I picked up a nice Galco Miami rig this past weekend at an estate sale. Got to the car and realized it reeked of cigarette smoke. Anybody got an idea how to get this smoke smell out of leather?

Smoke a cigar or pipe & you won't even notice the cigarette smoke. Have a couple shots of bourbon (at home) & you'll notice it even less. How the heck can you smell that smoke in leather anyhow?

Hank M.

I usually use ozone for things like this. You could also try activated charcoil.

maybe put it in (clean, fresh, new) cat litter?

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

I would put the holster in a pan of warm water with a couple of drops of
Dawn and scrub the Hell (and Smell) out of it inside and out. Rinse it off
and let it dry over night. Then put on a coat of Fiebing's Tan Kote.

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In Omnia Paratus

There was a thread here a year or more ago on this same topic. If you can find it, there were numerous suggestions and I even think the guy had some success. In that case it was a holster.


ETA: Here's the thread I was thinking about:
Stinky smoke odor removal

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Just Say No - To Social Media

If you're a non-smoker, it's easy.

Crush up some lump hardwood charcoal (not the processed stuff) and throw it in a big plastic ziploc with the holster rig and let it sit for a week . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Ozone process will remove smoke smell, that's what they use in the used car business.

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Dave Ramsey Cultist

Geez, do NOT do this. If one wants to use saddle soap for example, a wet sponge with the soap on it. Then rub the leather dry again straightaway. Having said that I have had only bad results re-wetting a vintage holster. A disintegrated Seventrees for example.

My oldest, most collectible holster lost its ciggie smell by being out in the air for an extended period. Didn't dare wet it.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

I don't use saddle soap. It can soften the leather. I have used
the Dawn in warm water on quite a few dirty holsters with no
ill effects yet. When there is an oil spill they use Dawn to clean
the birds. It is gentle but effective.

I have a very dirty, greasy, Lawrence 34 FBI extra quick draw
holster that I'm about to rehab. I will show "before" and "after"
photos when I'm finished with it. Stay tuned.

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In Omnia Paratus

Switch to Benson & Hedges. Premium tobacco smells better. Or try spraying some Ozium.

All good except the immersion part. The leather is not 'dirty' right the way through (which I suppose could happen on horse harness if the horse has been worked hard)(p.s. soap is a surfactant so permits deeper penetration of the water itself). The Dawn on the outside with a wetted sponge is a super idea, just not the 'you're soaking in it' (if you remember the old ad). Reserve that for a holster that will be re-moulded; in which case dry it afterwards in a fan-force oven with the door open and set at about 140F.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Seriously?!?!? You bought a Miami rig and don't know this? Miami Vice my man. Didn't those 80s drug smugglers teach you anything?

Coffee grounds. Get a trash bag, put about half can of Folgers, and the holster in there. Wrap it up and wait until cooler weather, when you can wear a jacket to cover that rig. You'll be good to go.

I bought a nice rifle that wreaked of smoke. A few weeks in a bag of coffee and it smelled of a warm breakfast blend. A couple more weeks in the house and it lost all smell. Good to go. Now you're holster is more porous than wood, so ozone might be the ticket.

When we bought our home, it wreaked of smoke. The BS real estate agent said it was new carpet smell, but we knew she was lying. Anyway, before we move in, I rented commercial ionizers. It was a holiday weekend, so I paid for one day and had them for three. Avery 12 hours I returned to the empty house and move them to a different room. I swear, it was 10 years before we even saw an ant in this house. Those ionizer killed everything that walked or crawled. Could be a coincidence, but I doubt it.