Getting the funk(y smell) out

[caprae]

I just picked up a guitar where the case smells funky - like its been around a smelly old dog or in the basement of an old house. I now know the guitar smells the same :smack: - its an ACOUSTIC.

What are some things I can try to help rid this guitar of the smell?

I do plan on rubbing it down with a water/vinegar solution - wipe and dry and doing a general clean up. I've also thought of putting cedar chips in the body for a week or so. Any one else have any success stories with this kind of thing?

 

[Children of Bodom]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

I do have experience in what not to do... I sprayed axe deodorante all over my crappy acoustic and maybe it was just the guitar and not the axe but everything started peeling and strings were messed up.. O WELL.

Fortuantly the acoustic was like 10 dollars so it didnt hurt me

 

[caprae]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

I do have experience in what not to do... I sprayed axe deodorante all over my crappy acoustic and maybe it was just the guitar and not the axe but everything started peeling and strings were messed up.. O WELL.

Fortuantly the acoustic was like 10 dollars so it didnt hurt me

OUCH!!!

 

[Bludave]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

What kind of "old" guitar is it. Why water and vinigar. I would not recommend wiping the guitar down with water. Use a good quality cleaner/wax. 3M Cleaner wax for medium oxidation will remove all the dirt and grime from the wood and won't hurt the Nitro laquer that it is probably finished with. Clean the fingerboard with Lemon oil. This will clean the ebony or RW very well and also oil it up nicely. As far as the odor...... leave the guitar out of the case, but well protected for a few days and see what happens. Keep the case open and maybe leave it outside open for a few days and nights to air it out. It should help. I would leave the guitar on a stand that will secure it well and keep any pets away from it so you don't have an accident. Good Luck!

 

[caprae]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

I'm still trying to get year of make. It is an Ibanez Artwood AW-60. I just know they use vinegar in water to clean the gym floor at school and we use it on our hard wood floors. I was going to cut it with water, dip in a wash cloth and wring it out, then wipe an area and followed by a dry cloth. I know the vinegar helps cut through grime, but I'm not sure whether it would cut through Nitro laquer.

I haven't heard of the 3M Cleaner. I'll have to look for it. I've got the lemon oil which I use on my other guitars.

No pets here. Got this at a moving sale. I mainly wanted that Alvarez Yairi, but something about this one intrigued me.

 

[Guest]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

I wouldn't get water or vinager near a guitar but that's just me. Air them out, clean them, play the guitar, put some incense sticks in the case. Stuff like that.

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Fabreeze in the case is a good start. Put the case outside all day. Fresh air has the tendency to pull out organic stink. It doesn't really work for chemical smells, like new case glue and fabric, etc. but for smells that have come into the case after it's manufacture, outdoor air does wonders.

You can put the guitar outside too, just not in sunlight or where it'll get too hot. The guitar should just be cleaned with guitar polish, the fretboard with naptha & then conditioned with your choice of appropriate fretboard conditioners, and avoid any water/vinegar solition anywhere on the guitar. Then the inside is your only problem. For the inside of the guitar, you could spray down a rag with Fabreeze, and then stuff it inside the guitar's soundhole, leaving it there for a day. That should help fumigate the stink out of the inside of the guitar. Otherwise a mesh bag of cedar chips like they sell for inside furniture.

You could always light a scented candle inside the guitar, then your smell would be gone forever. That's the "Eau de Hendrix" scent. Do it outside, or else make sure your homeowner's insurance is paid.
:firedevil

 

[Wattage]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Actually FDS in the case will work great too.

Then let in air out and completely dry for a few days. You may have to repeat the process. Unless it is a special case it probably makes more sense to just toss it.

 

[gordon_39422]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

+1 On the febreeze... Spray the liner down so that it's slightly damp, and let is sit for a few minutes... then bring it outside and let the air pull the odors out...... SERIOUSLY, as Frank said, outside air does wonders.... IF the source is EMITTING odors, that's an entirely different subject, but STILL handled in the same manner, it just might take longer.... Odors are like water and electricity... they seek equilibrium... that's why they get trapped in the fibers of the case... they are seeking to even out the atmosphere in the case becuase they are contained.... you open the case and let fresh air expedite the bad odors out... Think about letting one loose in you car/truck... :fart:Leave the windows up, and the smell will linger for hours...:smack: In fact, if you don't lean to the side so as not to force the gas INTO the seat fabrics, the smell will persist for DAYs... and when you get in your vehicle in the heat of the day and plop down on that seat, you release those fumes back into the mini-atmosphere of your ride.... :knockedout: LOL!!!

Spray it with Febreeze to start the de-odorizing process and take it outside... The freshs air will release the odors....

Thanks for tuning in to Funk 101!
Allen

 

[caprae]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Thank you for the great ideas (and the great laugh, gordon). Looks like the vinegar is out and a good polish is in instead.

WHAT IS FDS?

I Fabreezed the case last night and left it shut. It's been outside today. Hopefully a weekend of that will take care of it. If not, it might have hidden mold so it will be on the way to the dump.

 

[gordon_39422]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Thank you for the great ideas (and the great laugh, gordon). Looks like the vinegar is out and a good polish is in instead.

WHAT IS FDS?

I Fabreezed the case last night and left it shut. It's been outside today. Hopefully a weekend of that will take care of it. If not, it might have hidden mold so it will be on the way to the dump.

Feminine Deodorant Spray:27:

 

[Snottyboy]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

I've gone through this fairly recently. A lot of good advice has been given so far. I'll sum up what I have done. Febreze to saturate the case initially. Set the case outside in the sun on warm, dry (not humid) days for several days. Baking soda in the case for a couple days. Vacuum it out. Set out in the sun again for several day. Result: Much better, but I am still going to work on it. If you have mildew, you want to try to eliminate it, as it will continue to grow otherwise. As for the guitar, I set it outside in the shade when able to, or inside getting a breeze from a window when not humid. Again, this helped. I will continue to air both out. Good luck, I know it's a long process.

As the Travelling Wilburys sang, "Store it in a cool, dry place".

 

[caprae]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Feminine Deodorant Spray:27:

My wife saw this just as I was reading it. Yea, she laughed.

 

[caprae]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Thanks, snottyboy. The guitar is smelling better already after a morning outside and keeping it out of the case.

The case I can still smell just walking by it. I'll keep working on it. I wonder if that pet odor neutralizing spray works for something like this?

 

[Snottyboy]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

Thanks, snottyboy. The guitar is smelling better already after a morning outside and keeping it out of the case.

The case I can still smell just walking by it. I'll keep working on it. I wonder if that pet odor neutralizing spray works for something like this?

I know Musician's Friend sells something for neutralizing odors, but from what I've read on the net, the best way to rid something of must is by airing it out. Hey, and air is free...at least for the moment!

 

[nuntius]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

When I bought my RG the previous owner had been a smoker, and the case that came with it stank!

I sprayed it with fabreeze, and left it sit outside for a while, then repeated the process later in the day. It smells fine now. The guitar neck did smell of smoke for a few days, but the smell seemed to disappear after a while...

Honestly, just letting it air out will work eventually

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

You can buy these cedar blocks they sell at places like Walmart that are meant to hang in your closet to make things smell cedar. It's a good smell especially on an acoustic.

Go get one and put it inside the guitar for a while. Then once things start smelling good, just leave it in the accessory pocket inside the case.

 

[caprae]

Re: Getting the funk(y smell) out

That's a great idea, Scott. I'll keep the fabreeze and air going for the long US weekend, then add the cedar blocks. Love the smell of cedar.