Stinky case

harvey49 · Post by **harvey49** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:31 pm

I just taken possession of a guitar that has the same problem I had a while back - stinky case!!!
To much of DEEP PURPLE's "Smoke on the Water" maybe, but in this instance cigarette smoke on the guitar.

PW said to try cedar shavings, but when I went to the local pet store I got a blank look, when I asked for them.

I'm wondering if western red cedar shavings would suffice, I have a few panel boards left over from a feature wall I put up and I could use a hand plane to make plenty of shavings.

Any ideas forumites?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:10 am

AKA guinea pig nesting material. You got any big pet chains downunda like Petsmart?

I've recently had great results with Carpet Fresh. This is a scented powder that comes in a large shaker container. Open said case, shake enough to cover the bottom and top lining, close case, let stand for a month closed.

Open case, vacuum out lining, fluff up, breathe deeply.

blueflamerick · Post by **blueflamerick** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:04 am

+ 1 on the carpet fresh. It totally got rid of the super musty smell of a case of mine. I didn't let it sit for a month though, just a day.

harvey49 · Post by **harvey49** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:05 pm

Thanks for the advise guys, I wasn't all that keen to plane boards down for shavings - Carpet Fresh seems the way to go. Goodbye ol' stinky hello fresh air!!!!

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:09 pm

Arm&Hammer Baking Soda works great. Sprinkle it inside the case, let it set for a day, vacuum it out and it will smell much better. Low cost on this.

winston · Post by **winston** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:41 pm

I used a small steam cleaner on two cases that arrived with odour problems in the past and it did a good job on both.

BTW I had briefly considered using Carpet Fresh but I was not crazy about the thought using a perfumed chemical to do the job.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:29 am

The perfume in Carpet Fresh disperses in a few days. My '59 Duo Sonic's case had seriously mildewed when I left it in storage in South America. I tried a few different methods to get the odor out, and Carpet Fresh did the trick. Yes, I did leave it in for a month. The perfume was gone within a few days. No mildew odor, either.

harvey49 · Post by **harvey49** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:27 pm

I don't know why I didn't think of Baking Soda, I use that in the fridge to kill off any funny smells.

But this is a pretty heavy duty stink, so I've put some Carpet Fresh in there and may supplement that with a little tray of Baking Soda in string compartment, once I vacuum the other stuff out. Can anyone see a problem down the track? (Apart from spilling out of the tray should I forget about it, when picking the case up!)

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:25 pm

Yeah.... your carpet will get stinky because you've used up all the Carpet Fresh!

stubby · Post by **stubby** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 6:06 pm

Stinky case? Cigarettes? It could be worse.

I can't help but think of a story that I'd like to share. One night, many years ago (I must have been about 20, 21 years old),a friend and I went to his girlfriend's uncle-an older Irish guy who had just emigrated to Canada. He was a great guy. Anyway, after a ton of Bushmills and a great night of singing (I especially-but vaguely- recall singing "Luck of the Irish" which my Irish friend had never heard-he was ****** off at first until he got the overall gist of the lyrics), my friend and I crashed on two couches in his basement. In the middle of the night, I was awoken by spasms in my gut and knew King Bushmills was having his revenge. In the dark, drunk and confused, I didn't know where to go. I rushed to two identical guitar cases on the floor, opened one up and let go (thankfully we'd left our guitars on the floor!!).

I was awoken in the morning by my friend packing up his guitar in my case, laughing heartily. "It's yours now!" Don't think baking soda or carpet fresh would've solved that stinky case!

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:25 pm

ROTFLOL!!!! Yikes! Too funny!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:33 pm

I tried baking soda first in my mildewed Fender case. It had worked before on an old steamer trunk that I used to use for my record storage. It didn't work on the Fender case, even after two weeks, changing it every few days after the first week. Then I saw some Carpet Fresh at the market. Bingo!!!

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:42 pm

My 481 case was real musty and mildewy smelling; I think the previous owner kept it in a damp basement for a long, long time.... Before I sent it to you, Paul, I treated the case with Carpet Fresh for a couple of weeks as you had suggested, and it certainly seemed to do the trick.... Better than I had expected!

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:49 pm

My sister used to call me 'Stinky' when I was a little kid - perhaps that's why I'm a bit of a 'case' now.... LOL!

Luckily all my Rick cases are either 'Rick-fresh', 'Zymol-fresh' or neutral....

The 'Carpet Fresh' tip has been stored away for future reference, however. Thanks, Paul.

red_rob · Post by **red_rob** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 2:05 am

My vintage Rics (Tolex cases) smell completely different to my brand new 360 (black case). Is this just down to the cases?

I should add that all smell heavenly...