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  #1  
Old 09-12-2010, 01:53 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: South county, RI
How do i get rid of that basement smell?

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my old house had a nasty basement and unfortunately my gear had to live down there. now i have brand new home and my gear is the garage and the basses are in the spare bedroom. now guitars and my MIM p-bass are fine after about 5 full cleanings each but my natural finish p-bass lyte along with my gear have seemed to of absorbed that moldy smell.

any tips of tricks to get this smell out since there's nothing worse than a sexy thing that smells moldy
  #2  
Old 09-12-2010, 02:08 PM
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fresh air and time.
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Old 09-12-2010, 02:50 PM
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its been 5 months!
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Old 09-12-2010, 06:09 PM
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I'd start simply by cleaning your gear gently with mild soap and water, drying thoroughly, and providing abundant fresh air and as much sunshine as you seem safe.

Sometimes you have to disassemble gear to clean hidden surfaces. Swabbing with alcohol can kill some of the organisms that emanate undesirable odors (test first to make sure surfaces won't be damaged by alcohol). Clean, polish/wax/lubricate before reassembly.

Clean the case thoroughly. Keep the lid open to maximize ventillation. Placing a few small sachets of activated charcoal or aromatic cedar in the case can help for awhile, as can Febreeze.

For serious cleaning I like to use "steam," (I use a portable garment steamer), a wet-vacuum, and lots of absorbent rags. It can be a stinky process. You've gotta be careful around electronics, rust-prone surfaces, speaker cones, and so forth; and you've gotta let everything dry thoroughly. Maximum ventillation and judicious sunlight are your friends.

If you have unfinished wood surfaces that have absorbed nasty fragrances, clean and degrease with TSP, sand lightly, and if it still stinks, apply a few coats of shellac, shellac-based primer, or a water-borne finish like General Finishes' High Performance or Polyacrylic; all three finishes are effective at sealing-in funky smells and dry quickly. I use Zinsser Seal Coat, which is a super-blonde, 2#-cut, fully dewaxed shellac.

On finished surfaces with a satin sheen, I wipe (with the grain), using Liberon four-aught steel wool liberally lubricated with Howard Feed-n-wax; removes surface grime, restores luster, and adds an orange-like frangrance (makes my rosewood fingerboards glow). After steel wool, wipe surfaces clean with a soft cloth to remove residual feed-n-wax.
Don't use this method on a glossy finish!

Hope this helps
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Last edited by Jazzdogg : 09-12-2010 at 11:50 PM.
  #5  
Old 09-12-2010, 06:54 PM
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thanks jazzdogg. i dont have access to a steamer but the last method you mentioned should do the trick on my lyte, but i'm not entirely sure that it that a finish on it.
  #6  
Old 09-19-2010, 06:58 PM
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steel wool and feed n wax, all i can say is wow! broke my p-bass lyte down completely and cleaned every square inch using jazzdog's method. it looks better than new and to top it off, during re-assembly i must have corrected whatever electrical gremlin was making me think my pre-amp was junk!
  #7  
Old 09-19-2010, 07:05 PM
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Do they remain in the cases-except for play, or do you leave them near a window to catch a few rays on a stand (several times/week)?
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Old 09-19-2010, 07:18 PM
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I don't know if fading would occur, but sunlight does the trick for mildewy upholstery. I'd suggest letting it sit in direct sunlight after your washing efforts.
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  #9  
Old 09-20-2010, 05:35 AM
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yeah, they sit near a window and my gear is in my garage with the door open when i'm home
  #10  
Old 09-20-2010, 05:44 AM
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Do something about the basement!!!
  #11  
Old 09-20-2010, 05:48 AM
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I bought a pair of engineer boots on ebay. When they came you could smell the cigarette smoke through the box. I opened it and they stunk so bad I had to put them outside. The seller gave me my money back and said keep them, apoligizing, saying they had no sense of smell any longer. I cleaned them to no avail with murphy's oil soap and vinegar. Finally I bought a 12lb bag of baking soda at costco. I put them in a sealed plastic bag with about six pounds of the stuff and left them on my back porch for three months turning occasionally. They still had a slight smell, so I replaced the soda with new and waited another three months. I pulled them out, put them in my back room, and have since used them a couple times. They don't smell anymore.

Glad you found a solution
  #12  
Old 09-20-2010, 05:57 AM
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Go to the pet store and buy Live Enzyme.. follow the directions.
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  #13  
Old 09-20-2010, 06:17 AM
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Dryer sheets. Put a few in your bass case. Works best with a hard shell case.
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  #14  
Old 09-20-2010, 08:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GM60466 View Post
Do something about the basement!!!
i sold it along with the moneypit on top
now i have a brand new basement but my stuff brought the smell with it
  #15  
Old 09-25-2010, 08:11 PM
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Ouch!!
  #16  
Old 09-29-2010, 05:52 AM
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the bass is still glowing from the wax n feed trick and i brought most of my old gear to daddys and swapped for some new stuff like a hartke lh500 and eden D210xlt and I'm lovin it! they give you decent money for your gear as long as you use it toward a trade.
  #17  
Old 09-29-2010, 05:57 AM
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UV lights can do the trick, haven't had to try it myself though.
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  #18  
Old 09-29-2010, 06:08 AM
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Spill old beer on it, might cover up the basement smell.
  #19  
Old 09-29-2010, 07:41 AM
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Dehumidifier - your instruments will thank you.
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