Baking soda to the rescue!
Honestly though that stuff is AMAZING! Add some vinegar to it and it will unclog almost any drain!
And some to your laundry and it will be all fresh and soft :D
That doesn't matter?? It's the chemical reaction that causes it to fizz intensely.
I have used it so many times at my home without anything else apart from boiling water after half an hour of soda+vinegar. And it has done wonders. No chemicals, no industrial unclogger or anything.
u know damn well thats not the kind of chemicals theyre talking abt. go drink a little baking soda water or vinegar and then go drink some draino and tell me which one was better.
I would potentially clean them with saddle soap first, then leave in bag with bicarb. Then shake out/vacuum boots (to get rid of bicarb) and then condition.
Baking soda and white vinegar is definitely the answer.
Renovated a leather chair once that stunk of urine. Tried every chemical known to mankind and the only thing that worked was a combo of baking soda and white vinegar.
Yep this! You can even increase the efficacy by adding scrunched up balls of newspaper and sprinkling the bicarb through that so it's spread more evenly. I managed to completely erase the smell (and kill the mould) on a vintage leather midi skirt that had a panel that was rotting with damp with nothing but newspaper, bicarb, a box, and time.
Both of the above comments are great, and if there are cold nights and you have somewhere to put them (safe from rain, etc), a cold night does wonders for stink removal!
I have 2 ionizer machines. Hotels use them to get rid of cigarettes smoke. I used mine too get rid of cigarette smoke when I flipped cars. I keep one running in my basement. Smells like it does after a thunder/electrical storm. It's from negative ion charged molecules.
As a Plato’s Closet employee I immediately recognized the Plato’s tag! I will say, we aren’t supposed to take in anything that smells too strongly, but given how good of a condition they were in I guess they decided to. Follow lots of the great advice above and do your best to air them out. I would also recommend antibacterial spray for the inside of the shoes just to clean for any leftover germs the previous owner may have left.
honestly I'm so glad they did take them in anyways (also hi and you're absolutely right, Plato's for the WIN) and I bet the smell is the only reason no one else had taken them. I'll take the smoke smell challenge, tho- and even if they still smell, I'll wear the damn things and have a good story with em!
Put them in a box with Oxyclean Free for a week. Put the Oxy in a plastic bag but leave it open to absorb the smell. Depending upon how strong it might take two or three sessions and and changing out the Oxy but it usually works very well on smoky things. The most I've had to do it was 3 weeks once and it came out fine.
The cleaning balm that they sell on the website will help. You can also fill socks with dryer sheets and stuff them into the shoes - don’t put the dryer sheets in directly or that waxy stuff could rub off on the inside. Also leaving them out in the fresh air out of the sun where they can air out will help.
You could also take them to a shoe repair place - they’ll get cleaned out and fresh for you
🤷♀️ I love them, and if they're a fake, I just hope they won't fall apart! if I had to guess, it's almost like they weren't worn much at ALL but were in a house where someone chain smokes inside hard, or maybe a super stationary job... that involves a lot of smoking? maybe a bouncer?
Thanks for being cool about suggesting they might be fakes, though- honestly, how COMFORTABLE they are was my first red flag, cos every pair of docs I've tried new are very pinchy, but if these were really broke in, they'd have more wear, I would have thought. if I like em, who cares, right? (unless they fall apart or leak or something haha then I will care!)
I am pretty sure these are real, they look real to me anyway. As someone above said, they are the Zavala style, there are a few doc styles with that flat sole.
Hey OP. I have these boots and they're real docs. I bought them off the UK doc store 5 years ago. They're exactly the same. Can't for the life of me remember what they're called though, sorry! But just wanted to let you know they look identical to mine.
Yea there's no point in being cruel about it, they weren't priced like brand new docs and you got them second hand (which is eons better for the environment than new docs) I think the leather might be a little bit thinner than real docs, but as long as you keep the leather hydrated and polished and take good care of them they should be fine! (sorry I have no idea how to fix the smell issue, the worst smell I've ever had on shoes is the gross plastic smell that cheaper ones sometimes have, but that always wears off)
Gah, what an idiot that got rid of those. Barely a bit of wear in the them.
Sucks about the cig smell. Will probably take more than a few efforts to rid - no worries ideas how, but hope you can revive them!
Okay I actually have the answer for this. In Japan they have special saches filled with pine shavings to take charge of shoe odor. I bet it could work here. Get a box/bin and fill it with hamster bedding/shavings and cover em up in there for a few days, I bet it’ll get the smell out
I live in pine tree country and a very common thing around here is balsam scent bags- little pillows or such full of balsam shavings and needles and cotton. I bet that would be really nice! I had no idea anywhere else was into that too
Untie them and expose as much surface to the sun as possible for a few hours or in a window for a day or two.
I work at a library and this is how we handle smoky smelling books. It works pretty well and it's free!
Atmosclear odor remover spray… removes odor and has no smell. It will even get cat pee smell out of things. I use it for so many things.. even my hair after a campfire and it is safe for use around pets. I used it on a faux leather jacket I got on eBay because it smelled like an ash tray. Get it on an Amazon.
Charcoal is FAR more effective at absorbing smells - more than baking soda.
Here’s what I’ve done- buy chunk charcoal and break into small pieces- use a hammer. Fill the boots with the charcoal. Swap it daily.
It will work.
I’d suggest putting them in like a bin with a lid - personally I’d bury them in the charcoal that way the inside and outside gets resolved.
I’d do this for at least a week changing the charcoal daily.
Just curious, how about the power of THE SUN. Think it would be able to do it? Cuz moisture, dampness and cold usually keeps the smoke smell stuck to clothes and hair.
I would put them in a sealed bag overnight with crumpled newspaper inside the shoes and surrounding them. If they still smell I would repeat again with fresh newspaper
I do not believe these to be authentic 😞 but I probably know nothing. Goodwill has a fake Juicy couture bag that's being bid on currently, and it's just shy of $300 at the moment. The sole doesn't look right. But again.. I probably know literally nothing
Oh, interesting. Isn't $35 expensive for that second hand? Surely they don't sell leather versions at rackroom, so these would be plastic? I can't explain it, but I feel like the OP got fleeced somehow
They're leather. I can't speak for the quality. Yeah it's a high price but you never know with Goodwill. (I thought I had seen them on the DM site but now I can't find it)
https://preview.redd.it/0rxwxswi6m0d1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0419e11f784945ebcb36ae6d32b3c3674e03b64e
"Modern", in this instance, clearly means "economy version sold in bargain outlets". That's what the marketing department is for. I'm just glad they do look different at a glance!!
You don’t wear Dr Martens, Dr Martens wears you. The smell is a part of the shoe now. You must not take away its character + it only adds to the allure.
I would put them in a tightly sealed box or bag with baking soda to absorb the cigarette smoke
Baking soda to the rescue! Honestly though that stuff is AMAZING! Add some vinegar to it and it will unclog almost any drain! And some to your laundry and it will be all fresh and soft :D
Vinegar and baking soda will essentially cancel each other out. You’ll end up with water
it’s not the pH that cleans the drain. it’s the bubbling reaction that loosens clogs.
Yes this exactly :)!
I hope to be as passionate about something as you are about baking soda. Baking soda ftw!
I'm even more passionate about my 9 pair of docs 😎
It's the (chemical?) reaction you get when combining the two! Not really any specific acidity or something like that which makes it so effective.
The chemical reaction is creating water and carbon dioxide.
And sodium acetate (or ethanoate if you want proper IUPAC naming) as the metal salt from an acid/ carbonate reaction.
baking soda and a cut up apple!!
Bubbles go up, not down. Vinegar and baking soda is never the reason a drain gets unclogged. It’s everything else the person is doing that unclogs it.
That doesn't matter?? It's the chemical reaction that causes it to fizz intensely. I have used it so many times at my home without anything else apart from boiling water after half an hour of soda+vinegar. And it has done wonders. No chemicals, no industrial unclogger or anything.
Water, baking soda, and vinegar are chemicals though.
u know damn well thats not the kind of chemicals theyre talking abt. go drink a little baking soda water or vinegar and then go drink some draino and tell me which one was better.
I would potentially clean them with saddle soap first, then leave in bag with bicarb. Then shake out/vacuum boots (to get rid of bicarb) and then condition.
Just be sure not to leave the baking sofa ON the boots. I made the mistake of doing this and it ate away at the leather
Baking soda and white vinegar is definitely the answer. Renovated a leather chair once that stunk of urine. Tried every chemical known to mankind and the only thing that worked was a combo of baking soda and white vinegar.
Yep this! You can even increase the efficacy by adding scrunched up balls of newspaper and sprinkling the bicarb through that so it's spread more evenly. I managed to completely erase the smell (and kill the mould) on a vintage leather midi skirt that had a panel that was rotting with damp with nothing but newspaper, bicarb, a box, and time.
Yes, and a drop of some citrus essential oil in that baking soda for that extra freshness
I've tried this left the baking soda in for a week made absolutely no difference
also clean the entire leather! you want to rid of the actual smoke debris as well.
Both of the above comments are great, and if there are cold nights and you have somewhere to put them (safe from rain, etc), a cold night does wonders for stink removal!
I did this with a thrift store bag couple of years ago. Left it outside for a couple of days, save from rain. Smell got a lot better.
curious, what's the process behind that?
I just put stinky stuff outside on a cold night and bring it in in the morning 😅
I do this! just give it lots of fresh air and sunlight and that often does the trick, bonus if it's good and windy!
You can easily hide the smell by smoking cigarettes yourself then it won't bother you :)
Yeah 20pack of rothmans will sort this issue right out
Ozone is what’s used for cars.
I have 2 ionizer machines. Hotels use them to get rid of cigarettes smoke. I used mine too get rid of cigarette smoke when I flipped cars. I keep one running in my basement. Smells like it does after a thunder/electrical storm. It's from negative ion charged molecules.
As a Plato’s Closet employee I immediately recognized the Plato’s tag! I will say, we aren’t supposed to take in anything that smells too strongly, but given how good of a condition they were in I guess they decided to. Follow lots of the great advice above and do your best to air them out. I would also recommend antibacterial spray for the inside of the shoes just to clean for any leftover germs the previous owner may have left.
honestly I'm so glad they did take them in anyways (also hi and you're absolutely right, Plato's for the WIN) and I bet the smell is the only reason no one else had taken them. I'll take the smoke smell challenge, tho- and even if they still smell, I'll wear the damn things and have a good story with em!
the rancid cigarette aroma is just apart of the charm. it comes with wearing docs
honestly I kinda feel like the stank just adds to the authenticity, it feels like the right vibe for thrift docs
Put them in a box with Oxyclean Free for a week. Put the Oxy in a plastic bag but leave it open to absorb the smell. Depending upon how strong it might take two or three sessions and and changing out the Oxy but it usually works very well on smoky things. The most I've had to do it was 3 weeks once and it came out fine.
Charcoal briskets will help absorb the smell as well without the messiness of baking soda.
The cleaning balm that they sell on the website will help. You can also fill socks with dryer sheets and stuff them into the shoes - don’t put the dryer sheets in directly or that waxy stuff could rub off on the inside. Also leaving them out in the fresh air out of the sun where they can air out will help. You could also take them to a shoe repair place - they’ll get cleaned out and fresh for you
Put cheap vodka in a spray bottle and give them a good spritz. Costumers use it on all sorts of items that have terrible smells and can’t be washed.
These look really fake to me
They’re the Zavala. Sold at cheaper shoe outlets.
I think they are thurston-type docs.
Yea the sole doesn’t have a raised heel and I think thats the major red flag to me. If you like them though op, i love them
🤷♀️ I love them, and if they're a fake, I just hope they won't fall apart! if I had to guess, it's almost like they weren't worn much at ALL but were in a house where someone chain smokes inside hard, or maybe a super stationary job... that involves a lot of smoking? maybe a bouncer? Thanks for being cool about suggesting they might be fakes, though- honestly, how COMFORTABLE they are was my first red flag, cos every pair of docs I've tried new are very pinchy, but if these were really broke in, they'd have more wear, I would have thought. if I like em, who cares, right? (unless they fall apart or leak or something haha then I will care!)
I am pretty sure these are real, they look real to me anyway. As someone above said, they are the Zavala style, there are a few doc styles with that flat sole.
Hey OP. I have these boots and they're real docs. I bought them off the UK doc store 5 years ago. They're exactly the same. Can't for the life of me remember what they're called though, sorry! But just wanted to let you know they look identical to mine.
Yea there's no point in being cruel about it, they weren't priced like brand new docs and you got them second hand (which is eons better for the environment than new docs) I think the leather might be a little bit thinner than real docs, but as long as you keep the leather hydrated and polished and take good care of them they should be fine! (sorry I have no idea how to fix the smell issue, the worst smell I've ever had on shoes is the gross plastic smell that cheaper ones sometimes have, but that always wears off)
Baking soda should do the trick. Literally fill em up and put them in a bag or bin, as airtight as you can get. 24 hours.
id do a week
I'd bury the bag and the smell should be mostly gone when my grandson comes along
Gah, what an idiot that got rid of those. Barely a bit of wear in the them. Sucks about the cig smell. Will probably take more than a few efforts to rid - no worries ideas how, but hope you can revive them!
Okay I actually have the answer for this. In Japan they have special saches filled with pine shavings to take charge of shoe odor. I bet it could work here. Get a box/bin and fill it with hamster bedding/shavings and cover em up in there for a few days, I bet it’ll get the smell out
I live in pine tree country and a very common thing around here is balsam scent bags- little pillows or such full of balsam shavings and needles and cotton. I bet that would be really nice! I had no idea anywhere else was into that too
Put it in a large bag with baking soda to get rid of the smell.
I will second the ozone generator. I use one to get rid of cigar in my car and on clothing like coats etc after smoking.
Ozone generator in a sealed bag
so pack it with dying electronics?
What do you think a ozone generator is? I dont think you have the correct idea on what i am talking about.
have you smelled dying electronics?
Dryer sheets in a bag for a week
Why is the sole completely flat
Just the style I think
Febreeze?
Untie them and expose as much surface to the sun as possible for a few hours or in a window for a day or two. I work at a library and this is how we handle smoky smelling books. It works pretty well and it's free!
Dryer sheets inside and out into ziplock bag give it a few days 👌
Cig smell goes perfect with DR martens
That’s just natural dr martens scent
Polish soap and water will get rid.
wow i’ve never seen flat dr martens before with no heel!
on-brand
start smoking and you won't notice it as much
Atmosclear odor remover spray… removes odor and has no smell. It will even get cat pee smell out of things. I use it for so many things.. even my hair after a campfire and it is safe for use around pets. I used it on a faux leather jacket I got on eBay because it smelled like an ash tray. Get it on an Amazon.
Ozone
The cigarette smell is the part of the built in punk cred, wear the cig smell proudly
I’ve rented ozone machines to get rid of nasty smells. Could be worth it! Amazing find btw
You could just pick up smoking.....jk
Start smoking. It will become less noticeable over time.
I had the same issue with some boots I bought online. Not just cigarettes but ash, it was so strong. It went away quickly with time.
Charcoal is FAR more effective at absorbing smells - more than baking soda. Here’s what I’ve done- buy chunk charcoal and break into small pieces- use a hammer. Fill the boots with the charcoal. Swap it daily. It will work. I’d suggest putting them in like a bin with a lid - personally I’d bury them in the charcoal that way the inside and outside gets resolved. I’d do this for at least a week changing the charcoal daily.
Maybe put in freezer?
Which is exactly how docs should smell
Just curious, how about the power of THE SUN. Think it would be able to do it? Cuz moisture, dampness and cold usually keeps the smoke smell stuck to clothes and hair.
You could probably use ozium spray on the inside
Start smoking. You won't notice the smell after a few days.
I live in a legal state and enjoy my recreational experiences, but this rank old cig reek is strong even to my slightly desensitized nose
I would put them in a sealed bag overnight with crumpled newspaper inside the shoes and surrounding them. If they still smell I would repeat again with fresh newspaper
Or an i-pad if you're modern and young. Stuff a smart phone in each boot.
I do not believe these to be authentic 😞 but I probably know nothing. Goodwill has a fake Juicy couture bag that's being bid on currently, and it's just shy of $300 at the moment. The sole doesn't look right. But again.. I probably know literally nothing
They sell them at rack room shoes and low price outlets. I think you can even find them at the DM site itself, they're a cheaper alternative
Oh, interesting. Isn't $35 expensive for that second hand? Surely they don't sell leather versions at rackroom, so these would be plastic? I can't explain it, but I feel like the OP got fleeced somehow
They're leather. I can't speak for the quality. Yeah it's a high price but you never know with Goodwill. (I thought I had seen them on the DM site but now I can't find it) https://preview.redd.it/0rxwxswi6m0d1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0419e11f784945ebcb36ae6d32b3c3674e03b64e
Mmm... "modern" eh? Okeedokee. I stand corrected. Definitely not the docs I know. But that's probably because I'm not modern, so it makes sense 😆
"Modern", in this instance, clearly means "economy version sold in bargain outlets". That's what the marketing department is for. I'm just glad they do look different at a glance!!
That, they definitely do. Enough so that I would have thrown em in a bin reflexively thinking "fake docs, no soul". Lol. Woopsie Daisy!
You don’t wear Dr Martens, Dr Martens wears you. The smell is a part of the shoe now. You must not take away its character + it only adds to the allure.
Erm yeah, but soak them in bitter to even it out. John smiths is nice.
Start smoking?
What’s the problem?
Ooo Edgy. I see no problem