I received a book yesterday that I thought would have a dust cover but it didn't. That's not a big deal but what is a bit of a concern is that  the book smells of perfume or something like that. I don't neccesarily want to return it since it's in great shape otherwise. Any ideas on what to do or how to remove odors like this?

Thanks!

Same idea as previous post, but with baking soda.

There are no odor guidelines in the PBS rules.  If you have a concern about book odor, you'll need to put some requestor conditions on your account.

I think "smell" RCs are really tough to word in a non-subjective manner. After all, olfactory ability varies widely across individuals. 

You can try placing it in a airtight container with tea bags. Perhaps slightly less messy than coffee grounds or baking soda. 

Good luck!

Putting kitty litter in the bag along with the book also works. If you "air" it out outside some place for a week or two, that worked for me.

I use backing sodia - open bowl and place in shoe box with lid for 1 week or so. Generally removes ordors.

All of the above suggestions work for most scents, try whichever you have on hand/is easiest for you. Cat litter is probably the cheapest (barring fresh air of course).

Thanks for all the great suggestions and tips!  I've got the book in a sealed bag now with an open container of baking soda...hoping that will work!  If not I'll try the coffee and tea bags next. 

I will also put books in dark plastic in the sun.  Mild slow heat helps the coffee, baking soda, kitty litter, charcoal, whichever to absorb the odors by drying the book out at the same time.   This needs something to absorb the moisture and odor to help.  Just putting the book alone in plastic in the sun will make it worse.

Sounds like you are all set, but FWIW I have used those baking soda boxes that are designed to remove refrigerator odors, they have side panels that peel open and there is a mesh cover over the baking soda, so air and odors pass through but the box does not leak all over.  I have found that works after about a week.

Putting kitty litter in the bag along with the book also works. If you "air" it out outside some place for a week or two, that worked for me.

Just make sure it's unscented kitty litter.  Otherwise your book will end up smelling like the kitty litter.

oh yea..unscented-forgot to tell you that!

I've had the book in a closed shoebox with a wide, low plactic dish filled with baking soda for the last few days. I'll leave it in for a week and see how it goes.  Thanks everyone for all the help and will be reporting back! 

Same here! I have a clear plastic "jug" that cheese balls came in.  I just washed it out, put unscented clay cat litter in it until half-full.  I put my book into a plastic bag leaving the top open, then let it sit a week in the sealed "jug." No more smells!

After a week spent with baking soda, another week with cat litter, and a few days outside airing out, the odor is finally mostly gone. Thanks for all the help.

While all these suggestions work great on smoke smells, you may find that you need to use a combination of them or leave the book longer for perfumed smells. Those are too often cause from someone putting the book in with a fabric softener sheet, and those smells are often more oil based than smoke smells and will absorb into the paper more and sometimes be totally unremovable. Whereas with smoke I've only run across one that I couldn't remove the smell. A year later, the stupid book still smells, so it is off in a special place, it can't go with the rest of my cookbooks. I could smell it a whole room away. Had to have hubby take it outside just to get the wrapper off! hahahaha Not a problem as I only a couple other times received books that smelled of smoke, and I was able to air then all out with no trouble. I had one with perfumey smell, pretty sure it was a fabric sheet, and it too still smells. I should go check on them, I haven't lately, maybe they both smell like perfumed cigarrettes! hahahahaha