Ghosting in a hydrostone

[beerandbaccy]

I have recently used my terracotta hydrostone to rehydrate some very dry tobacco my Dad gave me (Balkan Sobrane) and the aroma is so strong and a bit acrid (not sure if I'll try the tobacco!) I daren't use it in any other tobacco.

Is there a good way to cleanse it of the aroma?

Thanks!

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

It's porous.. Just thinking out loud here
You could try soaking it in acetone (nail polish remover) , let it air dry. Since acetone is very volatile, it will readily evaporate. If that doesn't work you could try to boil it for a while. that may drive the ghost out...

 

[beerandbaccy]

Thanks for the advice, I think I will try to boil it for now and probably just order some more!

 

[MattRVA]

I’ve seen people use shards of new terracotta pots for the same purpose, if you have any new/clean broken/unbroken pots around that should work.

 

[simong]

I used to use the stones but I don’t anymore.
You’re better off throwing it away & buy a resealable Tupperware box instead. Soak some tissue paper in deionised water & in 12-24 hours, jobs done!

 

[mingc]

I wonder if soaking in hydrogen peroxide will do the trick. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down to water and oxygen so it's relatively safe.

 

[beerandbaccy]

An update for anyone that was interested/has the same issue.

I soaked the hydro stone in water for some time (a day or so) but although the water seeped out a lot of aroma the stone itself didn't really improve much

I then boiled the stone on the stove in an open pan of water for an hour. Improvement definitely noted but still heavily ghosted.

I soaked the stone in white vinegar. I left it on a shelf for a few days (3 or 4 I think), cleaned it with fresh water and an old toothbrush, then boiled it for 20 minutes or so until the vinegar smell had gone. Allow to fully air-dry. The stone is now aroma free (near as damn-it)

My advice: If you use hydro-stones or terracotta pot shards. have several and mark them for different types of tobaccos (mild, medium, smokey, aromatics etc.) or else do what @simong does (check reply above).

Happy hydrating!