The Steel Guitar Forum

Anybody got a good way to get mildew smell out of an old case? I have a couple stinkers, not crazy about my guitars smelling like the underneath of a house.

Start with a pan of baking soda to absorb some of it, maybe something like fabreeze also.

I have a few of those, some fiddle cases with bow hair bugs too (I got rid of those cases).

You can start with thorough vacuum cleaning, go over it fast w/blow dryer, leave it in the sun and possibly in a hot car in the sun but not for too long (don't apply too much heat).

I keep hearing the way the pros do it for fire/smoke damage is ozone treatment but you'd have to contact a company that does fire/flood repair to see how that works.

I've used Nature's Miracle with good results.

You could look into spray they use to get odor out of hockey gear. There are a number of brands. They disinfect while not destroying vinyl, leather, cloth

If I smell mildew in my music room I usually just put on a clean t-shirt.

Random ideas

One of those Arm & Hammer "Fridge Fresh" doo-hickies might work. It's filled with Baking Soda and intended to soak up odors. Close the case and let it sit in there for a few days.

Or perhaps throw a few of those 'clothes dryer freshener sheets' in the case and let it sit closed for a few days.

Time in the sun to start.

You could try one of the charcoal bags or box of baking soda with a vent. Again, I would put it in the sun but close it with the bag/soda inside.

Pouring baking soda and letting it sit on something smelly works wonders, but it takes time and is messy. You will never vacuum all of it out if you spread it in the case.

I put a hand full of my wifes Downy Fresh Protect pellets in an old sock and throw that in the case for a while, your case is sure to smell "pretty" after that!

Cool, some good ideas to try. Not much Sun lately so I'll probably start with the fridge pack thingy.

Ozone - you can buy a small ozone generator for well under $100. I've used it to get rid of tobacco smell, mildew, etc. Even get "dank" out of old rugs.
Don't breath it
here's one...
https://www.amazon.com/Enerzen-Commerci ... 00JAP7388/

+1 on the ozonator... I tried everything... this is the way.

I used a closet in a bathroom... the bathroom had an exhaust fan, that's important. I put all the cases (and guitar parts!) in the closet, on the shelves... the cases should be open and standing up. I ran an extension cord into the closet, put the ozonator on 'lock' (always on) and let it go for three days, with the bathroom exhaust fan running (you do *not* want to breathe ozone). Then I unplugged the ozonator's cord and left the stuff in the closet for a week.

The ozonator has proven itself useful many times since... a friend inherited a pickup truck that stank of cigarettes... a few days of ozonation fixed that. I had a tortilla fire in the kitchen (don't ask) and filled the room with dank smoke... I taped off the kitchen with paint drapes and ran the ozonator for a week.

The thing works miracles... just don't breathe that stuff, it hurts your lungs. I had to take my SM T8 completely apart (body joints everything), wiped it down with diluted bleach, then ozonated it to get rid of the smell... have you ever tried to play a guitar that had the mold so bad your eyes watered?

If you don't have a convenient closet use a big cardboard box in the garage.

A costume designer told me to put a vodka in a small spray bottle and spray the case...the alcohol kills the bacteria and then evaporates. I've tried other methods...baking soda,fabreeze...but this vodka spray works great! Time in the sun on top helps too. She said in theatre productions there isn't usually time to launder all the costumes daily thus this method. My '46 Ric B6 has a beautiful original crushed red velvet case interior and it was overpoweringly musty. Had to repeat the process many times and it worked beautifully.

I'm with Larry. I just shower (maybe) and put on clean sweatpants (if I have 'em).

Seriously, you might want to throw in a few dryer sheets and a bag or two of silica gel. The gel will absorb the moisture. Dryer sheets are, well, they smell good.

Coffee grounds are really good at killing odors. One method that has worked for me over the years, get a big trash bag (industrial size) and put the case inside it, open the lid and prop it open, buy a big thing of cheap coffee, put the can inside the bag, close up the bag and let it sit for a week.

Great stuff, thanks

Eric Dahlhoff wrote:Ozone - you can buy a small ozone generator for well under $100. I've used it to get rid of tobacco smell, mildew, etc. Even get "dank" out of old rugs.
Don't breath it
here's one...
https://www.amazon.com/Enerzen-Commerci ... 00JAP7388/

No dice, can't order to California

Glenn Wilde wrote: No dice, can't order to California

Ohhh bummer!! I bought mine a couple years ago. You can find them on ebay and likely ship to CA.
Here's one...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/254030295230

Put a bar of Irish Spring (original, not aloe) in a ziploc plastic sandwich bag and put the open (don't ziploc close it) bag into the case and leave it there for a few weeks.

I usually just sprinkle a generous amount of coffee in the case, leave it a few days and vacuum it out.

Charcoal briquettes. Cheap and extremely effective. Just put several in your case, close it up, and you'll be surprised how well they work. After they've done their job, throw them away, put in a couple of new ones and your case will stay smelling fresh.

White vinegar- put it in an aerosal bottle and spray the affected areas liberally, then let them dry out in a low humidity environment.
Mildew absolutely hates white vinegar, & vice versa!