removing smoke smell from old electronics - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 03:15:49 am
content: What's the best method for de-smoking electronics that have been in a smoky house?

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 03:19:21 am
content: Wash with acetone or isopropyl alcohol and then leave out in the bright sunlight for a day or two.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 04:10:44 am
content: Quote from: peter.mitchell on July 31, 2013, 03:19:21 amYep and for the case and knobs and such - Simple Green.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 05:24:42 am
content: Acetone will melt many kinds of plastic so be careful.Lysol Tub and Tile cleaner can brighten smoke stained cases.In general what I would do is first use an air hose to blow any dust out of the electronics and that will help quite a bit. Use alcohol wipes around in the inside and use the tub and tile cleaner on the outside.I had to clean a laptop used by a chain smoker once at a previous job and my fingers were stained brown from the laptop using the alcohol wipes and I started getting a nicotine buzz.

author: ElectroIrradiator
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 08:22:39 am
content: Depending on what type of electronics we are talking about, then there may be no practical method of removing the smell and the residue from the internal works.Extended baking in the sun on a window sill, while sitting in a well ventilated room, will eventually make some of the smell go away. In a hot climate this may be slightly risky, though, as the heat may locally exceed what the components and synthetic materials can take for very long.

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 09:14:00 am
content: Car interior cleaners do oxidation to get rid of tobacco smell. Cover open, overnight in the ox. chamber will work. If not, nothing will.

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 09:57:16 am
content: Luckily this seems to be mostly smoke from a house with a wood stove in the kitchen. It was a place quite far in the woods.I've got 2 oscilloscopes and a bunch of other things from there. The outside cleans off quite well with Windex. The inside will be more work.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 10:22:33 am
content: Quote from: JuKu on July 31, 2013, 09:14:00 amOzone generator. Be careful, ozone attacks plastics (especially soft types) and natural rubber.

author: Spunky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 12:08:17 pm
content: Prochem smoke neutralizerSent from my HUAWEI U9510 using Tapatalk 2

author: gustavsen
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 06:00:28 pm
content: in ham radio is common the use of Baking Soda (Sodium bicarbonate).1) open your old electronics2) put into a cardboard box3) drop a large quantity of Baking soda inside your electronics.4) make a hole to the box to put a fan (10cm computer)5) run for a couple of days...6) clean and assembly all.7) enjoy itnotes: I do this in the garage since some smell go out of the box.I use a old PC power supply + a 10cm (4") case fan to force the air.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 06:30:03 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on July 31, 2013, 10:22:33 amYes, and disaster recovery companies have large ozone generators/chambers that they use to clean up smoked-up home furnishings... they may be willing to process small electronics for little or nothing.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 06:44:23 pm
content: With Ozone you can pretty much kiss any plastics inside good bye, ozone will very quickly destroy most plastics and other organic materials. It makes PCB materials turn into powder. Even PTFE does not last with exposure to ozone.Best so far is the bicarb and fan method, other than stripping and washing then making sure it is all dry in an oven then reassemble.

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 08:19:02 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on July 31, 2013, 12:43:09 pmI second this idea.Put a small pile of charcoal and your device in a sealed box and leave it for a week. The charcoal should absorb the smell.

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2013, 01:49:40 am
content: So you're saying to just remove the insides from the enclosure and sprinkle the baking soda all over everyting?I'm working on one of the 2 oscilloscopes I bought (a B&K Precision 1472c) from a smoky little house/camp in the woods right now. I cleaned the enclosure very well and it looks nice now but it still would smell If I put it in my computer room and turned it on. The insides are pretty good though. I've had the insides and the enclosure sitting on the deck in the sun for two days (only during the day of course).If I can't get the smell off the enclosure I think I might just sand off all the paint because I don't care if it's the original colour.I'm surprised how well old plastic knobs, plastic enclosures, plastic parts boxes and front faceplates clean up with a bit of some kinda Green cleaner and then a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.It makes a HUGE difference and the really old fashioned knobs don't smell like anything now even after being in smoke since the 50s. Today I Magic Erasered the knobs I salvaged from an Eico 324 RF Frequency Generator. I wonder if they're some bakelite-like substance?Tomorrow I might try cleaning the stuff I salvaged from an extra smoky EICO 460 oscilloscope. It's extra smoky because we turned it on then went into the next room, after a while it smelled even smokier than normal (the kitchen has a wood stove) and it was the EICO about to burst into flames puffing out smokeIf sanding off the paint is the only thing that works for the enclosure I will probably do it to the Advance OS1000A I got too, if it's possible to fix. The rotary switches are crusty and it doesn't seem to want to trigger correctly.Luckily lots of the little parts where still in their Archer/Radio Shack packages and the contents don't smell.Quote from: gustavsen on August 01, 2013, 06:00:28 pm

author: Spunky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2013, 01:27:12 am
content: Quote from: edavid on August 01, 2013, 06:30:03 pmMost cleaning companies would just use a smoke neutraliser and discharge it through a fogger, close the door and let it run overnight. I've never known anyone use ozone.I reckon there's no need to look for clever solutions with baking soda when there are plenty of off the shelf chemicals for the job.

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2013, 02:55:54 am
content: Since it's the enclosure that smells the most I might just sand off the paint and see if that works.I finally turned it on today in the kitchen with the enclosure removed and it didn't seem to smell like much of anything and all I did was to clean the front face and the knobs with some kinda green cleaner and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.The enclosure is still sitting outside and it smells like cleaned smoke

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2013, 05:26:09 am
content: Just wash it with soap then, and let it soak in a solution of fabric softener for a while. If you can get it use some Febreeze on it, it does neutralise the odour.

author: Radio Tech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2013, 11:39:10 am
content: Depending on what it is. A lot of electronics I disassemble and throw in dish washer. Some I spray with simple green followed by water rinse. If it is not bad and can do a easy cleaning on the bench I will put a clothes dryer sheet in it and place unit in a plastic bag for a few days. I restore a lot of vintage ham and cb equipment so each one varies a bit.

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2013, 01:15:51 pm
content: Hmmm... I' going to try putting the 2 Micronta analog meters I got in a closed container with a fabric softner sheet now that I've cleaned them up with the Magic Eraser. They're not badly smoky but they will make good test subjects.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 03:09:31 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on July 31, 2013, 04:10:44 amWhat is simple Green , I've not seen anything called that in the UK.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 03:11:32 pm
content: Green fairy washing liquid.......

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 03:51:23 pm
content: Quote from: M0BSW on August 04, 2013, 03:09:31 pmI guess you don't have Google there either.Anyway, how do you get rid of the smell of Simple Green? I think I'd rather have the equipment smell like smoke.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 03:53:04 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on August 04, 2013, 03:11:32 pm.OK Sean we have that, I've just learn that the Little Chef road side cafes are now own by Kuwait, I really don't think we own anything in England now. Green fairy is called Fairy liquid over here.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 03:55:56 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on August 04, 2013, 03:51:23 pmOh Yes we do, that's how the American government keep tabs on us see what we are doing over here, now all the bases with the spy planes have gone, and we have super fast broadband to Google that's old school.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 04:43:38 pm
content: Quote from: M0BSW on August 04, 2013, 03:53:04 pmGiven the amount of oil they use in frying stuff, I guess that's appropriate.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2013, 04:47:29 pm
content: Quote from: KJDS on August 04, 2013, 04:43:38 pmNice one

author: Spunky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2013, 12:15:50 am
content: Quote from: M0BSW on August 04, 2013, 03:55:56 pmNope, still got them. There's a base by me flying UAVs all over the place. Noisy buggers they are too.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2013, 05:28:23 am
content: Quote from: edavid on August 04, 2013, 03:51:23 pmAnd for those who haven't used it, Simple Green has sort of a strong licorice smell to it.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2013, 09:57:10 am
content: Quote from: ElectroIrradiator on July 31, 2013, 08:22:39 amReally? If anything designed for day to day use can't stand say... 12-18 hours in direct sunlight at say 40 degrees celsius, it's probably FUBAR anyway.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2013, 10:38:07 am
content: Plastics are known to be attacked by the UV in sunlight.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2013, 12:05:36 pm
content: Quote from: Spunky on August 05, 2013, 12:15:50 amI think we only got Lakenheath now in east anglia, glad when Alconbury closed, the SR71's they were noisy buggers to,it was the A10's Warthog's , that scared everyone where I live, the buggers kept on falling out of the sky,and they flew around with live ammo, that was frightening to.

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2013, 03:34:01 pm
content: Just to add to this old-ish post. I tried to remove the smoke smell from the enclosure of the B&K Precision 1472C but it's never going to go away SO this morning I tried to sand the paint off but it's too thick and soft.I ended up using Circa 1850 paint remover and was able to pull the paint right off like a big sheet of rubber. Hopefully that will get rid of the smell.I might paint it again in a nice blue similar to my ToyotaA $40 15MHz scope isn't really worth the can of paint but it's still a fun experiment.The plastic stuff cleaned up nicely enough with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Eco Green cleaner and Car Febreeze.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2013, 04:01:46 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on August 05, 2013, 05:28:23 amThat is why I useCrystalSimple Green, same stuff without the overpowering smell and green color.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2013, 05:33:38 pm
content: Try using plastidip to give it a new coat

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2013, 08:20:25 pm
content: I found a simple way to make it look nice without bothering with paint.I took a palm sander with some 100C Aluminium Oxide paper and vigorously sanded the whole newly stripped and slightly scratched up enclosure so it's all shiny with a little random texture to it.I wonder if it matters that now I've removed that non conductive rubbery paint?I doubt it because there were exposed unpainted rivets all along the bottom.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2013, 02:07:10 am
content: I seem to remember that RAF Lakenheath has the only Taco Bell in England and maybe Europe.Edit: Nope, there's two in Essex and one in Manchester.

author: LEECH666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2022, 01:31:53 am
content: I find that washing with isoprop works the best for me to remove the dreaded smokeing smell.