Maybe roll them up in a dry-cleaners' plastic bag for a few days with some Arm & Hammer baking soda...there's a type in a plastic cylinder that's "grainier" than the usual powdery type which would be easier to shake off. Or use the cool setting on hairdryer to blow it off. It's great at removing musty odors.

If all else fails, you might try some non-glossy clear acrylic spray. It's sold as fixative for artists' drawings (charcoal or pastels) so it doesn't change colors and is not obvious. Not sure if would cover up odor...but maybe worth a try.

A big bowl of potpouri nearby might work to distract and confuse...smile. josh

Don't you think that lots of those flowers come from China or Taiwan. etc. but they send them on a slow boat so they get musty on the way? LOL I bought grapes from Chile one day and they smelled "musty" after I washed them several times. I was almost afraid to eat them. So, then I washed them in dish soap and rinsed and rinsed and they weren' too bad. I wonder if a quick dip in Borax or Sal Soda might help. Good Luck !

ive received items from ebay sellers also that smelled musty or smoky....like they have been stored for a long time. .....some i left to just air out...but the ribbons i got.....i got a big storage container and put ribbons in with a pkg of nice smelling sachet.....for a week..or you could put dryer sheets..but dont touch fabric with these....sometimes contain oil that will stain fabric
hope these ideas help you some

years ago I would collect disgarded artificial flowers for projects. I always threw them in the washing machine with detergent before using them. No harm came to the flowers and they were always freshened up! I use to put a towel in with them, just in case there was dirt to be removed.

I worked part time for a big retailer where most things come in big cardboard boxes from China. Most of those boxes smelled stinky-mildew and they were all dirty to boot. My hands turned black opening them to stock merchandise, and they were from all different factories. We joked that maybe the workers over there were maybe prisoners or miserable and used the boxes as bathrooms. At least they smelled like they had mostly been in swamps.

When you work around it a lot the smell becomes very familiar, so that you can smell it on the merchandise too.
I smell it a lot at craft stores where there is a lot of basketry, artificial flowers etc. American made stuff just never has the stinky packaging, or that mildew smell

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried the charcoal, but it did not work....Finally, I just swished them thru soapy water and let air dry and presto! the odors were gone!
Hoe easy was that??? :->

Thanks for your help! I'll try some of these suggestions!

I got a bunch of dusty, grubby artificial flowers at an auction recently. Filled a garbage can with soapy water and shoved them all in, then spread them out on the lawn and rinsed with hose. Left them to dry. They looked much better, but I painted most of them black for Halloween topiaries.

i wash silks gently in cold water in the bathtub or a bucket with laundry soap and air dry. it works great.