Help! How do I get musty smells out of.................

[PitterPaws]

A vintage doll? I purchased a vintage doll with clothes, shoes, and box for my niece but it smells so bad I can't give it to her in this condition, what should I do? the mustyness came out of the clothes and the shoes, but the dolls hair still smells musty, and I have no Idea if the box can be cleaned without ruining it.
any ideas as to what I can do?

 

[Captain Cluck]

This is going to cost just a little bit, but it may be worth it.

Check the doll and her things for mildew spots. If anything is mildewed, you are not going to salvage much. You will need a professional restorer for mildew damage.

Now:
Put fresh kitty litter into a large plastic container - large enough to hole the doll and all her stinky accessories.

Lay a sheet of lightweight fabric or white tissue sheets (gift wrap tissue) over the litter. lay out the doll and her things on top. Close the lid and leave it to absorb the odors for at least a week.

Check after a week and give everything the deep sniff smell. Get it right up to your nose and sniff deeply. If it smells good, leave it one more week just to be sure. Then air out in a protected shaded spot (a covered porch is good) on a sunny day for at least 24 hours. If it still smells good, package it as though you were going to ship, wait one more week and then open and smell. If all is good - ship the doll.

All these checks are to be certain the musty smell is gone.

If you want, you can alternate kitty litter with fresh coffee grounds (un-brewed - straight from the can. use a couple of pounds of ground coffee under the doll (use several sheets of tissue or fabric to protect the doll from coffee oils).

When you are done, you can use the coffee in your compost (don't think it's good to brew after absorbing odors)

If the doll is not expensive or valuable, you might very lightly mist the fabrics with Febreeze, but that's sometimes chancy with some fabrics. You might want to mist some packing tissue with febreeze and lay in the box, separated from the doll with more tissue to reduce transit odors.

 

[bargain]

If it's not super valuable - as in an antique, put those clothes in the sunshine and fresh air, you'd be surprised what a difference that will make!
or seal up with nice smelling soap..... like lavendar, etc.

 

[Whispering Winds]

I have read if you have a smelly freezer or fridge, a lid full of pure vanilla extract will take out the odor. Don't know if that would work with a doll, and you would have to be careful how you arranged it, but sure hope you can get the smell out. I love those old dolls!!

 

[PitterPaws]

Thank you all! Luckily there are no mildew spots just the odor, so I will give it a try, hope the doll comes out nice and fresh smelling! There's nothing worse than musty smells.

 

[verthandi]

The kind of charcoal that is used in fish aquariums will remove odors. Place charcoal in a fabric bag and use tissue paper to separate the doll from the charcoal. Place in a plastic box that you can seal. Or original Dial soap in a container with the doll will also remove odors.

 

[PitterPaws]

Well I have Plenty of Cat Litter for my cats and Charcoal for the fish tank so I will be trying these. I sure hope they help. Thanks again