolutely perfect; like new.
But there is one problem.
The camera reeks of cigarette smoke.
The plastic smells.
The soft rubber grip smells.
Every time the camera I put the camera to my eye I get an overwhelming whiff.
Even my hands smell after using the camera.

How can I get rid of this smell?

I have already cleaned the camera with alcohol.
This helped a little.
Next, I tried to mask the smell with lotion (actually made it worse).

My next thought is too carefully scrub the soft rubber grip with a toothbrush and dishwasher soap.

But I think I will wait for your ideas

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated . . . . . .
I will not send the camera back.

Skunk
 
--that smell like cr@p and nothing really worse than old stale cigarette smoke. It's takes a long time to get rid of it. I bought a bag with his smell sometime ago adn I did what I thought was best, I sold it but I was honest and told the buyer it smelled of smoke. But my guess is time as the smoke most likely has gotten inside the camera also and smell will come from inside also. To bad when the person sold you the camera they didn't mention it came from a smokers house
Tanglefoot47
Tulalip Wa.
 
There's no way you can get rid of this smell fast, unless you use a cleaner with ammonia and glycol. That stuff may damage your camera, however.

The only way I can think of is air your camera for a long period of time. How long? Weeks or months, I guess.
--
skysi
http://www.phototerrestrial.com
 
Start smoking. That will eliminate the problem within a few weeks. If that is not an option, here is something that you might be able to work with. Most smoke odor in a camera body or lens is external. Leather, plastic, fake leather, some paint, and rubber seals tend to pick up that stuff, and let you know about it for years to come.

Not really a problem if you are a smoker, but in recent times, many people consider stale smoke odor to be a worse health hazard than finely divided plutonium dust blowing out of an office air duct.... So, what works for me in destroying evil smoke odor molecules is spraying a washcloth with Zep brand "smoke odor eliminator", and wiping all surfaces that are likely to bond with smoke residue. I do this a few times over a week or three, and even though the stuff leaves a light "perfume" that lingers for awhile, when the not so bad perfume is gone, so is the smoke odor. It really does work.

In the apartment business, it is a main player in converting a unit that was rented by a heavy smoker for many years into a place that a rabbid smoke hater could call home.

It is made by the Zep commercial division. It is distributed in 16 oz spray cans, and it's product code is HD018716. If you can't find a dealer on the net, and live near enough to Central NJ, I'll order you a can, and you are welcome to stop by and pick it up. You buy the smoke stuff, and I'll buy the coffee.

--
Voyager
 
Thanks for the tip! My mom is a heavy smoker, and unfortunately, the kids birthday/Christmas gifts from Grandma need to air out in the garage for a few weeks/months before they can come in the house. This would help a lot!

Kevin
 
Skunk said:
I need your help!!
I won an auction on Ebay for a 30d with lens.
Camera is absolutely perfect; like new.
But there is one problem.
The camera reeks of cigarette smoke.
The plastic smells.
The soft rubber grip smells.
Every time the camera I put the camera to my eye I get an
overwhelming whiff.
Even my hands smell after using the camera.

How can I get rid of this smell?

I have already cleaned the camera with alcohol.
This helped a little.
Next, I tried to mask the smell with lotion (actually made it worse).

My next thought is too carefully scrub the soft rubber grip with a
toothbrush and dishwasher soap.

But I think I will wait for your ideas

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated . . . . . .
I will not send the camera back.

Skunk
Click to expand...
Another thing you could try is spraying some Fabreze on a cloth and wiping the camera with that.
 
Obvious advice: be very careful when trying strong chemicals, they may discolor and damage the camera plastic, rubber and paint, and if some gets inside... horror.

A lot of research and $$ (yes!) went into producing a spray which gives car interior "brand new smell". There are a few brands on the market (depending which country you are in), and they are not only plastic/paint friendly, but also produce "nice" smell (as opposed to ammonia, turps or other solvents - not sure would I prefer that or cigarette smoke!). Try a good, large car accessories shop, they should know about such products.
Skunk said:
I need your help!!
I won an auction on Ebay for a 30d with lens.
Camera is absolutely perfect; like new.
But there is one problem.
The camera reeks of cigarette smoke.
The plastic smells.
The soft rubber grip smells.
Every time the camera I put the camera to my eye I get an
overwhelming whiff.
Even my hands smell after using the camera.

How can I get rid of this smell?

I have already cleaned the camera with alcohol.
This helped a little.
Next, I tried to mask the smell with lotion (actually made it worse).

My next thought is too carefully scrub the soft rubber grip with a
toothbrush and dishwasher soap.

But I think I will wait for your ideas

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated . . . . . .
I will not send the camera back.

Skunk
Click to expand...
 
Return it to the seller right away. If you paid with paypal you are home safe even if he does not want to take it back right away.
 
That is pure BS. Not to offend you, but I was ripped off by an Aussie seller that I bought from before (previous sale was instant data downloads, while the ripoff was supposed to be hardcopy book and two CD's). Paypal let me jump through their hoops for two months, asked me to wait at least 45 days before escalating the claim, and then informed me that there were only select retailers that they can reverse charges on, and offered me lots of info on how to negotiate with this retailer to get satisfaction. That chapped my shorts.

Paypal advertises that they can offer protection, yet can deliver none to me when I need it. I lost $70 on a book, and a couple of CD's that were never shipped. The retailer is still doing business, and I'm dogging him to the point of pain (his pain). What a chump...

Anyway, read the fine print with Paypal. They talk about being a layer of protection for your credit card, but they really insulate you from the protection that your credit card provides. If I had used my Visa card, instead of allowing Paypal to become an additional layer that cancelled my Visa protection, my money would once again be my money.

Just be careful, and read all 200,000 words of the fine print....
Esben Larsen said:
Return it to the seller right away. If you paid with paypal you are
home safe even if he does not want to take it back right away.
Click to expand...
--
Voyager
 
Try putting it in a closed box for a few days with some cut-up onions. But that would be just compensating the stink. Quickest way would be putting it in an evacuated glass jar for days to evaporate the clinging smoke/tar rests. Rubber and plastic parts will be last to lose the (impregnated) smoke. Wish you luck,
--
WillemB
 
Skunk said:
I need your help!!
Click to expand...
I'll try
Skunk said:
I won an auction on Ebay for a 30d with lens.
Camera is absolutely perfect; like new.
Click to expand...
Congratulation !
Skunk said:
But there is one problem.
The camera reeks of cigarette smoke.
The plastic smells.
The soft rubber grip smells.
Every time the camera I put the camera to my eye I get an
overwhelming whiff.
Even my hands smell after using the camera.

How can I get rid of this smell?

I have already cleaned the camera with alcohol.
This helped a little.
Next, I tried to mask the smell with lotion (actually made it worse).

My next thought is too carefully scrub the soft rubber grip with a
toothbrush and dishwasher soap.

But I think I will wait for your ideas

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated . . . . . .
I will not send the camera back.

Skunk
Click to expand...
This was what I did :
cleaned it with alcohol (Ithink it was 70%), yes like what you did too.
and repeated again until 2-3 times.

Then sprayed it with my favorite parfume :)
The cigarete smoke smell totaly gone.

The difference is
that was my 400D not my 30D.
I lend it to my friend, and had that smell when got returned to me the next day.
And 400D is less rubber than 30D if that makes a different in smell absorbing.

Just repeat it what you did, it will reduce & reduce the smell.
Good luck.
 
WillemB said:
Try putting it in a closed box for a few days with some cut-up
onions. But that would be just compensating the stink. Quickest way
would be putting it in an evacuated glass jar for days to evaporate
the clinging smoke/tar rests. Rubber and plastic parts will be last
to lose the (impregnated) smoke. Wish you luck,
--
WillemB
Click to expand...
Change the onions with coffee beans.
Coffee beans have a strong smell too,
but arguably better smell than onions IMO.
 
re Paypal / to Voyager:

Sorry to hear about your trouble. My experience with Paypal has been, that they always favor the buyer.

On one occasion, I was cheated by a seller, and got my money refunded with no problems, even though the seller initially was very reluctant to refund.

On another occasion I was the seller, and the buyer wanted a refund that I felt was unfair.

Paypal refunded him his money and let it be up to me to try and get the item back.
 
hey guys,
thanks for your responses.
I never made the connection to my thread name

I took the name from an old cat we had - he looked like, well, a skunk - so we named him skunk

I like all the suggested ideas.
I am specially intrigued by the Zep brand smoke odor eliminator.
I think I will look for that product and see what happens.

thanks again
s k u n k . . . . . . . . .
 
A damp wipe down with diluted vinegar might be the ticket.

--
...Bob, NYC

'Well, sometimes the magic works. Sometimes, it doesn't.' - Little Big Man

Galleries: http://www.bobtullis.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top