How to get smoke out of guitar

Randy Carson · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Anybody have any tried and true ways to get smoke out of mica guitar?
Comments very much appreciated
Thanks

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

I don't know about getting smoke out of guitars but I let the smoke out of my amp once and it wouldn't work after that .

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

Usually naphtha works well for that and won't lift paint. Zippo lighter fluid if your hardware store doesn't carry naphtha. I had to remove smoke from a S-B Professional many years ago...the guitar used to sit in a club all week long, but only get played on weekends.
PRR

Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

Not sure what you mean when you say "out of" Randy. If you're talking about off the mica itself, you can use any automobile cleaner wax that is safe for clearcoats and it should clean it. You can even use this on lacquered guitars.

Tamara James · Posted 20 Jun 2008 4:37 am

I would think he is refering to the awful smell stale nicotine leaves behind. It's worse for someone who has quit smoking. Trust me on that. It's a nasty thing to get rid of. I had to move into a different apartment when I quit smoking.

the suggestion of car wax that is SAFE FOR CLEARCOATS is the best advice I have ever seen. Thanks! I'm glad I was lurking in here. Very Happy

Kenny Brown · From: Auburn, Alabama, USA

won't get the smell out, but keep a block of cedar inside your guitar case.
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Mullen RP SD-10, Hilton volume pedal, Peavey Nashville 112, George L's.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I bought a Gibson Les Paul guitar quite a few years ago that smelled of cigarettes.
I put a couple of those evergreen thingies you hang in cars in the case and closed the lid.
Seemed to do the trick. Keep them away from direct contact with the guitar, however.

Gordon Borland · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

I keep a bounce fabric softener in my guitar case, back of my amps and pack seat. I replace them once a month.
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Gordon Borland
MSA D10,1974 Fender twin reverb

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

I've never tried this, but it seems that I heard that the fabric softner sheets that go in the dryer will soak the smell up...put a couple in the case and close it up for a while.

Jim Bates · From: Alvin, Texas, USA

When I was playing all of those many smoked filled joints and halls, I would set the guitar and the open case outside to air-out. Then, I would 'wash' the guitar (not the strings!)using a rag damp with a litle dishwashing liquid in a pail of water, then IMMEDIATELY dry it off with a soft cloth. Also, wash off the legs and pedals. This worked great on my laquer finish Sho-Buds, and the mica Emmons.

Thanx,
Jim

Mike Phillips · From: Brooklyn, NY

I feel your pain - but whatever you do DO NOT USE ANY MOTH BALLS. I got a guitar that reeked of mothballs and spent a long time getting rid of that smell - which pretty much burned the hairs outta my nostrils.

I will second that opinion about the tree shaped car fresheners (it got rid of the moth ball stank and the lingering ciggies smells that the moth balls did not) - although I prefer the vanillaroma variety - only because it reminds me of my high school car (and other memories contained therein)...

Vanillaroma will make your guitar smell like it just came back from the beach.

Good luck.
Mike

PS - Randy - still loving the black box you sold me!

David Doggett · Posted 20 Jun 2008 9:07 am

The best way to get smoke out of my guitar is to have a fast picker play it. Smile

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Cleaning the guitar real well and polishing everything up worked for me. For the case I just left it open out in the sunshine. Cleaned out the smoke and mold smell fine.
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Bob

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

I think a good cleaning is in order then maybe some sunshine on a open case for a day or so as Bob suggested, then you might try placing an opened box of baking soda in the case with the guitar also in the case. I know the baking soda thing is effective in refrigerators to remove odor so I think it should work on a guitar and case also. An old used car dealer trick is to place an apple or two under the seats. They absorb odor also.
Jerry

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

Randy,

This works on rotted meat, may work on smokey guitars. Clean your steel real good first, then put two vanilla saturated cotton balls in an open zip lock bag in the case with the guitar. Place the zip lock bag so it will not tip over or leak into the case. Give it a little time.

In the sixties, I fled a hurrican headed for Brownsville, Texas by driving to Larado. The Rio Grande flooded the next day and it took us 5 days to get back home. A weeks worth of groceries, about $20 worth then, was firmenting in the fride. It would make you puke to open it. After cleaning and discarding all the mess, my landlord advised me to use vanilla on cotton balls. To this day I can't believe it worked, but it did. Took about two days and the dead meat and rotting veggie smells were forever gone.

Now, all ya gotta do is get the wife to spare the vanilla. If you try this, let us know how it works out.

Don't count us old guys out, we know stuff. That's what I tell my kids anyway.

Good luck,
Dick Sexton

Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

The inside of the guitar case can be sprayed with "Febreeze," and left open a day or two to dry.
You may find that the underside of the guitar is all coated with yellow/brown nicotine stain. If so, that is a project in it self. Lots of naptha...
Larry J.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · From: Clinton, Missouri USA

Rubbing alcohol will remove the yellow brown off the undercarriage rods, legs, and metal parts. Orange-Glo cleaner will remove the odor from the wood.

John Coffman · From: Wharton,Texas USA

TIME in the fresh air

Will Hart · From: St. Croix, Virgin Islands

Put an open container of kitty litter in the case and close it up. It will eventually absorb the smell. Be patient and change it often.

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

One of my former neighbors had a 'freezer' problem during a long power outage and crinkled up newspaper, then put it in the freezer for about two days. She claimed it worked fine...don't know...jes passin' this along FWIW.
PRR

Joe Rouse · From: San Antonio, Texas

I have to try the vanilla cotton balls. One of my step-sons is selling a freezer that works fine but has a fishy smell, sounds like the vanilla cotton balls would be easy to handle. We have tried charcoal and kitty litter and they helped some but did not complete the job...

Steven Black · From: Gahanna, Ohio, USA

Hey Randy, I had this problem not to long ago on my Sho-Bud pro III, it just smelled, I polished it down everyday, cleaned all parts I could clean, sprayed the case with Febreeze and my cleanest towels with Febreeze and draped them over the guitar when not playing, I did not put it back in the case left it sit up in a cool dry place, after a month or two the smell was gone, even in the case.

Curt Langston · Posted 21 Jun 2008 1:50 pm

Best method that I have found:

(1)Lay the guitar upside down inside of a large plastic trash or yard bag. (with the bag laying on the carpet or rug)
(2) Lay out two thick rows of baking soda, one on each side of the guitar. Make the rows about 2 inches wide and an inch tall, running the length of the guitar, being careful not to get soda inside of the guitar.(buy the 2 pound box of Arm and Hammer, it's cheap!)
(3) Tie up the end of the bag tight, and let sit for a least 24 hours, if not longer. The longer the better. The bag must be sealed tight, so that the baking soda will pull the smoke out of the wood. You need it sealed up, so that it will not pull odors from the outside of the bag.

Do not be surprised to see the baking soda brown when opened up. The soda will pull the smoke and stink out of the guitar, without drying the guitar body.

I have done this many times, and it works great! Cheap too!

Randy Carson · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Thanks a bunch nuff to everybody
That'll do
Close it up

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