how do i get smoke smell out of some of my radios

[TranStar]

I'm 22. I've been smoking for about 10 years. But anyways, When i was younger i made the mistake of often doing it in the room where i would keep my collection vintage radios. well now i'm wanting to sell these radios but i cant seem to get the smell out of them. Does anybody know of a cleaner that PERMANENTLY gets rid of the smell

[Chip Chester]

Clean all the surfaces you can safely clean with a citrus-based cleaner to remove gummy nicotine. (Be very careful around wood finishes, and lettering on control surfaces, tubes, and chassis.) You'll be using a lot of q-tips for the fine stuff. Then put in a paper plate with a layer of baking soda on it for several weeks. Anything left might respond to a spray called Ozium, with the same care applied to finish and lettering protection. Febreze does wonders, but I've never tried it for smoke issues. Airing them out with fans outside (or in the garage) will probably help. It's not an overnight thing.

And I'm sure you know what I'm not mentioning...

Chip

[Sandy G]

Talk to my Mama about Smoking. Oh, that's right, you CAN'T, she died in 208 from COPD/Emphysema, after struggling w/it for 25 + years..COPD is a NICE little disease, it only kills you "Just a LITTLE" every day, nothing to get upset about, until you can't go from yr bed to the commode w/o gasping like you just ran up Mt Kilimanjaro, or even Everest..

[wa2ise]

I never took it up. Only reason to start smoking in high school was to attempt to look cool. But I knew I was way too nerdy for that to work for me , so I didn't try it.

[Electronic M]

I have a number of sets and some rotary dial phones that were in smoking homes since new. I have no intention of getting rid of the smell. To me it is part of the character and history of the piece...Heck I kinda like it. I tend to smoke my pipe around my sets on purpose to give them that nice cherry pipe tobacco scent that to me is one of the most definitive scents of tube gear.

[decojoe67]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I have a number of sets and some rotary dial phones that were in smoking homes since new. I have no intention of getting rid of the smell. To me it is part of the character and history of the piece...Heck I kinda like it. I tend to smoke my pipe around my sets on purpose to give them that nice cherry pipe tobacco scent that to me is one of the most definitive scents of tube gear.

I was just going to write the same thing. I've dealt with a radio/TV collector/dealer for decades who smokes heavily. When I play certain sets that he had close to his bench area for years, I get that nice mild nicotine odor as the sets get warm. I connect that smell now with these vintage sets and actually like it!

[Titan1a]

It took time to eliminate the odor from a Zenith AM/FM table radio. No smell (except Olde English!).

[maxhifi]

I hate working on smokers radios, it reminds me of cleaning the fume hood over my range. My predicta was a smoker's set and it was horrible getting the board clean. If it's just the smell air them out for a few months, but if they've been heavily exposed it's a major job to clean things up. Although may be a good idea to run your finger nail over the sticky residue on the chassis and consider what place does this have in a human body!

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by decojoe67

I was just going to write the same thing. I've dealt with a radio/TV collector/dealer for decades who smokes heavily. When I play certain sets that he had close to his bench area for years, I get that nice mild nicotine odor as the sets get warm. I connect that smell now with these vintage sets and actually like it!

Same here. The fellow who got me started restoring sets smoked a cherry pipe too, his shop and some sets I bought from him have that smell, and I've always liked it.

[Ed in Tx]

Ammonia glass cleaner, alcohol and Q-tips, putting in a closet and running an ionizer air cleaner with it for a day or more... a few methods I have used.

BTW... Nicotine is a tasteless and odorless chemical. What you guys are calling nicotine is actually the TAR in tobacco stinking up the place. Think of hot tar on a road and then think of that inside you! The OP being 22 years old, that's when I QUIT smoking. I grew up in a house with a mother that smoked a pack of Alpines a day. Used to ride down to Kresge's on my bicycle and buy her Alpines for $2.75 a carton. Sher never stopped me from snitching a few.

[Gregb]

A couple weeks back I bought a nice little Philco radio from a really heavy smoker. Not thinking I just threw it on the passenger seat and started home. Five minutes into the drive I had to stop and put the set in the back of the truck as the smell was making my eyes water. When I got home I put it in the garage and now a few weeks later it is ALMOST odor free. I think it takes years to get them totally odor free as I have some in my collection that will give off that odor after they have been turned on for a bit.

Gregb

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Gregb

.. I put it in the garage and now a few weeks later it is ALMOST odor free. I think it takes years to get them totally odor free...

Gregb

Maybe takes even longer! The original owners of my house were pretty heavy smokers. Occasionally if there's no air moving in the house I still get a whiff of cigarettes in the back bedroom. Been here almost 38 years now, I bought the house in 1978! I think the stink is buried under layers of paint and it is still slowly outgassing.

[broadcaster]

Try placing Bounce Dryer sheets inside the cabinet. It works!