Community Stories

how do you "de-smell" old straps etc?

ewand
Posts
1,296
Likes
5,991
janice&fred janice&fred
Back when I had the car shop I bought an old 912 from a customer. He stored it in his barn and generously sprinkled the entire interior, seats and floor carpeting with moth balls. Well it was so unbearable we took the whole thing apart-seats, carpets and door panels and scrubbed the hell out of them. Stuff still stunk to high heavens. My dad the chemist/engineer said "lay everything out in the sun for a few days, that'll fix it".
That worked. 👍

I might give that a go if other solutions aren't acceptable. Trouble is, it'll be about 5 months here before the sun is strong enough to do anything 😉
 
janice&fred
Posts
4,593
Likes
10,795
ewand ewand
I might give that a go if other solutions aren't acceptable. Trouble is, it'll be about 5 months here before the sun is strong enough to do anything 😉

Feel free to send it to us in Florida. We'll give it a few weeks of sunbath on both sides of the strap halves and send it back smelling like low tide 😁
 
Seabass23
Posts
69
Likes
103
I've had really good luck with coffee to remove odors. I'd seal it in a container with GROUND coffee. Perhaps use a coffee filter for separation and WAIT. Give it a few weeks.
Edited:
 
Mark020
Posts
5,821
Likes
9,035
+1. Coffee will do the trick
 
Seabass23
Posts
69
Likes
103
Oh yeah, one more thing. Avoid the temptation to brew the coffee when you are done.
 
Mad Dog
Posts
6,527
Likes
77,216
Utilizing Axe Apollo may or may not be worth the old college try regarding de-smelling old straps…I do it…and it works…but it has the capability of offending a few people…

FE5A4105-6C03-430A-BB55-3E2E6F96D1CD.jpeg
 
SkunkPrince
Posts
5,636
Likes
5,793
Tropic is rubber. Dawn dish detergent and a brush. Scrub vigorously.
 
janice&fred
Posts
4,593
Likes
10,795
SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Tropic is rubber. Dawn dish detergent and a brush. Scrub vigorously.

Like the guy didn't try soap and water already. Rubber, believe it or not, is capable of absorbing odors so it's not always a matter of cleaning the surface.
 
JwRosenthal
Posts
16,307
Likes
44,936
Mad Dog Mad Dog
Utilizing Axe Apollo may or may not be worth the old college try regarding de-smelling old straps…I do it…and it works…but it has the capability of offending a few people…

FE5A4105-6C03-430A-BB55-3E2E6F96D1CD.jpeg
I will repeat my sentiment from earlier in this thread

69B67D4B-8EBE-4CC8-93A2-F2EE4DBDA1CA.gif
 
SOG53
Posts
2,156
Likes
4,309
janice&fred janice&fred
Like the guy didn't try soap and water already. Rubber, believe it or not, is capable of absorbing odors so it's not always a matter of cleaning the surface.
For advice on odor management I would defer to SkunkPrince
 
SkunkPrince
Posts
5,636
Likes
5,793
janice&fred janice&fred
Like the guy didn't try soap and water already. Rubber, believe it or not, is capable of absorbing odors so it's not always a matter of cleaning the surface.
Dawn is magic.
 
Sign up or log in to reply...

Similar threads

mseamaster

How do you get rid of redials ethically

mseamaster Open Discussion
Scarecrow Boat
Scarecrow Boat
Posts
19
Views
2K
Mad Dog

How do you set the day and date of this Seiko?

Mad Dog Open Discussion
Spruce
Spruce
Posts
6
Views
2K
GarethS

How do you keep track of your collection?

GarethS Open Discussion
Pvt-Public
Pvt-Public
Posts
50
Views
4K
levelcrou

How do you authenticate your watch?

levelcrou Modern Omega Watches
levelcrou
levelcrou
Posts
7
Views
5K
kaplan

As a vintage Omega collector how do you feel about Omega / Swatch Group?

kaplan Open Discussion
J
jmgorman
Posts
57
Views
5K
andomegas

How do you organize your watch drawer?

andomegas Open Discussion
Alpha
Alpha
Posts
10
Views
2K