 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Marcie
Date: 2001-10-06 18:44
I have a wooden clarinet that is fairly old. It was given to my Mom from one of her friends, she had it restored and polished. The case that it came in has this horrid smoke smell, and I think that the wood has soaked up the smell (if that's possible) or something. Because when I take the reed out to put on, it tastes nasty, even more so than they normally do. Then when I breathe in as I'm playing, it makes me gag.
Does anyone know if this problem can be fixed? If so, how? Any and all help is very much appreciated.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2001-10-06 19:47
Marcie,
If you are using the mouthpiece that came with
the clarinet, soak the mouthpiece in a solution
of baking soda and 1.5% hydrogen peroxide.
(Get a cup or glass and add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda,4 oz. of water, and
4 oz. of the 3% hydrogen peroxide that you can get at a drugstore.) soak for 20 minutes then rinse thoroughly with plain water. This should take care of it, if it's the mouthpiece.
If it's the wood and/or the case someone on this board recently mentioned that Febreze fabric refresher will help, but I haven't tried it myself.
John
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-10-06 19:55
You can buy new cases from about $25 up, Marcie, depending on how nice it is, how much you want to spend. : Check with your local music store(s) - they often have a few used cases, not too bad, for not too much money that don't stink too bad.
In the meantime there have been lots of suggestions posted here. The most popular remedy, I think, is Fabreze fabric cleaner or Formula 409. A carpet cleaner might be worth a try. If you use a harsh cleaner lke ammonia or Goof Off, something like that, be sure you air the case out well for a couple of days afterward to allow ALL the cleaner to evaporate. Case liner material, still damp from a harsh cleaner, has an inclination to stick to plastic (clarinet bodies) somewhat, marring the finish where it touches. Another drawback is a tendency to loosen the fabric glue, causing the liner to separate from the shell. You might then have more of a job than it's worth. These may or may not be successful remedies, depending on how saturated the case has become from the contaminating smoke. House fires, even those extinguished quickly, often retain long lasting smoke damage to nearly everything that was in the house and very difficult to get rid of.
If your case smells like stale cigarettes it probably has had a lot of exposure to cigarette smoke, a particularly insidious kind of odor to get rid of.
Stay tuned... I'm sure there will be lots more tips to follow 
- ron b -
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2001-10-07 01:35
I've really liked Woolite upholstery cleaner for the inside of my older cases. I just spray it on, wipe it off, and sometimes I vacuum it as well. Takes care of just about any odor in the case.
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Author: Mike Milo
Date: 2001-10-07 01:53
You might try freshener strips... You can buy them and put 'em in your dryer to make clothes soft and smell nice, but I'd try 'em on clarinet cases too! I would personally put one or two in the case, and put another couple in tissue paper inside the clarinet itself. Put the instrument in front of a fan for awhile, and think about having the corks replaced... they soak up moisture AND smells like crazy. As for the case, Febreeze would probably do alright, but I wouldn't let ANY of it touch the instrument. Spray a bit, then put it in front of a fan and let it dry out completely before putting your instrument back in. Also, you might consider putting a freshener strip inside the case. I don't think they'll hurt the clarinet, but I'd put it to the side anyway. Hope this helps...!
-Mike Milo
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-10-07 02:07
We've just had some good posts on odor control that you should look up. John, just the opposite - you want to soak in a dilute white vinegar solution first - then if you want to soak in straight 3% hydrogen peroxide (the drug store brand) you can. If the mouthpiece is rubber then continued treatment with peroxide (even the diluted version) is not a good idea IMHO. Remember - concentration, temperature, and time are the three most important factors in chemical reactions. The form of oxygen produced by peroxide is a pretty strong oxidizing agent (molecular oxygen and oxygen radicals) but the concentration in store peroxide is low. Higher concentrations of peroxide 10-20% used in the laboratory will destroy the surface of rubber very quickly, the effects of low concentrations are the same but just take longer.
The Doctor
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Author: joevacc
Date: 2001-10-07 02:25
Marcie,
I too have a used clarinet that was owned by a smoker. The first thing I did was get it out of the original case. I kept the clarinet out for weeks disassembled on a clean cotton diaper or a towel. I like to keep my clarinet out on a stand when I am home and I think that helped. The other thing I did was to continually clean it with a clean cotton cloth and swab it very often to get all the residue off of it. I also used Q-tips to get in the hard to reach places. Also I use the Dr.'s cork grease (< http://www.doctorsprod.com/DrSlick.html>) that I think has the most delightful smell. It took some time for the smell to subside but it did. As far as the case goes I left it in the hot sun on and off for a couple of days and cleaned it with a brush and a small amount of glass cleaner.
Best,
-=[Joe Vacc]=-
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Author: joevacc
Date: 2001-10-07 02:27
Marcie,
I too have a used clarinet that was owned by a smoker. The first thing I did was get it out of the original case. I kept the clarinet out for weeks disassembled on a clean cotton diaper or a towel. I like to keep my clarinet out on a stand when I am home and I think that helped. The other thing I did was to continually clean it with a clean cotton cloth and swab it very often to get all the residue off of it. I also used Q-tips to get in the hard to reach places. Also I use the Dr.'s cork grease ( < http://www.doctorsprod.com/DrSlick.html> ) that I think has the most delightful smell. It took some time for the smell to subside but it did. As far as the case goes I left it in the hot sun on and off for a couple of days and cleaned it with a brush and a small amount of glass cleaner.
Best,
-=[Joe Vacc]=-
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Author: joevacc
Date: 2001-10-07 02:30
Marcie,
I too have a used clarinet that was owned by a smoker. The first thing I did was get it out of the original case. I kept the clarinet out for weeks disassembled on a clean cotton diaper or a towel. I like to keep my clarinet out on a stand when I am home and I think that helped. The other thing I did was to continually clean it with a clean cotton cloth and swab it very often to get all the residue off of it. I also used Q-tips to get in the hard to reach places. Also I use the Dr.'s cork grease (http://www.doctorsprod.com/DrSlick.html) that I think has the most delightful smell. It took some time for the smell to subside but it did. As far as the case goes I left it in the hot sun on and off for a couple of days and cleaned it with a brush and a small amount of glass cleaner.
Best,
-=[Joe Vacc]=-
P.S. I hope the link works this time!!! sorry ;~)
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-10-07 11:30
Chinese clarinets andm casesw have a powerful, lingering, not-too-pleasant smell when new. I have no idea what or why.
Rancid bore oil could also smell bad. Difficult to deal with too.
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