Musty smell in an old case
- Thread starter Stephen D
- Start date
Hmmmm, even with all the accordions that have passed through my hands, I don't think there were 200. If I had that big 30 x 80 pole barn I always dreamed of I could be in big trouble!
Javthedog
Active member
Quick splash of aftershave/missus' perfume.....?
I'd not suggest that, beause that could, with age, get worse.
I had an old case once with a tiny bit of a musty smell and airing it out helped but the process was too slow. I bought a bottle of fabreeze and generously sprayed the insides of the case twice over the course of 2 days leaving it closed. I then would place it on our patio open to the sun and breezes over the course of a couple days and it did seem to work. Opening up that case after being closed for a month and there was only a light whiff of the scent that the Fabreeze left.
I do not know that this would work if there was a more serious case of must or mold, that may require removing the inner materials, bleaching the wood and air drying and then replacing the inner padding and materials.
One thing which surely kills any insects or their larvae and does a job on many molds is camphor- as in mothballs. I had a pretty nicely shaped and designed 75 year old three latch case from a Dallape (the Dallape among the dear and fondly remembered departed) (death due to a catastrophic six and a half foot fall onto a concrete floor, not rust or mold- I saved all the reeds) which stank inside. Sun, Lysol, warm water and soap, more sunshine, rug shampoo and more sunshine, bags of activated charcoal shut inside the case, really had no more than a modest effect.
Mothballs worked great but for one minor side effect; the thing reeked of mothballs. I figured that camphor is pretty volatile so it would have dissapated with a bit of venting and sunlight but, to my lasting regret, I used the case to house an intersting and caseless accordion I was sending off to another enthusiast.
They tossed the case as useless a day later due to the mothball smell.
Such is life.
Mothballs worked great but for one minor side effect; the thing reeked of mothballs. I figured that camphor is pretty volatile so it would have dissapated with a bit of venting and sunlight but, to my lasting regret, I used the case to house an intersting and caseless accordion I was sending off to another enthusiast.
They tossed the case as useless a day later due to the mothball smell.
Such is life.
