Expert: Henry Babcock - 6/16/2008

Question
I have just been given a beautiful cross stitch bell pull which was stitched in 1992 and smells of cigarette smoke.  Any suggestions as to how to clean it?  It is stithed on lugana and has a velvet back.

Answer
Barbara,

Cigarette odors are pernicious!

The first thing you could try is putting the entire bell pull into a plastic garbage bag with baking soda.  Close the bag and shake up the pull with the baking soda (like Shake-and-Bake).  Let that sit over night.  Remove the bell pull, shake it out, then gently vacuum off the baking soda.  Let it air out outside, not in direct sun.

If there is still odor remaining, try doing a online search for "remove cigarette odor" or "eliminate cigarette odor" for some additional methods.

Hope this helps,

Henry Babcock
AllExperts Needlepoint Expert