Washing Away Stinky Surplus?

IUHoosier429

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Picked up some secondhand commie surplus - AK sling, pouches, etc. - and the stuff just STINKS! Literally, like a combination of cat piss and peppery body odor. It's in great shape, but the smell is downright awful. It sticks to your hands after touching the stuff.

So far I've tried Febreze without success. Soaked and hand-washed with dish soap and warm water in the sink - no dice. Tried a bit of diluted vinegar. Nope. Ran it through the washer with a full load of clothes, and the surplus made all my other stuff stinks! Rewashed that load, and now I'm rewashing this surplus gear alone, on hot, with Tide and those Downy Unstoppables scent boosters. If this doesn't work, I'm at a loss other than soaking it in kerosene.

Any tips from you guys?

 
Hang it outside for a year or two. I've collected militaria for years. That's next to impossible to get out .
 
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I've dealt with a lot of militaria in my few years of collecting, but this is bar none the single worst smelling batch I've ever encountered. It's not that old musty, moldy smell you often get with milsurp ... I really think the guy I bought this from lived in total squalor with a bunch of cats. Even the box reeked of cigarette smoke and cat piss. My God.

With white vinegar in the softener basket.

Tried hand-washing with vinegar already but I'll try it in the washing machine as well. May grab a brick of activated charcoal tomorrow and try sealing it up with this stuff in a Ziploc bag.

ETA - actually, will try the coffee grounds technique after washing. Thanks, @Schattenreiter.
 
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I've dealt with a lot of militaria in my few years of collecting, but this is bar none the single worst smelling batch I've ever encountered. It's not that old musty, moldy smell you often get with milsurp ... I really think the guy I bought this from lived in total squalor with a bunch of cats. Even the box reeked of cigarette smoke and cat piss. My God.



Tried hand-washing with vinegar already but I'll try it in the washing machine as well. May grab a brick of activated charcoal tomorrow and try sealing it up with this stuff in a Ziploc bag.

ETA - actually, will try the coffee grounds technique after washing. Thanks, @Schattenreiter.


Always happy to be of help. Hope it works for you.
 
For fabric....Carpet cleaner/shampoo or Resolve. If that doesnt work, let soak for a day or so in a tub of water and laundry detergent.....stir and agitate a few times throughoutthe day. Then rinse and let air dry outside or in the garage infront of a fan. If its still bad after that........you are stuck with it. If it actually is cat piss..... You cant rid of that smell once it dries into the fabric.
 
Put it in a tote with that shoe deodorizer powder and some baking soda and seal it up for a few days. That's always worked for me.
 
I had some mag pouches that smelled as you describe. I left them outside for about 6/8 months before they could be touched. I may still not use them. I dont think the smell will ever be removed.
 
Now out of curiosity more than anything else, I'm going to try each of y'alls suggestions (chugging water now...) and see what works and what doesn't.

They're still effervescing in freshly ground coffee beans right now, and I'll take them out of the sealed bags tonight and see how they smell. If the stink remains on everything, I'll split up the gear and try multiple DIY remedies to hopefully cut back on time. Stay tuned!
 
Try soaking them for a few days in a mix of 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda and a few tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing detergent. A buddy of mine swears by this recipe when his dog tangles with skunks.
 
Hunting scent killer?

if still nothing, bring it to any Indian Bizarre. Those places stink real bad. Then to get rid of that stink use cat piss. To get rid of the cat piss use baking soda and vinegar.sometimes you have to crack a butt load of eggs to make a crappy omelet
 
if still nothing, bring it to any Indian Bizarre. Those places stink real bad. Then to get rid of that stink use cat piss. To get rid of the cat piss use baking soda and vinegar.sometimes you have to crack a butt load of eggs to make a crappy omelet

If it comes to all this, I think I'll just cough up another nine bucks to get a new sling from somewhere else.

I do love Indian food though!
 
Learn to enjoy the smell......

Easier typed than done.

Like I said, this wasn't the run-of-the-mill surplus smell we're all used to. I can only guess it came from absolutely squalid conditions in the seller's home (he and his vehicle were a total mess when we met to do the deal). When shouldered the sling would rub against my chin and literally rub the odor into my beard, or onto my shirt sleeve after carrying the rifle.

Anyway, I buried everything in fresh coffee grounds for 48 hours and reburied in baking soda for another 48 hours. Followed that with a few more vinegar cycles in the washing machine. A few weeks later, the odor is still somewhat noticeable in everything, but it is manageable. Well, everything but the sling. It's like the devil himself ran it back and forth between his butt cheeks. Gave up and bought a NOS sling from another source.
 
Use what @Chdamn used for washing powder when he was in the marines. He made it himself
 
Have you considered an ozone generator running in a closed up box with the items? I've read where they work well for deodorizing, it may however accelerate oxidation of the fabric.
 
Have you considered an ozone generator running in a closed up box with the items? I've read where they work well for deodorizing, it may however accelerate oxidation of the fabric.

I was going to say the same thing. This is what I use now to disinfect all incoming mail. Ozone (O3) works great for destroying nasty smell on things.
I bought my O3 generator on Amazon for about $70. It works well. They may be sold out because of the virus though.

If nothing else works, leave it outside, in the sun for a week. It may help.
 
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