That cigarette smoke smell left behind in your games...

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That cigarette smoke smell left behind in your games...

So this Mario Bros I'm working on has that classic smoke smell to it after all these years. It's not terribly noticeable unless you're right up on it, but it's definitely there.

Since I'll be sanding and repainting this thing any way, does anyone have any tips on anything I should/could do to help get rid of that smell, aside from building an all new cab?

The smell also seems to have embedded itself in the joysticks and/or buttons pretty badly (they're in a bag right now and when you open the bag, there's a big waft of smoky smell :p). I suppose leaving those out for a while may help, but again, any helpful hints there if it's needed?
 
I got this recipe from retroACTIVE but have not tried this out yet....

1/4 Ammonia
1/4 Lestoil (I can only find this at the grocery store)
1/2 Water

I would only use this on painted surfaces (not bare wood)... test first of course... the Lestoil is the grease cutter... It will streak glass. When you've cleaned the surface, go back over with clean damp rag to remove the residue.

I have a Time Pilot that apparently spent a lot of time in a bar and has some cig smoke issues. When I originally tried to clean it up I would get this brown residue off the surface that smelled like cigs. No matter how long I went at it, I kept getting the residue coming off like it was soaked in that crap. I got this recipe from retro a little later on and haven't gotten motivated to try it out yet. I did find some Lestoil at the grocery store, however.
 
Putting a cup of coffee grounds in the cab for a couple of days will do wonders......
 
I have been dealing with rat piss smell.

Doused the inside of the machine with bleach, but still did not work after a week or two inside it stinks again
 
I take one of these and put it inside the cabinet in my garage with a fan blowing air thru the cabinet as well. 2 weeks later no smell.

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i like homebrew recipes tho thanks for sharing!
 
Don't fret...it's easier to get out than you might expect (I suspect that many of the listed methods will work). I had an old Pac-man that came out of a chain-smoker's basement. I lightly sprayed the entire cab with "Odor-ban" (found in the pet section at Wal-Mart), repeated a few times, and the smell was essentially gone.
 
You really need to clean as much of the smoke film and tar out of the inside of the machine first, (and clean the controls, etc.) or the smell is going to come back no matter what you do.

I restored a pinball machine that had been in a pub for years, it had a thick brown film over everything, inside and out, took days to clean everything.

After you have it cleaned, buy a can of super duty odor eliminator at pinrestore web site, under supplies. It's heavy duty stuff, read the directions well. Spray some on a small cloth, paper towel and put inside for a couple/few days. May have to do this a couple of times.

But ya gotta clean it up first, all the nooks and crannies.
 
My buddy buys a lot of used cars and trucks at the auction. He tosses in this compressed hockey puck thing and within 24hours it sucks the cig smell out of cars.. I'll ask him what it is, cause its awesome :)
 
An ozone machine, dude. Those "air cleaners" that really just put out ozone that are apparently really bad for your lungs.

I have one of these that I picked up at a garage sale:
http://ecoquestair.com/shop/living_air/living_air_classic/

Long story:
About 2 years ago I bought a hard top for my Miata, sight unseen. The seller told me it was in excellent condition. He meant the paint. I didn't even think to asked if it was smoked in. Anyway, when I picked it up(200 miles away) it smelled of cigarette smoke worse than anything than I have ever smelled in my life. I had to drive with the windows down, that's how unbearable it was.

When I got it home, I scrubbed the headliner. Nicotine and tar drained from it for about 2 hrs straight. Afterwards the smell was still there. I read up on ozone machines being used after fires to remove the smoke smell in buildings. I gave it a shot.

I put the hard top in my bathroom with the ozone machine on full blast. I left it in there for about 24hrs straight. When I took it out, the smell was completely gone from the hardtop. It was pretty amazing.

NOTE: Do not be in any room that has an ozone machine going for too long. Apparently, it's extremely bad for your lungs. In fact, I had to let me bathroom air out before I could retrieve my hardtop. I couldn't be in the room without coughing.
 
After a through cleaning, i second the ozone machine idea. THey really work.

An automotive/hotel grade one is better than an el cheapo
 
Simpe Green

I always use Simple Green to clean the smoke stains off of the cabinets for all my games. It works perfectly and doesn't damage the paint. I don't know how that will work with a really bad smell but it definitely takes off the smoke stains. I have an ozone machine that I use to clean rental units with when the people have been smoking in for years and it works great. You just need to not breathe the air when you walk into the room that has the machine running or will irritate your eyes and cause you serious problems. I think if you had a giant tarp that you could cover the game with and put the ozone machine in there it would work pretty well is my guess.
 
I also agree with the ozone generator - they work wonders.

However, Windex (OEM) also works really well for removing the tar build up and stains as such, never really paid that much attention if it removes the smell right away. They don't seem to smell after they have been cleaned with the Windex and been sitting in the garage for several weeks.
 
I always use Simple Green to clean the smoke stains off of the cabinets for all my games. It works perfectly and doesn't damage the paint. I don't know how that will work with a really bad smell but it definitely takes off the smoke stains. I have an ozone machine that I use to clean rental units with when the people have been smoking in for years and it works great. You just need to not breathe the air when you walk into the room that has the machine running or will irritate your eyes and cause you serious problems. I think if you had a giant tarp that you could cover the game with and put the ozone machine in there it would work pretty well is my guess.

Just remember that the area that has the ozone machine running must be sealed off from any living areas. And the room needs to be aired out for awhile after you run the machine. Just a friendly warning. And when you walk back into the room after it has been running, you need goggles and a respirator. ( or hold you breath)
 
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I think I know what I need to do now. Sounds like a terrible job, but it must be done! ;)
 
+1 for ozone generator or compressed "odor sponges" .. both used in professional fire remediation for removing smoke odor from salvageable contents of homes.
 
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