Kitarat: kitarakamat ›

Instrumenttien ja koteloiden hajunpoistossa pitäisin suositeltavana lähteä liikkeelle mahdollisimman konservatiivisista keinoista, ettei tarvitse sitten katua. Omissa tapauksissa riittävä tuuletus tosiaan auttoi. Hyvä ilmanvaihto ja ehkä jopa tuulettimet todennäköisesti parantavat tulosta. Ennaltaehkäisevänä toimena voi olla fiksua kuivata hikinen kitara keikan jälkeen vaikka hihaan ennen kuin sen sijoittaa laukkuunsa. Ja muutenkin käyttää harkintaa, missä soittovehkeitään säilyttelee.
 
Parempi yrittää saada haiseva substanssi poistumaan ennemmin kuin kaataa jotain "raikasteita" peittämään ongelmaa. Jonkun tuollaisen ratkaisun takia jouduin sen yhden casen heittämään pois, kun tuntui liian epätoivoiselta saada sitä kuntoon. Jotain kuivaa ja imukykyistä materiaalia (paperi, ym.) voi koittaa mytätä haisevaan laatikkoon. Kaikenlaisia sooda- ja etikkaratkaisuja tuollaisissa on käytetty myös. Ideana noissa yleensä joko jonkinlainen maltillinen pesukäsittely tai sitten, että kitaralaukku työnnetään vaikka jätesäkkiin ruokasoodan tai jonkun muun tehokkaasti hajuja itseensä imevän tavaran kanssa:
 
Baking Soda -- Highly recommended. It's cheap and great for odor absorption, especially for the interior of a smelly case and, if used cautiously, even inside the body of an acoustic guitar itself. Sprinkle a liberal amount into an odorous case (an entire boxful, if needed) and vacuum it out later or seal some in a pouch and place the pouch in the case or inside the guitar's sound hole, attached by a string or thread. For use in the case, close the case with the baking soda sprinkled inside. To help disperse the baking soda inside the case, flip the case over a couple of times and slap the top/bottom of the case a few times with your hands. Leave the case closed for a day or two (recommended time varies), then open the case and thoroughly vacuum. Check the results. Treat again if necessary. Follow the baking soda treatment with a few days of leaving the case open to air out, and consider exposing the open case to sunlight and fresh air for a while as a follow-up (a day or two or three). It's been said that putting the closed case out in the sun while the baking soda is inside will help the baking soda do its job (possibly with the assumption that the heat releases more of odor to be absorbed by the baking soda). It's even possible to use baking soda poured into an acoustic guitar body (as seen on the frets.com site) as long as no electronics are housed inside. Timing on this should be in conjunction with changing your guitar strings. Remove guitar strings, pour in baking soda, cover the sound hole with paper, and tape down the paper with "safe release" tape like painters tape which is easily removed and does not easily damage surfaces to which it is attached. Leave it for a day or so and then vacuum out with a hose-style vacuum, being careful not to damage the edges of the sound hole or otherwise scratch your guitar with the vacuum! Consider using an air compressor blower attachment if you've got one (or canned compressed air) to blow the powder out of nooks and crannies in the guitar body. An air compressor is also a great way to blow baking soda or other granular fresheners out of the guitar case in conjunction with vacuuming.
 
Guitar Strings, New -- It is said that guitar strings will hold on to odors, too. Changing your guitar's strings is a reasonable step to take as part of an odor removal project (it certainly couldn't hurt).
 
Rice -- Rice and other grains are supposedly good for odor absorption and represent a solution that goes way back in history. Potential methods include pouring uncooked/dry rice liberally into a case and later vacuuming it out or lowering a small pouch of uncooked into a guitar body. Sometimes a full pound or more of rice is poured in through the sound hole, shaken in the guitar, then poured and/or vacuumed out (similar to use seen on the frets.com site). Shaking the guitar with the rice inside will help remove dust and cobwebs that might be inside. Grinding rice in a coffee grinder and then sprinkling it into a guitar case or guitar body might work well to remove odors since that method would open up the rice grains for more surface area absorption potential. Use a vacuum to remove the ground rice from the case. For a variation on the grain approach, dry oatmeal has good odor absorption properties. The rice/grain approach is certainly a natural solution.
 
Vinegar and Water -- Vinegar has very good natural cleaning and deodorizing power. Some recommendations include mixing vinegar and water and using a cloth or sponge dampened in the mixture to thoroughly rub down the interior and exterior of a smelly guitar case. The case should then be placed out in the sun until thoroughly dry. The vinegar smell should go away, taking with it any of the previous bad odor. For a plush case interior and fine balance must be found between getting deep enough into the pile to allow the vinegar to do its job and NOT soaking the material so much that it's difficult to dry it out.
 
Soap and Water (mild) -- Highly recommended for guitar and case exteriors. A mild solution of soap/detergent and water is often recommended by manufacturers for wiping down the exterior of a guitar and case. Don't use an excessive amount of either soap or water. Be sure to wipe thoroughly until dry and all will be well.
 
Sunshine (and natural outdoor heat) -- Bake a smelly guitar case (opened up) in the sun for a few hours, over the course of a few days if necessary, taking it back indoors at night and being wary of rain or other moisture at all times. Use caution in-baking a guitar in sunlight for too long since you could easily do more harm than good with the heat. Fresh air in a shady spot would likely be better for a smelly guitar.
 
Charcoal, Activated/Carbon, Activated (as used in aquarium water filtration, etc.) -- Highly recommended. Activated carbon is also known as activated charcoal, activated coal, and carbo activalus. This kind of charcoal is generally counted as superior to standard charcoal briquettes (another option) for odor removal because standard briquettes often contain all kinds of other added ingredients. Activated carbon is more pure, odorless, and has other qualities that make it very good for odor removal/absorption. It has many uses in air and water filtration, odor control, and even in medicinal products. Readily available sources include pet shops in the aquarium section, although it will likely be cheaper via other sources. Activated carbon can be purchased in large and small quantities and often in ready-to-use, porous pouches that can be used immediately without further preparation. You can also make a do-it-yourself cloth pouch or coffee-filter pouch of activated carbon to lower into the guitar sound hole or to leave in the guitar case. Don't confuse ready-to-use pouches of activated carbon with sealed pouches that must be opened and dispensed for use. If you put an airtight (hermetically sealed) packet of activated carbon into a guitar case, it won't do a thing for you. Activated bamboo charcoal (carbonized bamboo) is supposedly very effective at odor removal and is a variation on the activated carbon/activated charcoal concept. Ready-to-use bags of carbonized bamboo area readily available from various internet sources.
 
Coffee Grounds (fresh or, as suggested by some, leftover/used grounds)-- Fresh ground coffee with a pleasant aroma is a great way to mask over a bad smell. Some say you can use leftover coffee grounds, but why not try freshly ground coffee? Ground coffee is said to absorb odors, so it's possible that it will both mask and absorb/remove odors.