Getting rid of body odor on guitar
_here@please.com Darrell
this come up before.
I lent my Larrivee om3 (satin finish) to a friend for 5 days of
recording.
I picked it up , took it home, opened the case and reek-o-rama, body
odor hits me like a fist.
It's on the outside of the guitar where your body would be in contact
and he must have sweated all over it, it was very hot here.
I gave it a quick wash with some murphy's oil soap and water, drying
it immediately but it didn't really do anything to get ride of it.
A friend suggested pledge but can anybody suggest a better way to fix
this problem before I start dumping every chemical known to man on
this.
I've done a google search but can't see much info on removing BO.
The case also smells but I see that people are recommending Fabreeze
for cases, I don't think that's going to work on my guitar though.
I can't go near the guitar right now until I get ride of this and I
guess I'll never get that nice woody acoustic smell back, but at this
point I'll take no smell.
Thanks!
Darrell
Big Chris
While you wait for better answers, throw a handful of Cedar blocks/balls
into your guitar and guitar case, and it'll help till you find the final
solution. Most department stores have bags/boxes of cedar you can buy
(usually for closets). You can also stuff your guitar case with newspapers
balled up, and this will absorb an enormous amount of smell. Fabric
softener sheets also work well (for the case) to remove bad odors.
Big Chris
foldedpath
news:jrg2jvsiv823p2avu...@4ax.com:
Wow, remind me never to loan any of my guitars to friends..
You'll probably get lots of possibly useful (and hilarious) suggestions
here, but the first thing that popped in my head was to seal it up in a
cardboard box or something (not your guitar case) with a box of Arm &
Hammer baking soda with the top cut off. Maybe several boxes of soda.
That's the old "get the stinky smells out of the refrigerator" trick.
Maybe it will work on the guitar. Maybe you could even sprinkle it
directly on the finish, but I don't know if that would be safe or not.
Quoting from the A&H web site:
---
"DEODORIZING: ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda’s deodorization power is a
result of its ability to neutralize odors, rather than just covering up
odors with perfumes. Most unpleasant odors come from either strong acids
(like sour milk) or strong bases (spoiled fish). Baking Soda deodorizes
by bringing both acidic and basic odor molecules into a neutral, more
odor-free state. Use ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda as a personal deodorant
for underarms and feet, and as a household deodorant on carpets,
upholstery and in the fridge and freezer. Baking Soda can also deodorize
when it’s dissolved in water. So you can use ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
as a mouthwash to neutralize garlic breath, as a diaper soak to
neutralize that ‘ammonia’ smell (basic) and to deodorize plastic food
containers that have absorbed that pickle or sauerkraut smell (acidic).
Industrially, ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda is used for odor control of
sewage disposal plants and around barn and feedlots."
---
If that doesn't work, maybe you could fight fire with fire. Do you have
a nice-smelling girlfriend or wife? Have her play the guitar for a
while, and maybe you'll get an override effect. Either that, or she'll
run off with your friend.
--
Mike Barrs
Roy McAlister
Believe it or not, I've found Turtle Wax to be about
the best for both cleaning and bringing back a new
shine (including de-oderizing....I've used it to get rid of
cigarette smell). I use the the thick green fluid in a
bottle marked 'Super hard shell car wax'....it looks
like green Pepto-Bismol. Apply it with a very soft cloth
or thick, soft paper towel and about a minute later,
wipe/buff it off with a fresh clean cloth or paper towel
....juts like a car. This stuff is very gentle on your
finish and will clean and deoderize your guitar
wonderfully.....and it's readily available nearly
everywhere. The smell will surely be eliminated and
replaced with a clean wax smell that will diminish over
a couple days....but much more pleasant than b.o.
If this doesn't do it...sell the guitar like Jerry Seinfeld
was forced to do after a mechanic implanted an
irreversible body-funk in his Saab.
-Roy McAlister
www.mcalisterguitars.com
rtmca
body on a guitar. A shower first enhances the effect.
Sacrameto Dave
a new friend you might try a light buffing compound . You might call
Larrivee and see what they say . I don't what kind of finish they use on
there guitars make sure you use a compatible product.
"Darrell" <no_spam _he...@please.com> wrote in message
news:jrg2jvsiv823p2avu...@4ax.com...
Stan Milam
> Hi, I have a bit of a stinker here, I'm hoping somebody else has had
> this come up before.
> I lent my Larrivee om3 (satin finish) to a friend for 5 days of
> recording.
> I picked it up , took it home, opened the case and reek-o-rama, body
> odor hits me like a fist.
Tom Risner should pay attention to the solutions to this problem.
Stan "Tom's Friend" Milam.
Wade Hampton Miller
>You might call>Larrivee and see what they say . I don't what kind of finish
they use on
>there guitars make sure you use a compatible product.
That's good advice.
Larrivee uses a polyester finish that's cured in a UV oven. It's pretty inert,
impervious stuff, but it still would be a good idea to check and make certain
with the company before applying any sort of chemical goo to it.
If you can't get through or if the folks at Larrivee don't have an answer, it
would be easy enough to apply a test patch on an inconspicuous spot, say on
about 1/2 square inch of the back.
Wade Hampton Miller
Chugiak, Alaska
Remove the "Howdy" to reply...
_here@please.com Darrell
Funny that somebody mentioned the Seinfeld show with the smelly car,
that was the fist thing that popped into my head too.
Of course you won't find me tossing my guitar to a street thug to get
rid of it, I'll suffer with it if I have to.
I'm doing the baking soda treatment on the top edge and after a couple
of hours it seems to be helping a lot.
I'm going to repeat many more times and reposition the guitar so that
the powder stays put on different areas for awhile.
If this doesn't work I think I'll try the turtle wax thing, testing it
on a small area beforehand of course.
I've got potpourri in the case and it smells dam nice right now,
hopefully it will last, if not I'll give the balled up newspapers a
try.
Cedar chips also sounds like a good idea to get that nice wood smell
back after I've beaten the stench back.
Thanks again!
Darrell
Aaron
"Big Chris" <mr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bgrf2d$rlmtu$1...@ID-155860.news.uni-berlin.de...
Jerry Gant
Darrell,
My wife is a librarian. Sometime books are returned smelling of cat urine
and cigarette smoke. Her solution is kitty litter. She seals the book/books
in a plastic container with kitty litter. The books are suspended above the
litter with the pages loosely open and after a few days the smell is gone...you
might want to give this a try if the other suggestions fail.
Good Luck
Jerry
Header email is is for SPAM..to reply email JGant numerical 01 at e v 1 dot net
Wade Hampton Miller
I come from a librarian family, too, and concur with Jerry's suggestion. But I
went and did some checking and talked to Roy McAlister on the phone, as well.
Both my research AND the noted Roy McAlister indicate that Turtle Wax is safe
for the Larrivée's finish: Roy says he's used it for every guitar finish
imaginable, including the UV polyester finish that Larrivée uses. It's safe.
Roy is a very knowledgeable guy: before going off on his own to build guitars
as a custom maker, Roy was the research and development director for the Santa
Cruz Guitar Company.
There was one noted Santa Cruz endorser (no names, please) who used to send his
guitars back to the factory to get worked on, and they always arrived REEKING
of body odor, cigarette smoke and Hai Karate aftershave lotion.
It was intense, Roy told me. They always had to let the guitars belonging to
this highly respected but decidedly odoriferous guitarist air OUT for a few
DAYS before they could bring themselves to work on them.
Turtle Wax was what they used, and it never failed them. Otherwise, they would
have had to find some of those Army surplus gas masks and Hazmat suits to wear
while working on his guitars.....
Hope this helps.
foldedpath
news:20030806234320...@mb-m10.aol.com:
> Darrell -
>
> I come from a librarian family, too, and concur with Jerry's
> suggestion. But I went and did some checking and talked to Roy
> McAlister on the phone, as well.
>
> Both my research AND the noted Roy McAlister indicate that Turtle Wax
> is safe for the Larrivée's finish: Roy says he's used it for every
> guitar finish imaginable, including the UV polyester finish that
> Larrivée uses. It's safe.
I agree, but just a quick note... Turtle Wax isn't a single product. That
name has diversified into a HUGE range of car care products, some of which
contain silicone. Make sure it's the original Turtle Wax formula (or the
closest current equivalent)... usually called "Turtle Wax Super Hard
Shell."
Whatever the name, look at the label and ingredients, and make sure it
doesn't contain silicone. Stay away from the "Express Shine" -- that's one
I know contains silicone. There may be others. Products like this can
change over the years.
--
Mike Barrs
CJT
I'd consider rubbing it down with some lemon oil.
_here@please.com Darrell
The baking soda is helping but not completely eliminating the odor.
I've got the kitty litter and maybe some lemon oil as a backup plan
but I'm going with the Turtle Wax, I'll pick some up tomorrow.
Thanks for the info on the silicon issue, I'll read the label and get
the green Super Hard Shell Car Wax which Roy, Wade and Mike all
recommend.
I appreciate the time everybody has spent replying, with Wade phoning
Roy you guys really go the extra mile in this group.
I'll post back to this thread with my results.
Thanks!
Darrell
Kurt
wrote:
>I come from a librarian family, too, and concur with Jerry's suggestion. But I
>went and did some checking and talked to Roy McAlister on the phone, as well.
>
>Both my research AND the noted Roy McAlister indicate that Turtle Wax is safe
>for the Larrivée's finish: Roy says he's used it for every guitar finish
>imaginable, including the UV polyester finish that Larrivée uses. It's safe.
And *next* time, a quick trip through the car wash will remove
incremental grit and grime. Remind folks to 'pass' on the underbody
wash though.
kurt
Tom from Texas
NEVER!!! EVER!!! Lend yer guitar to Dorgan!!!
Tom from Texas
Tom from Texas
school.
Tom (goin' back for a new library card) from Texas
Tom from Texas
>
>Stan "Tom's Friend" Milam.
>
>
Yer deadmeat, Milam....and ya smell like it, too. Oh, sorry, Sue said ya meant
so I could use it after ya borrow the Martin.
Tom "Stan's only Friend" from Texas
SteveWLB40
>>guess I'll never get that nice woody acoustic smell back, but at this
>>point I'll take no smell.
>>Thanks!
>>
>>Darrell
Lock it in the case for a few days with a container of fresh ground coffee.
Should do the trick.
Steve Barker
Cathy Cowette
the finish. I'd stick an opened box of baking soda in the case and leave it
for a day or two.
As far as the guitar goes, I'm not sure what to do about that.
--
Cathy
Visit my website at http://www.cathycowette.com
"Darrell" <no_spam _he...@please.com> wrote in message
news:jrg2jvsiv823p2avu...@4ax.com...
Darrell
I've used pretty much everybody's suggestions with good success.
The Turtle Wax was probably the best, I hit it about three times with
the stuff and the odor is only evident if you stick your nose within a
couple inches.
I can be in the same room with it and play it now but I think it's
gonna take some time and a couple more treatments to totally eliminate
it, it's localized right where your armpit would rest.
I gotta say my guitar is absolutely spotless now, that Turtle Wax is
fantastic, I'll be using it on all my guitars from now on.
I'll have lots of it because my car isn't worth wasting the stuff on
it ;-)
Between baking soda, potpourri and balled up newspapers the case is ok
now too.
Next thing is to get some cedar chips inside and get that woody smell
that I love back.
Thanks for all of the info, much appreciated.
Darrell
Wade Hampton Miller
>I've used pretty much everybody's suggestions with good success.
>The Turtle Wax was probably the best, I hit it about three times with>the
stuff and the odor is only evident if you stick your nose within a
>couple inches.
Sounds to me like you need to apply some Turtle Wax to your stinky ole
FRIEND.....
Maybe get the local volunteer fire department to help you hold him down while
you apply the stuff.