Cat Box Lady and the Quest for the Magic Unstinking Formula

We've recently had a patron complain about the febreze freshness of some of our new books. Basically, the scent makes her yak. Of course it's only those titles previously in the possession of the Cat Box Lady. I have to admit that although the dryer sheet deodorization process is only somewhat sucessful as it only masks the stench from about 1 foot away. After that the underlaying notes of cat doo is really very apparent. This summer Cat Box Lady has been making more and more appearances at our little library as a result more books checked out ie. more odor in the "New" Book section. So, yours truly went on a quest to find a new more effective solution. So after months of experimentation that would make a 7th grade science teacher proud I found a process that although takes longer - really seems to work not only on Cat Box Lady books but only the books returned by smokers as well. The process is relatively simple:





1. Mark your stench laden books damaged (in case some one wants to request that specific title)





2. Clean the outside of the books and replace clear covers if necessary (only if the cover looks bad due to wear and tear)





3. Take a Gigantic Box of Baking Soda and cut out 1 side of the box leaving a 1/2 inch to a 1 inch lip. (Make sure to cut the side with the most surface area)





4. Cover the cut side of the Gigantic Box of Baking Soda with a double or triple layer of cheese cloth with a hot glue gun.





5. Place the Gigantic Box or Boxes of Baking Soda cheese cloth side up in a plastic or cardboard box (copy paper boxes work well



6. Loosely place olfactory offensive library materials in box and seal.



7. Do not open for at least two weeks.



8. After at least two weeks take books out do a "sniff" test. If the books smell odor free - you have successfully completed the deodorization process. If not put back in and leave for at least another week.



P.S. After successfully deoderizing materials I like put the books in another box with cotton balls scented with essential oils for three days to give it an even a "fresher scent".