PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the subject smectite as a useful deodorizer having specific physical properties and high deodorizing capacity by holding granular smectite having specific cation exchange capacity under heating at a specified temperature and spraying it with an aqueous solution or aqueous dispersion of a metal compound. SOLUTION: This metal compound-bearing smectite is obtained by the following steps: granular smectite >=50 meq/g in cation exchange capacity is held under heating at 80-300 deg.C and then sprayed with an aqueous solution or aqueous dispersion of copper compound and/or zinc compound to bear the granular smectite with 0.001-1.000 wt.%, per granular smectite, of the metal compound(s) as RO (R is copper or zinc) on a 110 deg.C-dried basis. This metal compound-bearing smectite thus obtained is <=3 ppm in the level of copper and/or zinc extracted when this smectite is subjected to extraction with 50 wt. times of water. This smectite thus obtained has a wide deodorizing spectrum about various offensive odor components, being capable of stably adsorbing in a solid state such offensive odor components and reacting with them, thereby enabling deodorizing performance to be manifested.
