removing that musty smell

[mutepointe]

I'm presuming that Mutey considers "artificial chemicals" to be a tautology.

I happen to be fond of e.g. dihydrogen monoxide and deoxyribonucleic acid, thank you very much.

I consider all chemicals to be real, very real and natural, very natural. Haven't met an imaginary chemical yet. Haven't met an unnatural chemical either. Now ingredients, they come in natural and artificial, but that's another matter.

[Nanohedron]

All very nice. But you haven't explained your comment to MTGuru.

[MTGuru]

Have no idea what you're on about, Mute. Maybe look up "artificial" in your dictionary, and the Latin roots of "artifice". Anyway, enough.

[chansherly212]

i actually came across some multi purpose spray deodouriser thing in a computer shop the other day. apparently is was 'super alkaline water' or something like that, that was ionized, mostly for laptop/computer surfaces, but the brochure said you could use it on shoes, carpets , even your face! don't know is that's the thing you're looking for though. my colleague bought a small bottle, and tried it, there was no smell/fragrance whatsoever, literally looked like water, as to how effective it is, i don't know

[MTGuru]

'super alkaline water' or something like that, that was ionized

Interesting. That sounds like a liquid version of Doc's ozone treatment.

[MTGuru]

Thread revival.

Just noting that Febreze now apparently offers an unscented, perfume-free version of the product called "Free Nature", which should be widely available without resorting to industrial or hospital suppliers.

[Nanohedron]

You can't get it at stores in my town. I've only seen it once, and that was a while back. I snapped it up like a crow on roadkill, and it worked fabulously. But they won't stock it anymore for some reason. You can get "green" stuff until you puke, but unscented? Fat chance. When I ask if they have unscented stuff, they look at me as if I just grew two heads. What's wrong with these people?

Oh, wait. I already ranted about that on the previous page. Well, I have issues.

[Casey Burns]

I have the perfect solution for removing that musty smell in an old flute:

Get rid of it, and replace it with a brand new flute from one of the modern makers!

Once the molds that cause these smells are in place, they are pretty much in place forever. I've tried soaking pieces in 180 proof alcohol (Everclear) which you would think would dissolve these. But the smells persist, if diminished. In these days of higher chemical sensitivity sometimes purging the source entirely by total removal is the only solution. I've always been a bit sensitive to these molds and smells myself which is why I never really got into collecting old woodwinds and other antique instruments, and generally avoid going into antique stores etc.

Casey

[Aanvil]

How about just soaking oneself in Everclear?

[ytliek]

I still think the shovel was the best solution AND I'm still laughing about it. Craic'n

[busterbill]

The scent free febreeze is a new re-issue. It disappeared a number of years but has just reappeared on grocery shelves in Chicago. It might find its way to you. We have a couple of good hardware stores around here that stock it too. I have no idea how effective it would be on a flute though.

[busterbill]

While I was looking for Doctor's bore oil I noticed they had a wood cleaning product. I have no idea if that would work for you, but it is out there.

[MTGuru]

The scent free febreeze is a new re-issue. It disappeared a number of years but has just reappeared on grocery shelves in Chicago.

Ah, that explains it. I found some today in our local supermarket (Vons), so I'm looking forward to trying it out.

I'll also take it to our next session and give Aanvil a good spray-down. He obviously has issues.

[MTGuru]

Tried it out on a few things today. Seems to work well, and no discernible scent.

Yay - I'll never have to do laundry again!!

[Nanohedron]

I'll look for it when I go shopping today. I hope to be pleasantly surprised despite my well-earned pessimism.