Club Obi Wan

For those who can find this product, this may answer the question of finding something that can remove tobacco smells from the lining of jackets.

It's called 'Dri-Spi', and is a dry air freshener and textile deodorizer specifically formulated to neutralize tobacco odors in cloth materials. It's made by ATCO international, and is made in Marietta, Georgia.

It's an industrial product. Their address is:

ATCO International
1410 Barclay Circle, S.E.
Marietta, Georgia, 30060
1-800-723-2826

I don't know if they sell the cans individually, but it would be worth a try. I got this from my wife's place of work, and it does a fine job in removing stale odors, and like it says right on the can, it removes/neutralizes tobacco odors and other offensive odors in just about anything. The list on the back of the can is HUGE!

If applied 12 to 15 inches away from a garment, it will not stain (so says the instructions), so it's safe for use on about anything too.

Something to consider.

Regards! Michaelson

Does it list mildew/musty smell on the list?

Yes, it does.

Regards! Michaelson

Excellent. It's good for MKVIIs then.

A tiny bit more information from ATCO's website:

DRI-SPI
Dry Spray Air Freshener and Deodorizer
DRI-SPI is a versatile odor-scented spray that neutralizes tough odors, including tobacco, without wet or messy fallout. It is highly effective in combating odors trapped in fabrics, including clothing, drapes, upholstery and carpeting, without staining these surfaces. DRI-SPI is even safe to use on delicate fabrics such as satin and silk. A special valve permits spraying even when the can is held upside down. Recommended areas of use for DRI-SPI include hotels and motels, bathrooms, restaurants, schools, locker rooms, nursing homes, hospitals, laundry hampers, garbage pails, smoking areas or anywhere odor is a problem.

Are ATCO products sold in stores?
ATCO products are not sold in stores. They may only be purchased through an ATCO sales representative. Please contact customer service at 1.800.723.2826 to locate a sales representative in your area.

IndyDoc wrote:Excellent. It's good for MKVIIs then.

Do you really want to get rid of the smell of history?

Last Crusader wrote:

IndyDoc wrote:Excellent. It's good for MKVIIs then.

Do you really want to get rid of the smell of history?

Yes, we really do!

By the way, I called ATCO and eventually got to customer service. I was told that they do not sell this directly to customers. I was also told that there were no sales reps?! The website states we can ask customer service for a sales rep in our area, but I was told we have to go through ATCO.

There is an option to have the product sent to a business. I specifically asked if you can use any of their products on leather and was told I would have a representative contact me. I left that information at noon and by 5:00pm, I had still heard nothing...

Like I said, my source was my wife, who works in the receiving department of our county school system. That MIGHT be a route to go if you need to find a connection in your area, as they do sell to that kind of industry.

Thanks for picking up on this Rick, but then you always WERE one of the 'leather care-meisters' of IG-COW in my book, so you're just doing your usual good work.

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Just to update this one....

I just had the opportunity to use this product on a jacket that just came into my possession. Unfortunately, D.Jones (eldest daughter) USED all the unscented product, so I was forced to use the orange scented version.

My advice...DON'T use the orange. Oh, don't get me wrong...the stuff really works! It really knocked down the cigarette/plastic odor (the jacket arrived wrapped in a lot of bubble wrap. Nice packing job, but it just intensified the tobacco smell in the lining), but if you get close to the lining, it smells like someone used an old ashtray for an Easter Basket. Talk about a really weird combination of smells!

So, my wife is bringing home a can of the unscented for me to use, and all will be well with the world...but be forewarned if you DO get hold of this stuff....DON'T use the scented version.

It does exactly what it's supposed to do...remove/replace the unwanted odor, but with an scent as strong if not stronger than the UNWANTED one.

The unscented version eliminates the smell all together. I know that for a fact, as D.Jones used it on one awful musty smelling canvas duffle bag, and it had absolutely no musty odor at all when she was done hosing it down. Neat stuff.

Regards! Michaelson

My MKVII bag from What Price Glory was really dirty and smelled like the dead...I filled the washing machine with cold water, dumped 2 scoops of Oxy Clean and let it soak for 2 hours. The process separated the dirt from the material and then I put the bag in the dryer on low/knits cycle until it was dry. The result was outstanding. The 'smell of the dead' disappeared and the color of the bag remained clean having still maintained its distressed look. I polished the brash buttons and metal parts with Hagerty Heavy Duty copper, brass & metal polish.

True....but not something I'd recommend doing to a leather jacket....which is what I'm doing at the moment.

To update from yesterday....my wife did not have any unscented product at work, so I was forced to use what little was left of the orange scented spray. Not a good choice. It knocked down the odor, but when you stood close to the jacket, it now smelled like someone had used an old ashtray for an Easter basket. It had the sickly sweet candy smell with cigar smoke mixed in. Ick.

Ok, back to Wal-Mart. We found that 'Renuzit' has a new 'Fabric Refresher Super Odor Neutralizer'. States 'eliminates odors in Fabric'. Ok. They didn't have anything unscented, so I got 'Pure Breeze'. I came home and turned the jacket wrong side out.

(a note here. I will freely admit this is the very first time I have EVER turned a jacket wrong side out to do a treatment, as the leathers are usually a bit heavy to wrestle the sleeves through. This is a lambskin, so not a problem. When compared to the train wreck of a sewing job I received with my Wested Abner jacket, the seams and stitching on this jacket are immaculate. Absolutely no comparison what so ever! I looked at every seam too. This jacket has satin lined sleeves, so there was a lot to look at. Perfect job. I am quite impressed at the areas you DON'T see on a jacket. This one is a real winner.)

As usual, I was heavy handed in my spraying of the Renuzit on the cotton lining (it states not for use on leather or satin, so I made sure those areas were not 'hit' by spray), as it says 'use a fine mist on the areas in question'. Well, ok...to late! Who reads instructions anyhow?

I left the jacket hanging in our pantry overnight. I went in this morning, and lo and behold, the odor is as close to totally gone as I could hope for! I believe if I hang the jacket outside to complete airing out this afternoon, I'm done!

I have to say I'm amazed at how far we've come in dealing with this problem. We thought the invention of Fabreeze was God's gift to mankind for smelly situations....but this Renuzit is amazing! Like I said, though...I just wish it came unscented. I now have 'Pure Breeze' to live with...but that's ok by me.

Regards! Michaelson