The Steel Guitar Forum

Does anyone know of a good way to get that musty "old suitcase mildew" stink off of a lap steel? Seems like it gets absorbed into the lacquer finish, so that the guitar retains the smell of a funky case.

"FIRE".........

It worked for me.

...I'm tempted. : )

Hmm...usually the funky smell is in the case, not on the guitar. You could trying spraying it with Febreze(tm) and wiping it off, but I'd be worried about the finish. You could try storing it with a fabric softener cloth like you'd use in a dryer.

Have you tried one of the Fabreeze products? I don't know what it might do to the finish. You will have to read the instructions on the bottle. I have been told it will take the smell out of a case. I am not sure about the instrument itself. It did take smoke smell out of a wooden flute.

seems I was a minute behind Brad. Great minds......LOL

Tom,

These are the "Top 10" solutions.

1. Stop sniffing the guitar.
2. Stop sniffing the case.
3. Who cares what she smells like, that's how you roll.
4. If she's really pretty, you'll get used to it.
5. If you really love her, it doesn't matter.
6. If she really sounds good, you'll love her more.
7. If she sounds bad and smells bad, it's obvious.
8. If she smells bad and makes you sound great, that's the name of that tune.
9. If she smells bad and makes you look great, that's the name of that tune.
10. If she smells bad, sounds good, feels good I'd try a light Sodium Bicarbonate treatment on the guitar.
The case might come around with a wide open exposure to air and sunlight for an extended period of time. Maybe not.
That's my experience.
Hope this perspective helps.

My cousin restored a Ford Fairlane 500 as his first car. It has been on blocks in a field for years and some mice made nests in the interior and died. It smelled bad. Tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the smell.

Then, as a high school prank, his friends filled his whole car from floor to ceiling with crumpled newspapers one day... When he finished cleaning it out, like magic the stink was gone...

Maybe you could put some newspaper in the case with the guitar for a while

Tom,I had that problem with my old Jazzmaster case.I had it stored for quite awhile in a basement..It was real stinky.I took the guitar out of the case and put some Arm and Hammer bakin soda in it for a couple of weeks then vacuumed it out.That got rid of most of the stink.Then I left the case open for a long time and it was fine again..Might be your answer..Hope so...

FWIW I have been there with more than a few lap, oops i mean STEEL guitars and cases. baking soda, spread and then vacuumed and sunshine does the case. Mold, however requires the vaporizing of sulfur to kill without damaging old fragile fabric lining and to prevent reoccurance. For the STEEL or SPANISH stinky guitar I agree with the baking soda sponge bath, and do the guitar too while yer in there. regards rob

There is a product on the market that is called "New Car Smell".
Try it....worked like a charm for me.
Autozone, auto super market, pep boys etc etc have it.

Ron

Smell is the oldest sense.
Trust it.
Let the smell be your guide.
If the smell is funky, then so shall you be.
You are bound to it as it is to you.
Enjoy!

I don't see how this could help but will offer it anyway. After many attempts to get the odor out of a dorm refrigerator the one thing that worked was coffee grounds.

Before you try anything else, make sure that the original source of the odor has been taken care of.

Pet Fresh (made by Arm & Hammer) works great too. I just sprinkled it in the case (top and bottom) closed it up for a day, then vacuumed it out.
For really tough smells they make something called Pet Stain & Odor Remover Plus Oxi-Clean®:

That smell is caused by the organic glue that was in use back then - ie horses' hooves etc.
It ripens over time in the closed case and develops into that funk we know so well.
You can cover it up with other smells, but the glue remains.

I think Richard's post is the definitive answer to this.
That smell is the smell of vintage steel guitar cases!
Learn to love it like you love the guitars!
You should smell my studio - it smells like one big old steel guitar case.
There are a lot worse smells - rancid cologne, chronic halitosis, burning hair, dead frogs, cat spray . .

Thanks for all the smelly tips. I'm try something this weekend. By the way, Rick, I think most of the organic glue smell is from the adhesive used to tack the lining to the inside of the case. I don't think it is the guitar's glue. At least a cat didn't spray in the case - that's a bad one !

Also, what's so bad about a dead frog smell? : )

put the guitar in dry rice or baking soda then vacuum it off after a few days.. this works with acoustics so in theory it should for an electric. that mildew smell is mildew and health damaging.

Yes, the organic glue is from the case.
There's nothing wrong with liking the smell of dead frogs. I don't care for it myself, but to each his own.
Mold and mildew are definitely hazardous to your health.
That's not what the typical old case smell is though.

If you don't want guitars to have that smell, the best thing to do is not store them in an old case.
Do what Richard does, and hang them on the walls.

Sunlight. Air.

Yes, take the guitar out of the case and leave the case open. Then after several days smell the guitar and the case separately. Odds on it's the case that's stinky.

I once bought a guitar from someone over the internet. When I opened the case there was an overwhelming smell of tobacco. I just left the case open for a few weeks and the smell eventually disappeared.

On the other hand, have you ever watched the Seinfeld episode with the stinky car ?

Just an old family thing, fwiw. When we couldn't get rid of an odor, (dead fish, middle of summer, deep freeze, breaker blown for at least 2 wks while on vacation comes to mind, WHEW!) we soaked cotton balls in pure vanilla, NOT imitation. Then put them on pieces of aluminum foil in/around where they need to be. In your case, a cardboard box comes to mind for the guitar, plenty of the above, and change the soaked cotton balls every day for a few days. You can do the same for your case at the same time. I would wrap plastic, tarp, whatever, around the box for the guitar to help hold the vanilla in and let it work. Dumb idea? Beats me, but we've used this recipe for eons and has always worked. Heck, if it worked for that fish smell.....fwiw. Bob

Rick Alexander wrote:That smell is the smell of vintage steel guitar cases!
Learn to love it like you love the guitars!
You should smell my studio - it smells like one big old steel guitar case.

That is too funny!!

I might be strange but I actually like that "smell"!! It brings about good thoughts and feelings of old, authentic, quality, funky, mojo, wisdom, and nostalgia. My favorite guitars seem to always have cases with that "smell".

I think my 28 tricone case smells the best!!

I beat back the smell nicely tonight with a pet product for cat piss called "Nature's Miracle - Advanced , just for Cats". wiped down the guitar and then did a guitar polish - now it is nice and just the good "mojo" comes thru. The case I filled with baking soda and closed it up. I rolled it around and made sure the powder got everywhere. I'll leave it for a few days, then vac it out and into the sunlight and air for a week. That should do it. But the best cure will be a nice new case from Kevin. No betta da kine.

Sounds like da kine fix

Like Tom, I've had to clean cat pee off guitars. But the worst is cat pee on a banjo. It soaks into the vellum and the only way to get rid of it is to throw out the vellum and replace it...

(Banjo haters may take some comfort from this. Take your cat with you next time you go to a bluegrass festival.)

Antistatic sheets like she puts in the clothes dryer will do the trick.
...worked in our grandfather clock too.
A sheet in the bottom will keep the smell at bay when opening the door to pull the weights up.