Removing odour from TPR ?

[Erina]

Often now pencil erasers are made from Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR), but they give off a factory fresh smell and I would like to know if there is a quick and convenient method of neutralising it ?

I know that with silicone products any scents are usually embedded oils and can be encourage to the surface to be wiped away, would the same process be possible with TPR ?

[Phi for All]

I had a rubber mat that smelled bad. I cleaned it with a strong solution of water and Pine-sol, and let it dry in the sun. It worked pretty well, but I know some folks feel the same about the smell of pine (I'm talking about YOU, Finland). 

[Erina]

Unfortunately this time of the year it’s quite dark in the winter, mostly raining, with low single digit temperatures and frosty - otherwise sun bleaching would probably work.

Unsure of the the specific chemical formula for the particular type of Thermoplastic that I have, it would likely be general exposure to heat or UV light that would work, as you say.

[Phi for All]

The Pine-sol disinfectant I used had propylene glycol in it, and I would imagine this solvent did more to remove the bad smell than the pine scent. Perhaps try a mixture more focused on PG (should be readily available with people making hand sanitizers these days).

[StringJunky]

4 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

The Pine-sol disinfectant I used had propylene glycol in it, and I would imagine this solvent did more to remove the bad smell than the pine scent. Perhaps try a mixture more focused on PG (should be readily available with people making hand sanitizers these days).

DIY vaping juice suppliers should have it too as it's a component of vaping liquid.

[Erina]

So this will supplant the scent, or remove it?

[StringJunky]

1 hour ago, Erina said:

So this will supplant the scent, or remove it?

PG has no smell.

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, Erina said:

So this will supplant the scent, or remove it?

PG should act as a solvent for whatever volatiles are causing that bad rubber odor, so PG by itself should remove it (a scented product with PG would probably remove AND supplant the scent). You should be able to use any sort of cleaning product with a neutral pH (no ammonia, no vinegar).

[Erina]

I have not requested the MSDS, but would like to know if obtained from vegetable origin (monopropylene glycol) would suffice for my use, rather than pharma grade:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MPG-Monopropylene-Glycol-VARIOUS-PureChem/dp/B06W2GZCN7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=propylene+glycol&qid=1607081486&s=industrial&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFYV0dQWldCV1ZNRlomZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyMTM2MzFFMDVCRElLMFlRVUUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDM0NDIyNVZXRFdUWVE1VEVZRiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[Erina]

After sixteen days airing by the window under natural daylight (this time of the year there is no UV to mention, and it's cold, so not direct heat either) I found, even directly under my nose, that I could only faintly detect the original rubber synthetic odour.

Also, does anybody know if monopropylene glycol would have been a usable substitute, only the cost to quantity and availability from Amazon made so much more sense.