Help! Smelly Acoustic Tiles

[jimh76]

Hi

I have made my own acoustic treatment boards using 8 square acoustic tiles I bought off eBay and 2 square bits of thin chip board (4 tiles per board). I have put 2 picture hanging wires on the back and can move them from the wall behind my speakers to hang on mic stands behind the vocalist when they are being recorded.

They work really well, but unfortunately they also stink! I tried spraying them with Fabreeze but worried if this will affect the acoustic properties of the foam. I think I could try my aftershave as well, but as my studio also acts as the front room of the house my wife is on the verge of asking me to move them.

Anyone else had issues with this kind of problem, and if so how have you solved it?

Any help appreciated.

If anyone wants to know how to make the acoustic screens let me know as they are quite easy to make and sound good.

Thanks

Jim

[Martin Walker]

At the very least, a good airing in the open air (preferably with a little breeze to help things along) would help any pong to dissipate

Martin

[BJG145]

Fresh air and baking soda...? May take a little while...I wouldn't spray any other perfumed stuff on them. Or just get some clean new ones instead,

[Hugh Robjohns]

I guess it depends what kind of bad smell it is!

I've used some RealTraps panels in the past which, when originally unpacked, have a strong fishy smell. However, I just left them unwrapped in the garage for a week to 'air' before installing, and the smell cleared completely. So perhaps trying the same with your tiles might do the trick too.

[ManFromGlass]

For hard core smell removal you need to put them In a contained space with an open 1 lb can of cheap ground coffee. I had a problem with chemical smells in my car. It took 2 cans of coffee to remove the smell.

I found this tip on the inet somewhere and it was suggested this method would remove the smell of decomposing bodies. (there must be a composer joke in there somewhere)
Don't drink the coffee afterwards, toss it out.

The stuff one learns. . . . . . . .

[Hugh Robjohns]

...it was suggested this method would remove the smell of decomposing bodies.

Another handy gem to file away...

[garrettendi]

Don't drink the coffee afterwards, toss it out.

Did you learn this particular tip the hard way?

[jimh76]

Cheers peeps.

The smell is best described as a bit chemical. I'll try and quick them in my shed for a few days to see if that helps. Maybe with some coffee and a packet of hobnobs (which I could give to Hugh and Paul on a studio sos........)

[ManFromGlass]

Heat accelerates the off gassing process too.
A quick search of the inet turns up lots of flakey hippy dippy ways to deal with off-gassing or out-gassing. There are a few scientific sites that are the most useful. Some of the chemicals released can be harmful.