Removing Smoke Smell from Camera Body

Recently, I purchased a second-hand Nikon D7200.  My D7000 is doing quite a job and pictures are great except for the lack of HDR.  While the D7000 supports Active D-Lighting, there are times I want to push the limit of its dynamic range capabilities.  In fact, my phone's HDR could do a better job with image details than my D7000 in high-contrast situations!  The D7200 supports HDR so I decided to go for it.  I didn't want to invest $1200+ in a new camera body as I've done with the D80 and D7000 when they first came out.  This time around, I decided to purchase a used one with a low shutter count.  I thought I bought an excellent camera, and it is, except that it reeks of cigarette smell!

When I tested the camera, I was outside standing in the cold.  My nose couldn't pick up the smell when I held the camera up to my face.  It wasn't until I brought it home that I immediately realized how bad it was.  My bad.

So, what to do?  I have an ozone making machine but I fear it could damage the plastic and rubber parts of the camera.  I've read about vinegar, activated charcoal and baking soda.  I also happened to have eTSP (phosphate-free) so I decided to use a cotton swab with diluted vinegar and then eTSP to do two first rounds of cleaning.  I applied the vinegar on all surfaces and use a damp microfiber cloth to remove any residues of the vinegar.  I did the same with eTSP.  The cigarette smell was still noticeable.  I then tried baking soda as it was also readily available.

The camera is now sitting in a cardboard box with a layer of baking soda.  The camera body sits on top of rails I made so it doesn't touch the baking soda.  I would then close the box and tie a plastic bag over the box. 

It's been 6 days.  Most of the smell is now gone!  The cardboard box itself was absorbing some of the smell but baking soda must also have absorbed a good chunk of it.

It's working but the camera still smells a little and I doubt leaving the camera body in the box with baking soda like that would remove the smell completely.  The source of the smell is still embedded in the rubber parts of the body and there is no air movement to draw the source out so I think I will have to use a bit of elbow grease to remove it.  I'm thinking to create a paste of baking soda with a bit of water and use a toothbrush or coton swab to scrub the rubber parts.

If that doesn't work, I might get activated charcoal from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/3Y6WZiq

That's for the next post.

UPDATE:  The paste of baking soda didn't really help to remove the smell.  I ended up using some toothpaste and a toothbrush to rub over the rubber parts.  It doesn't actually remove the smell but it hides most of it with the toothpaste smell! :-)

UPDATE:  It's been almost another week, now sitting outside of the baking soda box.  The rubber parts still smell of the cigarette tar.  Folks, please don't keep your cameras in a smoke filled room if you ever plan to sell it later.  Maybe keep it in a plastic bag.

UPDATE - March 4, 2023:  It looks like the smell is really sticking hard to the rubber parts.  I picked up the camera after three weeks and my hand stinks of tar!  I don't really want to take it outside during the winter now, or the tar will transfer over to my gloves!  It's going to take a long time for this smoke smell to disappear.

UPDATE - March 4, 2023:  Well, I took the camera out for a walk around town.  I used a sling to carry it so it's always slung around my hip.  I used it every now and then.  I think the bit of wind and the handling of the camera outside helped to remove more of the smell.  Now, it still smells of tar but there is also the freshness of winter air!