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Any suggestions on removing a musty smell from 1954 bills? I bought them from an online auction and didn't have a chance to see or smell them before bidding. I knew it was a bit risky to bid on them based only on pictures. They were in individual hard plastic sleeves which also smelled so I chucked those out. For now I have the bills sealed in a plastic bag with small bags of silica. They are modified portrait, Beattie-Rasminsky, a full set from $1 to $100, otherwise in pretty good condition - EF to AU.

I don't want to clean them of course but if anyone has any ideas on how I might reduce the odour, it would be appreciated.

Never tried this but I have read that if you put the bills on a flat surface and sprinkle with
baking sofa overnight, it should help to get rid of the odour. If you try this, let us know if it works.
Baking Soda will not harm the bills.

An update on my musty bills:
I left the bills in a sealed bag with the silica and it worked really well. I had put all the bills together so the ones in the middle still had a very slight odor but it's barely noticeable. I'll separate them and leave them in a bit longer. I was a bit nervous about putting anything directly on the surface so really happy this worked.

Glad that it worked out. Make sure that you put them back in new sleeves to protect them.