Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

HAHAHA John!!!

I was actually trying to come up with something...but nothing really worked.

I haven't given up though...

Two of my cases stink and I'm trying this today. Thanks, Paul.

Do we have any feedback on this yet? Too soon?

Hey John,

I took a quick look/sniff the other day & is seems to be working.

I couldn't get a real good sniff with all the cat litter in there.

I'll need to empty the cases & vacuum them.

I'm pretty optimistic...will report back within a few days.

Tony I was beginning to think that the cat got your tongue. It looks like the results may be worth the messy intervention.

admin wrote:Tony I was beginning to think that the cat got your tongue. It looks like the results may be worth the messy intervention.

Ha-ha, excellent! Quite punny there Peter!

I've been so busy that I haven't had time to think about the experiment. Which is good...I'm not counting the days.

Actually I'm pretty excited to see if it worked.

I'll soon "let the cat out of the bag"...or the case, in this case! TOUCHÉ Peter!

Tony: The case of the missing cat litter. A novel title.

I had a case for a Rickenbacker bass that smelled very strongly of mold.

I aired it out, left it in the summer sun for a few days. It didn't help.

I went over the plush lightly with some sponges dipped in warm detergent and water. That helped, but only a little.

Then, based on a Web tip I used one of the Febreze products. It worked very well.

http://www.febreze.com/en_US/odor_probl ... roducts.do

(Disclaimer: I don't have any association with any company that's associated with Febreze. I'm just a happy customer.)

I'm interested in how this all goes as I have an old lapsteel case that is quite moldy smelling. Nothing Rick to put in it, but the case is in decent shape as I remember. Right now it has a solid bubinga lapsteel body in it.

There have been concerns expressed by some that the newer silica kitty litter is dangerous to your health so perhaps a word of caution is in order here. The tiny particles of silica can coat the linings of the lungs leading to silicosis or Potters Rot. A word to the wise then when laying this product down or cleaning it up.

admin wrote:There have been concerns expressed by some that the newer silica kitty litter is dangerous to your health so perhaps a word of caution is in order here. The tiny particles of silica can coat the linings of the lungs leading to silicosis or Potters Rot. A word to the wise then when laying this product down or cleaning it up.

If it's bad for people, does it do to cats???

Back on topic, another great odor destroyer, that actually breaks down the odor causing agents with enzymes (as opposed to just covering them), is "Natures Miracle"
http://www.ilovenaturesmiracle.com/cata ... l.php?id=3

I've never tried it on an instrument case, but it worked wonders on a house we once rented that apparently had been rented previously by people who smoked like chimneys and allowed their pets to "use" the carpets instead of putting them outside...

CJ, from my readings there is an equal amount of concern about cats as well. It will be interesting to follow the clinical data but in the meantime ...

Jasmine says they're just stinkin' old cats, so don't worry.

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!

The ‘64 Fender P-bass case had good results, but it still had a mild odor. Most of the mildew smell was gone. Though I was skeptical, I then decided to try Fabreze on it. I didn’t fare as well

with it as Len did at all. The Fabreze actually accentuated the mild odor & made it stronger…and with the perfumey smell of the Fabreze, it really smelled awful. It was disgusting…really foul!

I then loaded it up with the Harts cat litter again & let it sit for another 3 weeks. The results were excellent! All of the Fabreze stink is gone! I didn’t flip it over this time, but I should have.

The surfaces that had contact with the litter are odor free. The surfaces that didn’t have contact, like the lid lining & the top of the case pocket, have a faint odor. My next step is letting

the litter sit on the lid lining, then on the case pocket lid & all should be good!

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

opticnerve wrote:Ok, here’s the scoop…


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

Ah to scoop cat litter!

I actually had pretty bad results with Febreze as well...

I wonder if the cat litter is Bentonite clay; that stuff if your not careful can cause Silicosis with prolonged exposure to it in un-hydrated form.