Cigarette smell on handles

[Mysquirtles]

My sister sent me a very nice set of silicone handled crochet hooks, but they smell like cigarettes.  My hands smell that way when I use them and I can't store them anywhere without the smell spreading.  I have scrubbed them in the dishwasher, no help. I have sprayed them with a earth friendly spray.  I could use some help and ideas please and thank you.

[Granny Square]

I don't have any silicon bakeware or 'hookware', but google tells me that silicon stuff is known to absorb and hold odors.  

Are these hooks used?  It seems odd that new hooks would be stinky, since smoking isn't allowed in most stores.  If she found them at a flea market or similar and they were used, I'd toss them. As a never-smoker and cancer survivor, that is just yuck--I wouldn't even want to touch them let alone hold one in my hand for hours crocheting. 

Google remedies below - (you may find more, this is what I ran across)

Covering the item in baking soda (and let it sit for 2 hours) and wash off. 

For cookware, baking it at 250° for 20 minutes.  edit- not sure I'd do this for the hooks in case 'cookware silicon' has different properties.

Soaking in vinegar or lemon juice.

I've heard burying a smoke-stinky item in activated charcoal, or newspaper for cigarette smells, not sure if this works for silicone.

 

Edited February 24, 2021 by Granny Square

[Mysquirtles]

Thanks for the suggestions. My sister and her husband both smoke and she has crochet hooks up the wazoo and was trying to help me out by sending me a set with handles as opposed to regular hooks which at this point in time have gotten lost in our move from a house where we lived for 33+ years to a senior village. I love to crochet and with this winter haven't been able to as I can't find my hooks here and can't get into our storage unit, too much snow. Thank you again.

[Granny Square]

Ah.  My husband smokes but he does not do so inside the house, thank goodness (or he'd be ex-husband).  Too bad sticking the hooks in snow for a week probably wouldn't help...good luck! 

[greyhoundgrandma]

A friend mentioned today having a problem with silicone baby plates smelling like soap. She researched and found someone saying that Dawn dishwashing soap was the only thing that would get rid of it.

[Tampa Doll]

You would be surprised what Dawn will get rid of.

I would suggest taking a dryer sheet and putting it in a sealed plastic bag for a few days.  They have a tendency to absorbe some smells.

Let us know how you make out.  This is interesting.

[Bailey4]

We used the dryer sheets on books when we were still doing the used book sales pre-Covid at the library.  I was amazed at how well they absorbed those "basement" smells that you often get when people have stored books for a long time and finally decide to donate them.  I used to keep the used dryer sheets in a grocery bag and bring them in to use for the project.  I'd line the book pages with dryer sheets put them in a bag and in a week or so the smell was gone.  They don't lose their effect post dryer.

I also would second trying Dawn.  It really does seem to break down stuff really well.

[thesunnypurohit]

It's no secret that cigarettes smell bad. They stink up your clothes, your hair, and your house. If you smoke in your car, the smell can linger for days. Vaping doesn't have that problem. Because e-cigarettes produce vapor instead of smoke, they don't make everything around you stink.

So, you can use vape instead of cigarettes. They do not smell at all.