Cleaning inside of Vintage Case

[MBSC]

I had this in Off Topic, so figured I'd move it here.
Just picked up a 60's Gibson case with the marigold lining. I see some black dots inside could be old mildew stains or maybe mildew itself. I used some Dawn and baking soda mixed in a small spot. It did lift the black dot a little but also changed the color of the lining to a paler yellow. I stopped after that test spot. any suggestions for the rest of it? or just leave it?

 

[Midnight Blues]

You can try diluted carpet cleaner. Is there an odor? If so, try leaving it in the sun, but that'll likely fade the color as well.

 

[jb_abides]

Baking soda will fade the color, yes... it's best when dry, isolated, and contained for scents, but not for cleaning that fabric.

Use Distilled White Vinegar. You can dilute with water if it's too concentrated.

Blot, don't scrub. Then dry thoroughly (set out, or use low heat hair dryer). Drying in the sun OK, but as mentioned, the sun can fade a bit, overall.

Further, vinegar is limited to the fabric, not the inner foam. If the mold has taken residence in the foam, then that's a deeper issue.

Also, if musty after cleaning. I have found using a porous cloth bag of dry coffee grounds and rice stored in the case (no guitar) for some time will neutralize the smell (won't cure the mold issue).

PS @MBSC if you decide to use vinegar: after the mold is fully removed make sure to clean the vinegar out thoroughly with water, don't leave vinegar in there even to dry ... residual vinegar can react with nitro.

 

[corpse]

Watch out for Fabreeze- it can leave hard to remove residue on guitar finishes and can be difficult to vacuum out.
First hand knowledge on that.

 

[darkwave]

Watch out for Fabreeze- it can leave hard to remove residue on guitar finishes and can be difficult to vacuum out.
First hand knowledge on that.

My understanding is that Febreze doesn't actually clean out odors - it encapsulates them molecularly so that our senses don't register them anymore. It's not doing anything good for your case, it's just making your nose "blind" to the problem. Use that info however you wish...

- Douglas C.

 

[charliechitlins]

Watch out for Fabreeze- it can leave hard to remove residue on guitar finishes and can be difficult to vacuum out.
First hand knowledge on that.

And it will make your guitar case smell like toilet bowl cleaner.

 

[corpse]

Like a taxi cab

 

[dwagar]

Watch out for Fabreeze- it can leave hard to remove residue on guitar finishes and can be difficult to vacuum out.
First hand knowledge on that.

When I bought my used SG the guy had sprayed Febreze in the case. It took quite awhile to get rid of that smell.

I used some of those carbon smell absorber packs inside the case, put the case in a large plastic bag with a bunch of baking soda in it. After 2 or 3 weeks enough of the smell was gone I could let it air out to get rid of the rest.

Luckily just leaving the guitar out got rid of the smell fairly quickly.