Anybody have any ideas On How to remove a Musty Smell from aCase???

[Baz Cooper]

I just picked up a Bass Case and It has a Horrible Musty Stench...Like it was in a flood...Moldy smell...seller NEVER informed me of the smell...I tried Febreze...then Lysol..then I even tried some pet Enzymes.....I even left it out in the sun...Nothing....F'ing sucks.. I spent a lot of money on it. Someone on some other forum mentioned an Ozen machine....that fire restoration people have those...But where the hell am I going to find one of them that will let me use it for my bass case/?? My wife coughs every time I have the damn thing in the house...Can't even put my bass in it because it leaves a stench on the bass. Really a bunch of BS. Anybody have any ideas???

[cmatthes]

You'll have to give it time.

Lots of time. You aren't going to cure that shit in a week - it doesn't work that way.

[kizanski]

The case for my '64 Gretsch smelled like the Devil's basement.

It was so bad that I left it outside, cracked open, for six months.

Didn't help.

[veatch]

The best thing i found was Ozium - you can get it from Autozone or whatever local car parts store is in your area.

But - it sure sounds like this case is beyond that. I have replaced cases in the past due to this - unless you're talking about something vintage, that may be the way to go.

Bummer, i know. I hate the smell of skunky cases....

[Ting Ho Dung]

Cat Piss. It works.

[ARM OF HAMER]

If you have a open porch on your house [Like a enclosed 3 season porch] open the case and let it sit open during warm days..............like Chris said its going to take awhile so don't expect quick results.This worked for me with many old cases and removed the musty smell your speaking off as well as smoke smell and other odors.If you spray it with something or put something in the case your going to have some trace residue and the guitars finish may react to it.Besides............. I prefer NOT to have any of my guitars smell like a dryer sheet or Fabreeze "Morning Sunshine" The warm fresh air will work but its going to take a bit contingent on how strong the smell is and what it is.Good Luck!

[Brentrocks]

fabric softener sheets

[friarjack]

Try cutting a couple of grapefruits in half in leave in the case. I heard this works from a friend who's dad worked as a car salesman and their did that on cars that were used and had much worse smell than mold. Give it a shot.

[archaic]

Go get some lava rock and put it in a small mesh bag inside the case for a bit. It'll absorb the odors and you can use it over and over.

[Feynman]

Return it.

[Studio Custom]

You can rent an ozone machine at an equipment rental store.

[velorush]

You might also try dumping a bag of charcoal inside (as well as the other suggestions).

There was a chemical called Odo-ban years ago that worked wonders on an old chest-of-drawers I was working on. Lowe's would have it if it's still around.

[Boomerang~Junkie]

I've always left them out to sun for a few hours on nice days as many times as possible. The pervious posters are right though, it will not happen (get un-funky) in one shot.

Ozium is awesome (I've used it on cars for years) and is what many car dealers use on interiors. I think I might be inclined to spray any deodorizer in on a rag or something and leave it in the case - not spray stuff directly on the case interior where the guitar touches it - who knows. I'm sure they all claim to be safe for all finishes, but I too am concerned about a reaction with the finish with stuff like febreeze or even Ozium etc. I hate to find out the hard way they were wrong about the ALL finishes claim.

[tonefiend]

Tag team that crappy, musty-ass smell naturally.

First, use baking soda. It's commonly used in Fridges to remove odor, etc. Remove the guitar, and put baking soda in the case in a container and shut the case. I used a cookie sheet so there's a lot of baking soda surface. Don't accidentally spill it inside the case.

Then, after a few day/week, then I used ground up coffee beans (I also put it on a cookie sheet), which also removed smell and I like the way it smells too. If you don't like coffee smell, you can use lemon juice. Just grab a spray bottle

It seemed to work for me. I hope this helps.

[killerteddybear]

Lighter fluid and a match.

[Andrew]

A dish of bicarbonate of soda will soak up some smells that are acidic.

Citrus and vinegar will take up ammonia-like smells, so if it is fishy that will help.

Both need the case closed, but airing on a warm dry day is a great idea. Mostly the musty chemicals are volatile organics.

I would avoid the fabric conditioner sheets as you don't quite know what the effect will be on the guitar lacquer of all those chemicals in them.

[diablo175]

Sure, have a cat piss in it! Works like a charm.

[Steve Haynie]

Check the case for signs of water damage. It may have really been in a flood.

[santellavision]

This case stinks...

http://youtu.be/-pEhqiCD27E

[mc2]

If it is really bad....You may have to gut the inside and buy some new material from a fabric store to replace it.

....or just deal with it. At least if anyone tells you your "bass playing stinks," you can always take comfort in

thinking they mean the smell

....or hire a really fat drummer for your band and blame the stink on him at gigs.

[ptm1diver]

Hey,

It may depend on the materials the case is made of. If it's a hard shell case, the particle board or plywood may have been cured improperly and it could be rotting from within. We had expensive furniture at work that suffered from this. The smell resembled vomit, plus warm stale beer. Eventually, we got rid of the furniture and had to replace the carpet and ceiling tiles as well.

If your case has funky molding wood in it, there is nothing you can do. This is not all that uncommon from what we were told.

Good luck. You may have to sell it on CL or the Bay and get a new case. If it molding or rotting from within it's not healthy to keep it in your house.

Good luck

[whiskeyzulu]

Whatever other remedies you try leave it open outdoors in direct sunlight for as many days as you can

[dragan]

had a case like that , wasnt terrible but , a little fabreese about once a week and left it open in the basement room with a dehumidifier on for about 3-4 mos . ok now, also had one that was so bad I didnt even let it the house set it at the curb , smell was gone by morning

[crunchee]

I've heard that freezing is good for musty books, if you know someone with a walk-in freezer, maybe that would help? Probably couldn't hurt, I'd leave the case open while it was getting frozen, IF you go that route and IF it doesn't stink so bad that it'll rot food in the vicinity.

[cynic]

I've heard that freezing is good for musty books, if you know someone with a walk-in freezer, maybe that would help? Probably couldn't hurt, I'd leave the case open while it was getting frozen, IF you go that route and IF it doesn't stink so bad that it'll rot food in the vicinity.

We used to smoke weed in the walk in freezer at the Hardees where I worked as a teen. Couldn't smell a thing.

[ZR]

Well, I say try your best to make it smell like pot like every other case out there!

Maybe try vacuuming it out really well would help get it on its way? If you're worried about using your own vacuum maybe go to your local self-serve car wash and use their big machine.