How to you get the smell of smoke out of a guitar?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How to you get the smell of smoke out of a guitar?

Posted: 8/23/2017 5:53:32 PM EDT

I just bought a used D-28. Beautiful, plays great. But it smells like smoke. Actually it smells like pot.

I have cleaned the outside and the case. No problem there. But the inside smells. What can I apply or spray to kill the smoke smell without ruining the wood?I'm

Posted: 8/23/2017 6:02:59 PM EDT

[#1]

Nothing!

I rehabbed a buddys acoustic (how ex wife smoked like a German) all I did was leave it in a shady area of the room with the windows open.... maybe a fan on it would make the process faster, but if I remember right, my way only took about 2-3 weeks with no chemicals on the wood...... Of course I visited it every day also, and since this was late summer in Germany, the temps were decent (65-90F). It will air out on its own.....

Posted: 8/23/2017 6:05:13 PM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
Nothing!

I rehabbed a buddys acoustic (how ex wife smoked like a German) all I did was leave it in a shady area of the room with the windows open.... maybe a fan on it would make the process faster, but if I remember right, my way only took about 2-3 weeks with no chemicals on the wood...... Of course I visited it every day also, and since this was late summer in Germany, the temps were decent (65-90F). It will air out on its own.....

View Quote

Can't hurt. I'll give it a try.

Posted: 8/23/2017 6:08:15 PM EDT

[#3]

This is what you seek for odor but I worry about humidity. We had a house fire and had to get wood stuff deodorized and it worked amazing, but much cheaper to buy the small unit and try it in a small area versus a restoration company.

Posted: 8/23/2017 8:58:28 PM EDT

[#4]

I heard that a couple of dryer fabric softener sheets in the case with the guitar does the trick pretty well.

Posted: 8/23/2017 9:09:06 PM EDT

[#5]

or start smoking.

then you will not notice. just kidding.

Oh and make sure he didn't leave his stash in the guitar

Posted: 8/24/2017 12:30:33 AM EDT

[#6]

Put fresh coffee grounds in a cheese cloth. Set inside guitar for some time and change when you think it's needed. Fresh ground coffee, not brewed already.

Removes smoke from cars also, just takes a long time.

Posted: 8/24/2017 12:47:16 AM EDT

[#7]

Baking soda in the box.

Posted: 8/24/2017 11:44:18 PM EDT

[#8]

Today I am trying coffee and dryer sheets at the same time. We'll see how this works. I can say it's not instant results.

Posted: 8/24/2017 11:56:38 PM EDT

[#9]

Well, You will at least have the softest, smoothest morning coffee ever.

Posted: 8/24/2017 11:57:55 PM EDT

[#10]

Stuff it full of newspaper and change it out every couple of days for awhile. You'll be surprised at how much odor it will absorb.

Posted: 8/25/2017 12:06:29 AM EDT

[#11]

Nothing is going to be instant. Nitrocellulose is a damn fine instrument finish but it stinks.. literally. It's got kind of a sour vanilla scent to it. I've got a 8 year old Les Paul ,you can still smell the finish.

Another big problem you have with the acoustic is that theres a YUGE, unfinished hole in the middle of it thats gonna soak tar and nicotine up like a sponge. You can wipe down the outside with a little naptha and put in the case for a few days with the dryer sheets. Swap out the sheets every 2 or 3 days and the smell will either be mostly gone or at least to the point you don't notice it in a few weeks.

Posted: 8/25/2017 12:15:12 AM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
Put fresh coffee grounds in a cheese cloth. Set inside guitar for some time and change when you think it's needed. Fresh ground coffee, not brewed already.

Removes smoke from cars also, just takes a long time.

View Quote

Came to post this.

Posted: 8/26/2017 12:52:39 AM EDT

[#13]

A former boss of mine bought an older Gibson Les Paul that reeked of smoke and he never could get rid of the smell. He had it for several years and had tried several methods to try to get rid of the smell. He also replaced the case but nothing helped much. He finally gave up and sold it to another smoker who didn't have any concern about the smell.

It seems that hollow body guitars and amplifiers are even worse for smell since they have more nooks and crannies for the stench to absorb in. Ever since I always inquire when buying used gear on Craigslist if the seller is a smoker before looking at their gear. It just seems smoke smell is damn near impossible to totally eradicate.

Posted: 8/26/2017 2:26:24 AM EDT

[#14]

That is just the smell of history. Old guitars all smell of sweat and smoke. At one time if you played you played in clubs. Clubs and bars were nothing but the stench of beer and cigarette smoke. I almost always had a cigarette stuck under the E and A strings just in front of the nut back in my youth. It would be rare to find an old vintage guitar that didn't smell.

Posted: 9/1/2017 5:22:35 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
That is just the smell of history. Old guitars all smell of sweat and smoke. At one time if you played you played in clubs. Clubs and bars were nothing but the stench of beer and cigarette smoke. I almost always had a cigarette stuck under the E and A strings just in front of the nut back in my youth. It would be rare to find an old vintage guitar that didn't smell.

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This guitar was made in 2011. The guitar and case don't have a mark on them. So, it likely never left the owners house. It's the smell of a nasty smoker.

Posted: 9/12/2017 11:10:19 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
Nothing!

I rehabbed a buddys acoustic (how ex wife smoked like a German) all I did was leave it in a shady area of the room with the windows open.... maybe a fan on it would make the process faster, but if I remember right, my way only took about 2-3 weeks with no chemicals on the wood...... Of course I visited it every day also, and since this was late summer in Germany, the temps were decent (65-90F). It will air out on its own.....

View Quote

What killed the smell was the ozone in the air. One could accelerate the process by using an ozone generator. Used car dealers use them to "de-smoke" a car. Be carful. Excessive use could oxidize various things, which would be bad.

Posted: 9/23/2017 11:18:27 AM EDT

[#17]

Windex is product specific for dissolving tobacco smoke residue. But it's going to work best on the finished surfaces, rather than raw wood.

Not sure how well it works for weed residue but it may be worth a test?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How to you get the smell of smoke out of a guitar?

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