J-200 Koa Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Any suggestions on getting rid of that cigarette smoke smell out of a guitar and case? A new-to-me Custom Shop Gibson just arrived complete with the telltale odor from a previous smoker. I washed the case (exterior) with soap and water, then applied Fabreze which has helped somewhat. The guitar was cleaned and then polished but both the case and the guitar still have some residual odor. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipm Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I've never tried it, but I have heard that coffee will do the trick. You can't beat a good airing out too. If you have someplace outside in the shade where you could leave it for a few hours, that would definitely help. You could put a fan on it to help evacuated the odor too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 There are machines they use at car lots that ionize the smoke odour out of a car. I wonder if you could put the guitar and case in a car that was being conditioned and have it out that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Fresh ground coffee and havled apples did the trick for me. Wrap the coffee in a filter, some kind of dish or baggie for the apple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Fresh ground coffee and havled apples did the trick for me. Wrap the coffee in a filter' date=' some kind of dish or baggie for the apple. [/quote'] Nice tip - wrote that one in my journal right away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NattyBumppo Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I would run out and buy a box of Punch Robustos to smoke. That should mask the smell of the cigs. I do like the fresh ground coffee idea, with the robustos of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigshot Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I collect antique phonographs that often are home to rats. If this method can get the smell of rat pee out of a mahogany Victor, it should get cigarettes out of a Gibson. Get a large bowl and put citrus oil cleaner in it... that magic orange oxygen cleaner stuff you see on TV. Put it in the bottom of a large plastic trash bag. Put your guitar on a stand over the bowl and seal the bag over it. Leave it for a week or so. Voialla! Guaranteed to smell sweet and kill the odor of even the most foul stinks. See ya Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-200 Koa Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 I'll try the coffee and apples....the Robustos will have to wait for another day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 J2-K. Good luck. It took me two servings of apple/coffee and about ten days to get it done. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greeba Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I have had the same problem with a D42 You can make it smell better - but its never going to go away completely if its been left in a smokey atmosphere for any length of time. The difficult part is the inside of the guitar because its natural wood and soaks up the bacteria from the smoke. Get a pack of those fresh air sheets that the girls use inside their hot air clothes driers. I used about 6 and put an elastic band to keep 'em together. Stuff inside the guitar. Clean the outside of the guitar thoroughly with a damp cloth SLIGHTLY moistened with wash up liquid of some other mild soap. Dry off with a towell. Polish the guitar carefully with a good GUITAR polish. Leave out of the case in front of a cool air fan for several days. Now the case. Thoroughly wash the outside with soap and water and use a damp cloth on the interior. Leave it open in the sunshine for several days. Put a few more fresh air sheets inside the case. The coffee thing does work - but only cos coffee smells better than cig smoke. Another idea is to lay the guitar and open case in your car and have the interior of the car ionised at a car valeting shop. This kills the bacteria. Truthfully the best thing you can do is to sell the guitar on to a smoker but be quick cos they are dying like flies ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 What about good old Arm & Hammer like in the reefer? I wash down 'previously owned' guitars pretty thouroughly with "Mrs. Murphys' Wood Soap" to strip off any wax that might have absorbed bacteria and odors. Congrats and G'luck. jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Just to be clear. Use fresh, unpercolated (dry) coffee grounds. heh. :) The smell is coming from tar accumulation in the nap of the pretty velour like lining. It is possible a carpet cleaning company may have some solution.. There may be some homeowner grade carpet cleaning preparations available as well. (Test a small area to determine color and fiber fastness.) It's also, likely, the gunky stuff adhered to the inside walls of the unfinished guitar. Coffee grounds is a favored substance, as well as sodium bicarbonate. Bag each up in a couple to 3 or 4 coffee filters and toss them in for a few months. At a time of year when the temps aren't so extreme, hang both in a well ventilated building like a yard barn or no longer used outhouse you've decided to leave in place for aesthetics... or garage. Mostly, the smell needs time to dissipate. But... puting Arm & Hammer in a reefer would likely cause a drug sniffing dog to flag you at the airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Maybe, someone should invent "New Guitar Smell"? How about a block of cedar? I never tried it, but it might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 1. Baking soda will absorb smells.... 2. Ionizing air purifier will absorb smells.....(it also puts negative ions in the air) 3. Vinegar in a open dish will help destroy oders (be very careful, vinegar is an acid!!!) 4. I had this problem with 100 year old Washburn......I dabbed a couple of drops of pure Sandlewood oil on the underside of the sound hole opening......viola!!! Everytime I open the case, it smells like Sandlewood. 5. You can buy blocks and little balls of Port Orford Cedar (aromic cedar) which you can put in the sound hole and case. This will help a lot.....also, if you hunt, you can find oils made from the same cedar which could be put on a cloth and placed inisde the guitar.... Good luck.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 1. Baking soda will absorb smells.... 2. Ionizing air purifier will absorb smells.....(it also puts negative ions in the air) 3. Vinegar in a open dish will help destroy oders (be very careful, vinegar is an acid!!!) 4. I had this problem with 100 year old Washburn......I dabbed a couple of drops of pure Sandlewood oil on the underside of the sound hole opening......viola!!! Everytime I open the case, it smells like Sandlewood. 5. You can buy blocks and little balls of Port Orford Cedar (aromic cedar) which you can put in the sound hole and case. This will help a lot.....also, if you hunt, you can find oils made from the same cedar which could be put on a cloth and placed inisde the guitar.... Good luck.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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