Cindy, We use Nature's Air Sponge Odor Absorber for odor control. Buy it at our local Ace store. It's about a 5 inch wide disk container and you just have to take the top off. It's not messy and it's also not too perfumy so the books really don't pick up a new smell. I just replaced this one after maybe 6 months? We keep a tote for this all the time since it's a regular problem but because it's not messy we can use the tote for other uses if necessary. We keep them in the tote about a week. Nancy Nancy Folaron Assistant Director/Branch Manager Shiawassee District Library/Durand Memorial Branch 700 N. Saginaw St. Durand, MI 48429 989-288-3743 ________________________________ From: Cindy Persic via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Friday, January 9, 2026 11:43 AM To: michlib-l@liblists.org <michlib-l@liblists.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Smelly books We have several patrons who return books smelling heavily of cigarette smoke as well as marijuana. We do not have a process in place to remove the odors. I was thinking of an air-tight plastic bin with maybe baking soda or activated charcoal. Does anyone have suggestions on how to best deal with the smell? We don't want to just mask it with a dryer sheet. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Cindy Persic Cataloging/Collections "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." [https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4y1Xx_GKTNT48GOlJ2BZ7VhkMIQR...]
