gee that STINKS... how to remove scent smells!?

[tamiya]

Had a recent addition to be fleet arrive on the bench looking great... but stinking like a madame's boudoir.

It's a super strong floral tone, nothing citrusy or musky

Smell is most concentrated around the chinrest area... I've already done a wipe over with damp cloth, IPA, antibacterial swabs... but perfume still lingers. Worse it's rubbing off on whoever picks it up to play!

(Modern lacquer, not oil or spirit. Unaffected by alcohol)

Have left it on bench near sunny window past 10d, think the sunning has helped tone down the stink a bit.

Anybody have any surefire tips to remove scents from wooden Instruments?

I'm getting tempted to bury it into a vatful of sodium bicarb...

[Rue]

Try putting it in a box filled up with crumpled up newspaper.  Newspaper is supposed to draw away odours.  I just experimented bit with a household odour issue, and I think it did help.  

 

It certainly can't hurt.

 

Not sure how long you'd have to leave it in the newspaper...try 24 - 48 hours and see if it helps.

[tamiya]

Hmm... slight problem, haven't bought a paper newspaper in a while, possibly never this whole year!

(stopped buying our usual TheAge when they stopped printing broadsheet, made it tiny tabloid size. Which is useless when I need big sheets of newspaper for other needful purposes)

And given current local newsrag prices... might be cheaper to buy a bucket of bicarb here downunder.

Bicarb is great for smoker stink; so is steam for clothes with ciggy stink.

But running the steamer over a woody instrument wouldn't be a good idea...

[Stavanger]

Lemon juice would probably take care of the smell... But I'm not sure I would rub that on an instrument...

[JPherson]

Baking soda in a box or carefully wiping vinagar might help not on the varnish of course. Both are helpful in other areas to remove odors.

Jesse

[nathan slobodkin]

Baking soda dissolved in distilled water would be the first thing I would try. Use a damp (not wet) paper towel pad and test first on the chin rest then on a small area of varnish under the chin rest. Let it dry then wipe again with straight distilled or deionized water. If all is well you can then clean the rest of the fiddle as needed.

[GeorgeH]

If what is causing the odor is not water or IPA soluble and if it won't hurt the varnish (test first!), you could try rubbing the area with a small amount of vegetable oil on a soft cloth to absorb the organic residue on the surface causing the odor. 

 

You could also try placing it in a box with a bag of activated charcoal for a while. I don't know how long that while might be, though.

[Dwight Brown]

Perhaps if the smell is coming from inside you could fill it up with rice for a couple of days.  I collect cameras and I had a really nice Mamiya C330f twin lens body that smelled really musty I tried everything I could think of to de-stink it including activated charcoal capsules inside and outside.  The only thing that helped was time.

 

 

DLB

[Rue]

...if you do go buy a newspaper to use, you might have to change it out as it absorbs the odour...I changed mine out daily until I couldn't smell anything anymore...

[tamiya]

Lemon juice would probably take care of the smell... But I'm not sure I would rub that on an instrument...

I'm leery of getting any acid near wood, doesn't end well when rescuing aged paper products... so no lemon juice or vinegar.

Coffee otoh... heh just remembered I've still got a gallon of ground beans!

[tamiya]

Perhaps if the smell is coming from inside you could fill it up with rice for a couple of days.  I collect cameras and I had a really nice Mamiya C330f twin lens body that smelled really musty I tried everything I could think of to de-stink it including activated charcoal capsules inside and outside.  The only thing that helped was time.

Film bodies & lenses BiTD that got moldy in tropical humidity, we used to fume them with ammonia I think. Sealed box with a saucer of ammonia for a few days. Then bury in a bucket of raw rice for a week.

[tamiya]

If what is causing the odor is not water or IPA soluble and if it won't hurt the varnish (test first!), you could try rubbing the area with a small amount of vegetable oil on a soft cloth to absorb the organic residue on the surface causing the odor.

Good idea, essential oils in perfume might be best wiped off with another oil.

Just remembered, I've got some Nilodor

http://www.productreview.com.au/p/nilodor-deodorizer-concentrate.html

Is it an Ozzie only goodie? it's amazing in the kitchen... might go dig out my bottle & try it on stinky instrument

[tamiya]

...if you do go buy a newspaper to use, you might have to change it out as it absorbs the odour...I changed mine out daily until I couldn't smell anything anymore...

somebody just suggested Febreze Dryer sheet might help. Will have a look next time at supermarket.

had to pack Ms.Stinky back into its case tonite; needed the bench to do some soldering.

Curious thing, the smell isn't really noticeable on the case just the instrument.. odd.

[Dwight Brown]

Ground coffee or coffee beans can be effective too.

 

DLB

[Conor Russell]

There's the old trick of putting half an onion in a room that's been painted to absorb the smell. You might put the violin in a cardboard box with a bit of onion.

Perhaps you might avoid using ammonia.

By the way, my grandmother and mother used light a twisted bit of brown paper and walk around a room where a child had been sick. They said it cleaned the air. I still do it. It really does seem to clear up any smell left in the air.

[Jim Bress]

Curious if it still has the chin rest it came with, and if you've tried isolating the chin rest from the violin.  Probably wishful thinking that the smell would all be in the chin rest.

[Rue]

somebody just suggested Febreze Dryer sheet might help. Will have a look next time at supermarket.

had to pack Ms.Stinky back into its case tonite; needed the bench to do some soldering.

Curious thing, the smell isn't really noticeable on the case just the instrument.. odd.

 

I wouldn't use the Febreze (we do use it in the house because my sons like it, so I've experimented with it in all it's forms over the years.  Used sheets are nice to stuff in your clean sock drawer).  All you are doing is masking one perfume with another.  It doesn't neutralize any odour.  And I certainly wouldn't rub it on the finish.

[Michael_Molnar]

At the VSA competition, there was a violin that "reeked" of propolis applied to the interior.

[tamiya]

There's the old trick of putting half an onion in a room that's been painted to absorb the smell. You might put the violin in a cardboard box with a bit of onion.

Cutting onion releases sulphenates, which react with water to become sulphuric acid. That's Car battery acid...

Perhaps you might avoid using ammonia.

Ammonia is a great degreaser plus it's very easily rinsed with water. Better than chlorine bleach in your laundry.

By the way, my grandmother and mother used light a twisted bit of brown paper and walk around a room where a child had been sick. They said it cleaned the air. I still do it. It really does seem to clear up any smell left in the air.

Same as "lighting a match" after doing #2

Best kiddy cleanup crew I've ever witnessed was on SIA's A380. Soon as kid left seat towards bathroom for cleanup, cabin crew trio swarmed in, ripped the seat cushions off, mopped up mess on hard areas then replaced cushions with new. They were so quick (and the Airbus' ventilation system is so efficient) that there was no trace of any smell afterward... amazing.

[Jim Bress]

I wouldn't use the Febreze (we do use it in the house because my sons like it, so I've experimented with it in all it's forms over the years.  Used sheets are nice to stuff in your clean sock drawer).  All you are doing is masking one perfume with another.  It doesn't neutralize any odour.  And I certainly wouldn't rub it on the finish.

Just an idea I got from Rue's post.  Activated charcoal will absorb toxins and contaminates from water e.g. fish tanks.  It's also used in fish tanks to remove medicine from fish tanks water.  So it is actually absorbing not just masking.  I haven't investigated it's use as an odor absorbent in air, but you may be able to use activated charcoal to absorb the perfume odor.  For fish tanks you remove the charcoal after two weeks to prevent whatever substance the charcoal absorbed from being re-released.  Again, I don't know if it works the same in an air medium. 

 

-Jim

[tamiya]

Curious if it still has the chin rest it came with, and if you've tried isolating the chin rest from the violin.  Probably wishful thinking that the smell would all be in the chin rest.

yes it's complete, I've got both chinrest and original owner's shoulder rest

have taken off chinrest, scrubbed it down with alcohol then reinstalled it with fresh cork

No perfume noticeable on the shoulder rest foam.

Now that you mention it... maybe I should unbolt the chinrest and let it bake in the hot sun for a few days

[tamiya]

Just an idea I got from Rue's post.  Activated charcoal will absorb toxins and contaminates from water e.g. fish tanks.  It's also used in fish tanks to remove medicine from fish tanks water.  So it is actually absorbing not just masking.  I haven't investigated it's use as an odor absorbent in air, but you may be able to use activated charcoal to absorb the perfume odor.  For fish tanks you remove the charcoal after two weeks to prevent whatever substance the charcoal absorbed from being re-released.  Again, I don't know if it works the same in an air medium. 

thanks Jim. Yeah we keep fish activated charcoal does work to a certain degree but not as amazing as Nilodor.

Fish waste is mainly urea, which bacteria breaks down to ammonia which plants use as nitrogen.

It's more efficient to do a 30-50% water change every other week than to keep replacing the sacks of carbon...

[tamiya]

At the VSA competition, there was a violin that "reeked" of propolis applied to the interior.

Propolis as in honeybee spit? does it have a distinctive whiff?

Some old units reek of stale smoke... but what about herby 420?

[tamiya]

I wouldn't use the Febreze (we do use it in the house because my sons like it, so I've experimented with it in all it's forms over the years.  Used sheets are nice to stuff in your clean sock drawer).  All you are doing is masking one perfume with another.  It doesn't neutralize any odour.  And I certainly wouldn't rub it on the finish.

thanks for warning it's just a coverup

yeah I've never bought dryer sheets before... don't believe in adding artificial scents

Amazingly what I do like in sock drawer is tobacco, fresh unburnt tobacco = great stuff.

Mint, rosemary or pandanus leaves are great in wardrobes too.

[bengreen]

Film bodies & lenses BiTD that got moldy in tropical humidity, we used to fume them with ammonia I think. Sealed box with a saucer of ammonia for a few days. Then bury in a bucket of raw rice for a week.

 

Sorry, also old camera buff here...the lens coatings were safe with that fuming?

 

And around wood...it's used to soften lignin for bending. Safe around violin?