Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey John, didn't you tell me once that Fabreze is a good underarm deoderant?!

I checked the Hartz bag & they don't devulge what the cat litter is made of...all it says is that it's a "highly absorbant clay".

opticnerve wrote:Hey John, didn't you tell me once that Fabreze is a good underarm deoderant?!

I checked the Hartz bag & they don't devulge what the cat litter is made of...all it says is that it's a "highly absorbant clay".

I think that was when you brought up it's other bodily uses

opticnerve wrote:Ok, here’s the scoop…

After one month with the kitty litter (Hartz PH5 natural, unscented) in the cases, and flipping them over a couple of times, here are the results…

The ‘50s elephant skin Ric lap-steel case, which really smelled, is now stink free!!! It worked like a charm! It still has an odor, but it’s not a bad odor…it kind of smells like an old music store!

Well, there you have it! I suppose that Hartz will see a spike in sales the next few weeks...especially in Hawaii!

I have an old lap steel case that needs the treatment. I'll have to get me some of that there stuff. Thanks for sharing.

My first big guitar purchase was a '68 Jaguar that had the plastic "body guard" on it's back. It had been there for 30 years, and was breaking down, and the case and guitar smelled awful. I put it right back on ebay and left 4-5 fans blowing the guitar and case for several days. Still smelled terrible to me, but the buyer was ecstatic... go figure.

The Parker Body Guards were vacuum-formed of cellulose acetate butyrate (a cousin of celluloid) which doesn't break down and emit caustic acid over time. However, it does have a peculiar odor that will permeate an enclosed space like a case. The problem with the product was that, over time, the thin strip of modified rubber foam which was placed along the edge on the inner surface of the Body Guard in order to prevent scratching of the guitar's finish, itself broke down into corrosive components which ate into the nitrocellulose guitar finishes, and therefore acted contrary to their intended purpose.

I have several NOS Body Guards which were boxed all their lives, and none have any but the faintest butyrate odor, although the foam has broken down into powder on all of them. They also have yellowed over time, though they were in opaque corrugated cartons. I suspect that the corrugated carton allows the vapors to escape and dissipate better than a heavy guitar case.

Old thread update:

The most important step on using this treatment.... be sure to close the lid or you will have another odor to deal with! --->