Has that been proven to work on a guitar?

What about a refinish?

 

I did a little Googly search last night and it does seem to be a measure of last resort for any entity with pervasive reek.

The main thing is to carry out the procedure in an area with no living creatures. Maybe a sealed cardboard box and let her rip.

 

From the net.


Ozone Generators -- Highly recommended by many, but an expensive option and you need to know what you're doing. These units should be used with caution as some are not suitable for use in occupied rooms, depending on the settings used and the knowledge of the user. Small ozone generators are often used to remove odors (especially smoke odors) from vehicles. Larger ozone generators are used for bigger spaces in homes and businesses. Ozone generators can also be used beyond general odor elimination but for more challenging problems like mold and mildew as well. If used in close proximity to a smelly guitar or case, an ozone generator might work wonders. One method would be to place the guitar and case in a small room (closet or bathroom or somewhere similar) with guitar free standing out of the case and the case open, then use an ozone generator according to the manufacturer's directions for the space in question. It might take only one treatment or perhaps several treatments. Ozone generators range from less than $100 USD to more than $1000 USD, so buying a good one can be a fairly expensive step to take. Ozone generators can also be rented, and you may also find a smoke remediation facility where you can bring your guitar and case for treatment. Note that ozone generators and ionizers are not the same thing, although they are often confused with one another. Do some research before taking steps involving ozone generators...but there are a lot of people who swear by ozone generators and their ability to remove odors from just about anything and their particular effectiveness in dealing with smoke odor.

 

If an ozone machine can get the stink out of hockey gear, than guitars are a possibility.

 

use a hydroxl generator. Takes 3 times longer, but does the same job safely.

I rent mine out for $200/month.

 

I just realized where you're at. If you want, you can come pick it up and use it for a week, but you have to drop it back off again. I'm just at Friday Harbor. No charge.

 

Years ago I worked for a company that did fire restoration and we had an ozone chamber for getting rid of smoke odors in clothes and furniture etc.. It worked great but the key was to thoroughly clean whatever you were deodorizing first. I was a student then and had bought my first car. The interior absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke when I got it. I thoroughly clean it top to bottom but it still had a strong smoke smell. I ended up pulling out all the interior, carpet and all, and ozoning it. Cleared it up almost completely.
I'm still friends with the owner of the company and they still run the ozone chamber. Last year I had a friend looking at buying a bunch of high end guitars but all were severely smokey smelling. He had made arrangements to clean a couple and get my friend to ozone them to see if that would help but unfortunately the deal didn't happen. I was a bit disappointed as I was looking forward to seeing how well it would work on a guitar.

 

Adcandour. Very generous of you. Thanks much. PM sent.

GuitarT. I was thinking one way of doing this would be to put the guitar in the car, sans case, and run it.

 

WE used them in General Motors. Great for car interiors that had a water leak, that said, we would replace underlay and any funky bits as the smell comes back if you do not as the process of decay continues. It is unlikely your guitar is decaying, so it might work.

In the hospital, we use activated charcoal for gangrene.

 

@Adcandour is an expert. He’d know. And a generous bud.
Cheers all

 

Those ozone generators that plug into your cig lighter are fake. Just a case with an led and a small fan

 

I remember the old smokey bar days. Getting home and putting all my clothes out side for 24 hours and then into the shower and wash hing my hair. Also a really stinky guitar case. opened it and left it out for a week. It worked great, providing you have an area to keep dry if it rains. Fresh air is a wonderful thing. Might work Brent.

 

Thunder storms produce ozone.

 

You must have bought that guitar off the girl friend I had for way toooooo long back in the eightees.

 

The smell will eventually go away on it's own. Try putting the guitar in its case with some Bounce sheets around it.

 

Just a quick update.

The smell is gradually fading. It's likely to the point where a couple MORE cleanings will tame it.

Another thanks to Adcandour for the generous offer.

 

Ozone generators can indeed be effective for odors. Just be cautious as it's 2023 now, and technology might have advanced.

 

 

I bought one to get rid of nasty mix of little trees magic air freshener and cigarette stink in a car. Used it 4 times with windows sealed and all. Still reeked. Sold the car after owning it a month. So, does it work ? Didn't for me.

One thing though, they are supposed to be bad for plastic. Maybe the car insides eventually fell to pieces ...

 

I thought one was supposed to soak the guitar in tomato juice.

 

From Wiki:
Exposure of 0.1 to 1 μmol/mol produces headaches, burning eyes and irritation to the respiratory passages. Even low concentrations of ozone in air are very destructive to organic materials such as latex, plastics and animal lung tissue.

 

Plastic is considered as organic ? Wow !

I also heard it's vegan ...

 

Ozone will eat plastic as well as the inside of your lungs. The industrial ones used for smoke damage etc. are effective. Medicinal ozone is a different world and it's treatment use is based on calibration. Very effective for a variety of conditions from burn victims to blood diseases.

 

Ozone generators are pretty cool for tackling tough odors. Using one for your guitar sounds interesting – could be a game-changer for that 'narly stank'! Just make sure to do thorough research, as ozone can be potent. You might find useful insights at Why You Shouldn't Build an Ozone Generator at Home. They've got some tips that could be handy.

 

I borrowed one from the used car dealer we bought from (they usually run it in all used cars they get but this one was that new), ran it for 2 days with the windows closed, car in the driveway - it made a big difference. Before the smell of stale tobacco was overwhelming, after you could barely detect it.

 

This is an older thread, and I think OP settled their issue (2 years ago) but, I recently saw an episode of some car restoration show where an 80's T-Bird was left in a barn for a couple decades and inhabited by cats. Cats!
He used charcoal. He put plastic down on the floors, and had 4 piles of charcoal. One in each foot-well. He claimed it worked.