Restoring/cleaning an ATA style road case:
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Posted on Oct 20, 2012 09:39 pm
J-bot
Byte-Mixer
Member Since: Dec 04, 2007
So, the guys I've been working with have a couple ATA cases that survived the flood a couple years ago. They used to hold some DJ equipment, but should fit my mixer. The cases will need to be cleaned and disinfected, and some padding will probably have to be replaced, but otherwise they're giving them to me.
I'll be heading over there to check 'em out on Tuesday possibly, so I guess my question is, what kind of cleaners do I need to see about getting? I'm guessing there might be some mold or mildew, and they'll probably smell a bit. Also, I'm not sure what they meant by the foam needing to be replaced. I don't know if they mean't the soft foam that's usually glued in, or the harder more coarse upholstered foam lining.
I wonder how big a project this will end up turning into. :P But still, free case!
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Oct 22, 2012 09:22 am The harder foam, likely...it's so porous, it'll surely collect smell and mold and general yuckiness. The material covering the foam could be cleaned with any carpet cleaner, in that regard, I have to say, I am a huge fan of Pure Power cleaning products for pet stains, carpet smells and whatnot.
www.purepoweronline.com
Good stuff, works great, I've used it on everything except guitar cases...ya know what, a friend of mine, and Lodge Brother, is the guy running the warehouse for Pure Power, I'll ask him about how it can handle such things, if it can...what you are asking for is a tall order, but who knows!
J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Oct 22, 2012 08:30 pm Yeah, I hear ya. I did read on another forum somewhere that a guy's cases ended up in raw sewage after his basement flooded. The city's waterlines got backed up and flooded his basement....ewww. I think it was only the bottom few inches of the cases that were submerged though, but arguably worse than being completely flooded with clean water. The cases had that velour lining stuff.
www.sweetwater.com/forums...php/t-1738.html
Anyway, he had a few cases that were sitting in the stuff, and he said he used a combination of Orange TKO Pet Power, Resolve, and Lysol to soak the cases, and then leave them out int he sun to dry. And, that seemed to do the trick for him.
I figure scrubby carpet cleaner stuff will probably be good for the harder porous lining. For regular softer foam, I figure just cut it out and replace it.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Oct 22, 2012 08:42 pm Be careful mixing those chemical cleaning fluids.... have plenty of ventilation. Chlorine gas may be produced. Orange oil won't be a problem but that Lysol might gas out on you if it is mixed.
That said, I still have an old army duffel thing that is as tall as me and still smells strongly of mold, after being soaked in oxyclean and other laundry goops over several treatments. Some things simply cannot be made clean again...
But I can understand the attraction of free cases... :)
Oct 23, 2012 01:15 am If it's a real ATA case, and not something like an SKB case ( As in plastic.) Then you really need to check over the wood.
If the mold and water delaminated the plywood, then they are not worth even given away. They are trash at that point. But, if the wood is still together, and the mold is not deep, you can salvage them. Scrape out the old foam, and scrub the living daylights out of the inside wood, and LET IT DRY!!!!! You should be fine.
And as others have pointed out, a good Orange cleaner should be fine.
One other thing to keep in mind. There are a ton of different foam liners out there. From hard to soft, and even medium density. Just do some research first. As some of the foam products out there will become soft over time. And it gets into EVERYTHING when that happens.
J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Oct 23, 2012 05:41 pm Yeah, good point on the wood laminate. I think they are pretty much real ATA cases, though I suppose it's possible they could be similar to the SKB stuff but classified as ATA, like the keyboard case I just got. I'll have to inspect them when I get out there.
I know mixing bleach with pretty much anything else releases some pretty volatile stuff. I don't think I would mix them all at once. I was thinking in stages. Stage one use a bleach based disinfectant, soak it really well, scrub thorughly, and let it dry. Stage two, use something like Resolve or other pet odor/stain remover, let dry, and then stage three, use the Orange TKO Pet Power to further clean and I guess make it smell nicer? Hah.
Luckily, the apartment has a communal deck, so I can take them out there to work on. Unluckily we are getting into the time of year where the sun is starting to go bye bye, hah, so drying them will take time. It's been pretty overcast lately. I guess I could put in a bowl of baking soda or something to aid drying if the sun isn't out much.
And yeah, free = good, if they are still in good condition and the wood is in good condition, or if the mold only got into the foam, and hadn't reached the wood yet. I mean a new ATA or even a road case would probably cost a couple hundred minimum.
Oh, and apparently Tuesday meant not today, but next Tuesday. Hope the sun comes out by then. :)
J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Oct 28, 2012 01:31 am Quick update: Actually we went out to see the band last night just for a change of scenery. They were playing at Wild Hogs again. It was a fun night, and they had one of the cases with them.
The wood looks like it is fine. So I just need to strip out the foam (we have a utility knife that should be up to task) clean it, sand it, and put new foam in. Robbie had already started a bit, and sprayed it pretty thoroughly once already. So, it doesn't smell bad or anything. Well, it smells a bit like cleaner, but it didn't smell moldy or anything to me.
Unfortunately, the interior looks to be about 1 inch too small both length and width for my mixer. So I'll use it to haul mics, cables, and other misc. stuff around. It will also come in handy when we move.
Oct 30, 2012 12:08 pm Nice! Sound like you made out well!
