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how to purge odours from old audio gear?

bolero

bolero

Super Member
just picked up an old receiver, but it reeks of someone elses home/smoke/foul stench


other than leaving out on the porch where there is a breeze, and vacuuming any dust out of it, is there anything I can do?

thanks!
 
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I've found this to only be a temporary issue in most cases. Each time you use the gear (especially if it is allowed to fully warm up) there will be a bit less of their smell, until finally you don't even notice it anymore. Certainly, cleaning it is always a good idea.
 
Clean it as best you can first, inside and out. That gets most of it. Beyond that, putting stuff in a sealed up plastic bag with a dish of baking soda for a while can help.
 
You can purchase small satchels filled with activated carbon for this purpose. You can make your own too: activated carbon from aquarium supply store enclosed in old panty hose. Leave them in for a few days and they'll absorb most odors. This would be done, of course, after a complete cleaning or you're wasting your time.
 
aha, never thought of the carbon, thanks!

do you think charcoal would work as well?

will give it a good vacuum, maybe leave a box of baking soda in there too, for a few days

thanks!!

:thmbsp:
 
Some work, but will solve the problem I have found.

Time is the key word to remember.

Open it up top bottom off. Compressed air tank or cans the unit. While there clean the switches. Windex on a small soft bristle brush and clean cloth the exposed sheet metal. Board bottoms if you feel they need it. DO NOT SRAY THE FINS OR TUNING CANS!!!! IF IN DOUBT DON'T DO IT >>>>STOP!!!

Then stand on the side with the heaviest (transformer) down. Place a fan on low blowing air into the unit for a few days. Check and see if this is enough.

If not,
Then make newspaper balls or dryer sheets, both even. Coffee in tea bags will soak up odors too. Get two plastic trash bags big enough for you unit, place the unit into one then load the news paper or dryer sheets into the cavity before placing the other bag to seal it up.

Let it sit for at least a week. You may still have some odor if so leave it open and on for a day or two and it will be OK.

Worked on every unit I need to fumigate.

Barney
 
above is hard core use of deoxit and harsh sprays. Please don't get the idea you can just spray stuff inside and leave it.

whoaru99 is right.. just got to get inside and clean up. I use a med soft 1" x1" paint brush and a vac for the dust. Plain rubbing alcohol is an excellent odor killer. clean the inside covers and bottom panel (remove) and any chassis areas you can get to with same. likely the heat sink fins has residue and qtips or large swaps on a stick will work easy enough. tweezers and a small chunk of sponge dipped in a general all surface cleaner diluted with water, wring out excess and dab around components.

Let'er dry out on the porch a while and you'll be ready to go.
 
If the odor is from tobacco, it's accumulated tar outgassing as the surfaces warm up. It'll never go away without cleaning. Deodorants and charcoal won't do the job.
 
Use 90% rubbing alcohol instead of 70% alcohol to clean it after cleaning with brush and blowing out the dust. Let it sit outside to dry. 70% alcohol is 30% water.
 
I have a Yamaha power amp that smells like perfume and it will absolutely not go away. I've vacuumed it and used alcohol on clean cloths to the point where it's OCD certified spotless inside. Despite this and and regular use for a while now, when it warms up I smell perfume. I've kinda gotten used to it now.
If it were cigarette smoke and it was this persistent I'd be pretty upset.
 
gkimeng said:
If the odor is from tobacco, it's accumulated tar outgassing as the surfaces warm up. It'll never go away without cleaning. Deodorants and charcoal won't do the job.
Click to expand...

I asked a used car guy how to get smoke smell completely out of a car and he said thorough cleaning then charcoal. In rare instances they have to use an ozonator. I bought a used car for my daughter from a chain smoker and cleaned it with Sporacidin then left activated charcoal in for 3 days. The result was zero smell, and I am sensitive. I've used the activated carbon ever since on all kinds of things, including old receivers. I use an ozonator for moldy album covers, but wouldn't recommend it on audio equipment as it is tough on rubber and plastic parts.
 
gkimeng said:
If the odor is from tobacco, it's accumulated tar outgassing as the surfaces warm up. It'll never go away without cleaning. Deodorants and charcoal won't do the job.
Click to expand...

+1

Citrus degreaser removes heavy cigarette tar residue. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, auto stores all carry it.
 
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