doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Musty Smell in Case - Solution?

I have a Double Gun case - "Leather, Felt, etc." - that has a very "musty" smell to it.

I assume that some members of this forum may also have experienced this. Most especially with older gun cases.

I'm interested in what solutions have been tried to eliminate the organisms that are causing the smell. White Vinegar?; Pine-Sol?, etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks

I had this problem with an FBI case for a Thompson SMG last year. I cured it by placing coffee filters with fresh ground French Roast in there for several days. After that the smell was gone.
Jim

Fabreeze spray

The oily musty smell of an old gun case with the fine old double and tools inside should be bottled not eliminated.

Jim,
That's the most interesting "potential" solution that I've heard of yet. Of course, then it will smell like Starbucks! I'll have to pursue that idea

dubbletrubble,
Gave the Fabreeze a try already. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do a thing.

Still looking for more inventive solutions if there are any out there.

PM,

I wish it was an "oily" smell! It's more like old wet, sweaty dog that skirted a cesspool.
Not pleasant.

cut the leggs off one of the wifes panty hose....fill them with the contents of a 1 lb. tin of john rolfe peach brandy pipe tobacco...tie the ends shut... close inside the case for about a week....problem solved..

Fabreeze was offered as a solution previously and was determined to NOT be effective with this type of situation.

The "coffee smell" will rapidly dissapate once the grounds are removed. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Jim

As one who is extremely allergic to molds, I am very aware of the problem. Spraying Febreez, using scents or using coffee grounds doesn't do much except replace one odor with another. The cause, which is mold or mildew, is still present. I would suggest a weak solution of any basic household disinfectant that has the compound dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (you might see it listed as any compound C12 through C18); these are better than bleach because they penetrate deeper into porous materials and will actually kill the mold. You need to first check the effect on the lining. I would follow that with exposure to direct sunlight. Once the mold is killed, I believe that the use of zeolite available as granules or small pieces at your pet store may help to absorb residual odor.

gunut,

Thanks for the idea. between the coffee and the tobacco, the only thing I'm missing is some good Bourbon!

I'm more in line with cpa's thought process. I'm looking for something to kill the organisms that are causing the smell. I've avoided bleach for obvious reasons.

I was hoping for something that was commercially available.I've done the direct sunlight thing, and the sun's rays do kill organisms such as this. It helped, but much more is needed.

Formula 409 Antibacterial Kitchen All-Purpose Cleaner, made by Clorox, has the ingredient that cpa discussed above.

We'll give that a try and report back after a week.

Thanks,